From flamano to urban vernacular. Linguistic and meta-linguistic heritage of first generation miners in Flemish Limburg

Abstract

This article explores the linguistic and meta-linguistic heritage of the Italian mine workers families that arrived in Belgian Limburg after the Second World War. On the basis of historical research, discourse analysis of texts and sociolinguistic interviews, I describe how the complex linguistic integration of first-generation migrants, that was scarcely noticed and debated until the 1960s, has been picked up and enregistered by second- and third-generation Italians in Limburg. I show how first generation’s hybrid linguistic practices have come to be linked to one particular mining city, the city of Genk, and enregistered as an urban vernacular of this place, although they still refer to the larger historical background they are rooted in. I explain this heritage in three steps. First, I describe the complex contact-linguistic situation of first-generation miners’ families. I will then present the linguistic consequences of this situation, by describing the emergence of a multilingual, but mainly French-based mining jargon among Flemish and foreign miners. In a third step, I place the social and linguistic situation of first-generation miners at the root of the linguistic practices of second- and third-generation Italians in Limburg.

In the name of security: Governmentality apparatus in a multilingual mine in Arctic Finland

“…The previous research on language and mining has illustrated the long history of language contact and multilingual practices in mining communities (Aikman, 2017; Cornips & de Rooij, 2019; Hiss, 2017; Marzo, 2019; Muysken, 2019). The present study contributes to this research strand in the context of the current globalized mining industry.…”

“…Most of the research on language issues in mining has addressed historical cases (e.g. Cornips & de Rooij, 2019; Hiss, 2017; Marzo, 2019; Muysken, 2019). Ethnographic studies are rare, probably because gaining access to mining projects is challenging due to strict security procedures (see, however, Aikman, 2017; Bell, 2017; Kraft, 2020).…”

Why does the shtyle spread? Street prestige boosts the diffusion of urban vernacular features

“…The most important case in point is Matteo Simone's rendition of the role of ‘soft macho’ safety enforcer Smos in the television series Safety First (a persona that drew heavily on the use of Citétaal features). Concomitant with this growing media popularity was the introduction of Citétaal in the local Limburgian rap scene, in particular by Belgian-Italian rapper Don Luca, born and raised in the mining areas, who uses Citétaal to flavour his output (Marzo 2019:115). Following this media boom, local authorities began to exploit the growing popularity of Citétaal in several political and commercial campaigns to evoke a modern and urban identity.…”

The future of coal mining history. Migration, cultural memory and the transnational Dutch studies

“…Er zijn ook kunsteraars die deze taal -een urban vernacular volgens Stefania Marzo [Marzo, 2019] -als kunstmiddel inzetten, zoals rapper Don Luca (Gianluca Nobile), afkomstig uit een mijnkolonie en vertegenwoordiger van een bewuste subcultuur op de hip-hopscène: sociale outcasts die uit hun moeilijke omgeving inspiratie putten voor protest maar ook saamhorigheid en nieuwe creatieve initiatieven. Don Luca werd in Bologna geïnterviewd, met de vertoning van enkele clips van zijn nummers, en gaf een druk bezocht concert in het cités.…”