Aiscrima e Checchi: Italian American Dialect and Development in the New Milennium

My project explores the language usage and perceptions of Italian Americans in the Dayton area. I focus particularly on their use of words or phrases considered part of an Italian-American variety of English and the roles the Italian language plays in family and community life. I situate my research in current and past scholarship, looking toward Hermann Haller\u27s 1981 study of Italian American language patterns and the Italian American word list compiled by A. Menarini in 1947. By combining personal interviews with Italian Americans living in the Dayton area today with more widespread conceptions of Italian American language and culture, I present an in-depth study within a niche of a larger community