Speakers and discussants:

Nada Poropat Jeletić (University of Pula)

Alberto Giudici (University of Teacher Education of the Grisons; University of Zürich)

Rita Rumboldt (Free University of Berlin)

 

Abstract

The goal of this workshop is to unite scholars studying Istriot, an endangered, lesser-known Romance variety spoken in parts of Istria, Croatia. This Romance “island” surrounded by Slavic-speaking areas can act as a linguistic laboratory for various approaches to language contact and change, some of which will be showcased here.

First, Nada Poropat Jeletić (University of Pula) will provide an overview of the sociolinguistic diversity of the region and some of its effects. In the second section, two talks will focus on a specific, ongoing process of language change. First, Alberto Giudici (University of Teacher Education of the Grisons; University of Zürich) will elaborate on his work documenting the development of an Istriot plural indefinite uni, a novelty in the Italo-Romance domain. Second, Rita Rumboldt (Free University of Berlin) will present a new study probing the conditions and extent of the grammaticalization of Istriot uni based on experimental data.

In addition to contributing to the body of research on a peripheral Romance variety, work on Istriot offers real-time insights into variation and change in a complex sociolinguistic ecosystem.