Disagio linguistico e nuove minoranze

In this contribution, we first frame and revisit a concept addressed by Gabriele Iannàccaro in some of his recent works: the notion of linguistic discomfort among speakers of new linguistic minorities. Subsequently, we present a series of reflections inspired by research in sociolinguistics and second language acquisition, with particular attention to the relationship between acquisition and learning of second languages and heritage languages. These observations culminate in a discussion of James Cummins’ threshold and interdependence theory, which has played a significant role in shaping language policies in certain regions.