Dal global English all'italiano lingua straniera

During the 1970s, English became the most frequently studied foreign language in Italian schools, replacing French. In a language teaching methodology perspective, it was taught following the communicative approach, giving emphasis to different types of meaning rather than form. It was no longer monolithic English, but English for Special purposes, the English of CLIL, Treshold Level English, global and globalized, pluricentric, which runs the risk of disintegrating into myriads of sublanguages. In the 80s, language teaching methodology experts began to show interest in the teaching of Italian too, rather than other foreign languages. Developments in the 1990s and the early years of the new millenium show an interest in language acquisition and the influence of communication sciences as a new area of study which influences language teaching by viewing language as culture and education as interculture. From a language policy point of view plurilingualism and the need to certify language competence abroad are key areas in the field.