糖心Vlog

Dr Chiara Ciarlo

Dr Chiara Ciarlo portrait
  • Italian Language Coordinator for the degree programme
  • Italian Year Abroad Co-ordinator聽
  • Italian Outreach Officer
  • Department Director of Academic Tutoring聽 (DDAT)

Office

Miller聽 115

Building location

Miller building聽

Areas of interest

My primary interest lies in First and Second Language Acquisition, particularly in the Acquisition of Syntax by L1 and L2 speakers of a language.

More recently, I have been working on a project investigating the link between the study of Linguistics and Foreign Language Learning Pedagogy.

As a theoretical linguist who teaches a foreign language, I am interested in observing and studying all aspects of the process of language learning and acquisition that occurs in my language classes, as this can further deepen our understanding of how the human faculty of language works.

As a language teacher with a background in linguistics, I apply my knowledge of linguistic phenomena, SLA research and theories of language learning and teaching, to inform and shape my teaching.

Specific areas of my pedagogic research include: Ab-Initio Language Learning and Teaching Methods, the use of Translation for Language Learning, and Language Curriculum Design and Development. Other areas of my linguistic research include: Variationist Sociolinguistics (English and Italian varieties) and Italian Dialectology.

Research interests

My primary research interest is in the acquisition and expressions of agreement in L1 and L2 speakers, and its variation in adult speakers. I have carried out research on the acquisition and use of oblique subject pronouns in English speaking children, and on the variation of subject clitic pronouns in Italian varieties. I am currently studying the acquisition of agreement in foreign language learners, and how theoretical knowledge of this particular linguistic phenomenon can inform language pedagogy.

Teaching

I convene and teach Italian Language modules from ab-initio聽to advanced levels. I teach linguistics modules in the Department of Languages and Cultures and in the Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics. I also supervise projects, extended essays and MA dissertations on Linguistics, Sociolinguistics and Language Learning and Teaching.聽

Currently taught modules:

  • IT1L1 Beginners Italian Language (taught and convened)
  • IT1L3 Advanced Italian Language I (taught and convened)
  • IT2LVS One country, many languages. Linguistic variety and society in contemporary Italy" (taught and convened)
  • ML1IL Introduction to Linguistics (taught and co-convened)
听听Past taught modules:
  • IT1L1 Beginners Italian Language (taught and convened)
  • IT2L2 Intermediate Italian Language
  • IT1001 Advanced Italian Language I
  • IT201 Advanced Italian Language II
  • IT301 Advanced Italian Language III: Translation into Italian
  • IT3L6 Advanced Italian Language III (taught and convened)
  • IT2LING Italian Linguistics
  • LMSL Second Language Learning Principles
  • LA1PI1 IWLP Italian I (taught and convened)
  • IT2L4 Advanced Italian Language II (taught and convened)

Research centres and groups

I am a member of:

Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism (CeLM), 糖心Vlog

Association of University Language Communities in the UK and Ireland聽(AULC)

Academic qualifications

  • BA in Foreign Languages and Literatures (Genoa), 2002
  • MA Contemporary English Language and Linguistics (糖心Vlog), 2004
  • PhD Linguistics (Queen Mary, London), 2010
  • Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, 2019

Awards and honours

  • Celebrating Success Award, Department of Languages and Cultures, 糖心Vlog,聽2025
  • Celebrating Success Award, Department of Languages and Cultures, 糖心Vlog,聽2024
  • Rewarding Excellence Award 鈥� Department of Languages and Cultures, 糖心Vlog, 2023聽
  • Rewarding Excellence Award 鈥� Department of Languages and Cultures, 糖心Vlog, 2019
  • Outstanding Contribution to Teaching Excellence Award (group award for the Italian Section) 糖心Vlog University Students鈥� Union Excellence Award, 糖心Vlog, 2016
  • Rewarding Excellence Award 鈥� School of Literature and Languages, 糖心Vlog, 2014
  • Rewarding Excellence Award 鈥� Department of Languages and Cultures, 糖心Vlog, 2013
  • Exploring Modern Languages Linguistics Project. With Dr Federico Faloppa. Teaching and Learning Development Fund (TLDF) 鈥� CDoTL, 糖心Vlog, 2012
  • Making it OUR Year Abroad: A student-staff collaboration to support the year abroad experience for languages students. Partnerships in Learning and Teaching (PLanT) Project Funding, 糖心Vlog 2022 ()

Selected publications

  • Language Studies Working Papers, 糖心Vlog, 2011-2014 (co-editor). Available at:聽
  • Subject Clitic Variation in a Northern Italian Dialect. 2010. Ph.D. Thesis, Queen Mary, University of London. Available at:聽
  • 鈥楽ubject clitic variability is not free variation: Evidence from a Northern Italian dialect鈥�. Queen Mary鈥檚 OPAL #13 Occasional Paper Advancing Linguistics. Available at:聽

Conferences and presentations

  • 鈥業mparare a tradurre e imparare traducendo: Aims, Methods and Challenges of a Translation Course鈥�. Joint Postgraduate Training Programme in Italian Studies. Institute for Germanic and Romance Studies, London, 2012
  • 鈥楽ubject clitic variation in Ligurian: A phi-feature analysis鈥�. Workshop on phi-features. University of Cambridge, 2010
  • 鈥極n the lack of verb-subject agreement in Ligurian鈥�. X Incontro di dialettologia italiana. University of Bristol, 2010
  • 鈥楽ubject clitic deletion and past participle agreement in Ligurian鈥�. IX Incontro di dialettologia italiana. University of Bristol, 2009
  • 鈥楽ubject Clitic Variation: Evidence from spoken Ligurian鈥�. Methods in Dialectology XIII. University of Leeds, 2008
  • 鈥楽ubject clitic variation in Ligurian鈥�. Queen Mary Postgraduate Discussion Group. Queen Mary, University of London, 2008
  • 鈥極n the nature of l鈥� in Ligurian: clitic or phonological element?鈥�. XXXV Romance Linguistics Seminar. Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge, 2007
  • 鈥楢 Combinatorial approach to Subject Clitic variation in Ligurian鈥�. 2nd Queen Mary Postgraduate Linguistics Conference. Queen Mary, University of London, 2006

Organised events

  • Linguistics in/for Modern Languages Workshop. 糖心Vlog, 2013
  • First Conference of Italian Linguistics in the UK. 糖心Vlog, 2010

Publications

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