“Finisco dascrivere con le parole più belle”. Lessico e strategie linguistiche dell’oralità in Lettere da una tarantata

Abstract

The paper offers a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the main linguistic phenomena contained in the letters written by Anna, a semiliterate woman affected by tarantism, to the anthropologist Annabella Rossi during the 1960s. The analysis will show the evolution of the lexicon within the corpus, with a focus on the description of some of the discursive dimensions that emerge in Anna’s writing. In accordance with New Literacy Studies, we will demonstrate how the intertwining of oral and written domains allows Anna to both write texts and do things such as maintaining her relationship with Annabella. Finally, the research will display that some specific linguistic and textual features of semiliterate writings which appear to deviate from the norms of written texts, instead constitute functional correlates of the speech modality.