Resumen de Linguistic attitudes and variation in Spanish as a foreign language: how to integrate Spanish varieties in Italian students’ class

Mariachiara Minichiello, Elena Fernández de Molina Ortés

• The attitudes and beliefs of learners of Spanish as a foreign language towards different language varieties can have a significant impact on their development of linguistic and intercultural competences. This study explores the perceptions of Italian speakers regarding an innovative variety of Spanish: the Spanish of Granada. It also examines personal factors (such as living with a partner of Granada) and academic factors (place of education) that may influence these attitudes. The research is based on interviews conducted with 30 Italian speakers residing in Granada who speak Spanish as a second language. The questions addressed both direct and indirect perceptions of Andalusian and Spanish variety of Granada. The results indicate that learners with prior academic training, especially at the university level, tend to have more negative attitudes toward this linguistic variety, although the city of Granada itself is viewed positively. Based on these findings, we propose specific didactic activities on the linguistic varieties of Spanish, aiming to foster stronger intercultural competence in the Spanish classroom.