A New Language, A New World
Italian Immigrants in the United States, 1890-1945
Format:Paperback
Publisher:University of Illinois Press
Published:15th May '12
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
An insightful history of Italian immigrants' personal experience of language in America
An examination of Italian immigrants and their children in the early twentieth century, A New Language, A New World is the first full-length historical case study of one immigrant group's experience with language in America. Incorporating the interdisciplinary literature on language within a historical framework, Nancy C. Carnevale illustrates the complexity of the topic of language in American immigrant life. By looking at language from the perspectives of both immigrants and the dominant culture as well as their interaction, this book reveals the role of language in the formation of ethnic identity and the often coercive context within which immigrants must negotiate this process.
Winner of a 2010 American Book Award from The Before Columbus Foundation.
"Outstanding from start to finish. . . . The author displays exceptional range and depth in exploring not only the interior world of Italian American life, but also the intersections of this group's story with that of other immigrant communities and with society as a whole. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice
"A must for Italian American scholars."--Altreitalie
"Carnevale takes a fresh and intriguing approach by focusing on an issue to which historians have devoted surprisingly little attention."--Journal of American Ethnic History
"By focusing on the everyday linguistic practices of ordinary immigrants, Carnevale's study is truly path-breaking, opening new ground in the study of immigrant language usage. Refreshingly original and enormously stimulating."--Donna Gabaccia, coeditor of American Dreaming, Global Realities: Rethinking U.S. Immigration History
"In A New Language, A New World, Nancy C. Carnevale does something that historians have long claimed that they would do, but in fact never did: she takes language seriously. Carnevale focuses on the language world of Italian immigrants in the United States and examines in intricate and intimate detail how language shaped them and structured their encounter with America."--Hasia R. Diner, author of Hungering for America: Italian, Irish and Jewish Foodways in the Age of Migration
- Winner of <DIV>Winner of a 2010 American Book Award from The Before Columbus Foundation.</DIV> 2010
ISBN: 9780252078620
Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 23mm
Weight: 399g
264 pages