PhD project: Italian and Italians in St. Louis: a sociolinguistics analysis
Do you know that 4 millions of emigrants left Italy for the United States during the mass emigration era (1890 – 1920)?
This is an important chapter in Italian and American history and culture.
But... what happened to the language spoken by those immigrants?
I am interested in the area of St. Louis, Missouri, where there still is a lively Italian neighborhood called The Hill.
My project is to interview a group of approximately 50 Americans of Italian descent in St. Louis and in the nearby towns, recruiting them with the help of local Italians associations and clubs.
I want to know:
- What is their knowledge of the Italian language?
- What attitude do they have towards it and towards the dialect?
- Is Italian an ethnicity marker?
- When did the language shift happen?
The Hill, Italian neighborhood, St. Louis 
Italian shops with Italian names, The Hill, St. Louis 
St. Ambrose Catholic church, The Hill, St. Louis
Why do I need funding?
My project is an individual doctorate project, therefore I am not part of a team and I did not receive any funding from the university of other institutions.
The money I will collect will be used to fund my fieldwork expenses, such as travelling to St. Louis, renting a room, etc.
What do I offer in exchange?
I am a linguist and a translator, so what about language lessons online?
If you are interested in learning and practicing Italian, I can offer conversation lessons via Skype. I did it before and it was a very interesting exchange!
I put some examples in the rewards section, but I am flexible and we can decide together what is best for you.