La variazione prosodica in italiano: l’utilizzo di un chatbot Telegram per la didattica assistita per apprendenti di italiano L2 e nella valutazione linguistica delle conoscenze disciplinari

The comparison of foreign language learners’ pronunciation with the utterances of native speakers is receiving increasing attention thanks to the new applications of computer-assisted teaching. The studies on prosodic variation between several native speakers reveal rhythmic-intonative patterns that should be part of the linguistic baggage of the native speaker; it seems problematic how to make explicit to the learner his degree of prosodic competence on the basis of the different acoustic indices (f0, intensity, pitch) and other parameters (number of syllables, lexical accent, speech rate, pauses). We present a chatbot designed as a proactive learning support for the improvement of oral skills in Italian L2. After describing its technical structure, the first results of a preliminary study are discussed. They provide a first starting point to reflect on some considerations that emerged.