Anglicisms in Italian youth language. Analysis of two podcasts: New G and Voci Amiche

The aim of this thesis is to explore the influence of English on Italian youth language, through the study of Anglicisms, specifically found in podcasts created by and for young people. Over the centuries, various factors such as commerce, migrations, tourism and recently technology, have facilitated contacts between countries. As a consequence, a mutual exchange of values, cultures and especially languages is taking place. English in particular, is one of the languages that has spread the most around the world. Thanks to its historical power and dominance, English has become the international language of communication, thus gradually “contaminating” other languages. Among the European languages that English has been influencing so far, Italian is highly receptive. In fact, over time, Italian has incorporated a high number of English words, known as Anglicisms, into its vocabulary. Anglicisms are used by different social and age groups, with some of them being strongly assimilated in everyday language and others only employed in specific fields or by specific groups of people, for instance, by young people. Young people’s language appears to be more inclusive towards Anglicisms especially because of their increasing engagement with social networks and the internet, which provide access to a great deal of information in English. As a result, Italian youth language is rich in Anglicisms that spread to everyday vocabulary and is increasingly used by people of different ages. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the study of Anglicisms used in Italian youth language found specifically in podcasts. The choice of podcasts as the means for this type of study has been driven by the paucity of studies focused on podcasts which offer an updated representation of the language employed by young people. The thesis encompasses three main chapters. The first chapter provides a general overview of the podcast genre and its linguistic features, with specific insights into youth podcasts in Italy. The second delves into the influence of English on Italian, the definition of Anglicisms and youth language along with previous studies about Anglicisms in youth language. The third chapter analyses the Anglicisms found in two Italian youth podcasts, namely "New G" and "Voci Amiche." Anglicisms are examined based on their frequency, type, and semantic field.