Abstract:
One of the many features of language is its ability to reflect upon itself: this process, referred as “metalanguage”, was once believed to be only used in linguistics, when linguists analyse and reflect on language to understand how it works. It has been however observed that metalanguage is a key part of everyone’s daily life. When we do not understand something and we ask for clarifications, when we correct someone’s statement, when we do not understand a joke and need to hear the words carefully or to go beyond its literal meaning: this ordinary actions have in common that we need to think about about language itself. This can be a personal and internal process of reflexion, or someone may make written or spoken comments; This can occur also in media, such as television, radio, literature, newspapers or books. Against this background, this work will focus on the crime fictions of Marco Malvaldi, a contemporary Italian author. His works, all set in small towns and communities of Tuscany, are an excellent example of metalinguistic reflexions, with characters from different backgrounds using and manipulating language trying to solve crimes and other mysteries. Their comments on language will give us the opportunity to reflect on Italian and regional language, as well as on formal and bureaucratic vs informal language use, irony and other aspects of Italian.
