Rosaria SARDO

Rosaria SARDO is a Full Professor of Italian Linguistics at the Department of Humanities, University of Catania, where she also serves as President of the School of Italian Language and Culture for Foreigners. Her academic work integrates historical, sociolinguistic, and pedagogical dimensions of the Italian language.

Her research interests include:

• Languages in contact and standardization processes
• History of the Italian language, particularly interlanguage and written texts in Sicily during the 16th and 17th centuries
• Standard Italian and literary models, especially in the works of Capuana and De Roberto
• Linguistic models in Italian children's literature and television
• Didactics of the Italian language, with focus on writing, cognitive styles, and communicative strategies

In recent years, she has explored how new generations consume and reuse language, especially in relation to Italian television and youth digital content. She has contributed to interdisciplinary educational projects such as Progetto Mat. Ita, aimed at enhancing linguistic and mathematical skills in secondary school students and training teachers since 2015.

She actively supervises graduate theses on topics ranging from bilingualism and language teaching to AI applications in Italian L2 instruction and media linguistics, reflecting the breadth and contemporary relevance of her research.

Her leadership in the School of Italian Language and Culture for Foreigners underscores her commitment to promoting Italian language and culture internationally. She has also examined innovative teaching methodologies, ludodidactics, and the role of cognitive neuroscience in language education.