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Sep 12 2021 - 15:30

Sala Conferenze del Mart, Rovereto

Language in motion.

Moderated by Caterina Ghobert

Language is a cultural heritage and historical legacy, constantly evolving: it reflects contacts with "other" cultures and new social phenomena. New means of communication and technologies add complexity to the everyday use and interpretation of language. The sedimentations, evolutions, and shifts that define contemporary times testify to this. Awareness and reflection on language help us think about the present and the future we want. If a culture is vital, its language can only evolve; as societies change, so do linguistic needs; if we move, language will inevitably follow us. From feminine declension to counter-narratives to hate speech: a journey through the intricate universe of words.

Vera Gheno is a sociolinguist specializing in digital communication, a translator from Hungarian, and a radio host. She collaborated for twenty years with the Accademia della Crusca. Currently, she works with the publishing house Zanichelli and teaches as a contract lecturer at the University of Florence. Her first monograph, Guida pratica all'italiano scritto (senza diventare grammarnazi), was published in 2016, followed by Social-linguistica. Italiano e italiani dei social network in 2017 (both published by Franco Cesati Editore). She has since published with Longanesi, Einaudi, Zanichelli, Newton Compton, and EffeQu. Since September 14, 2020, she has co-hosted the Radio1Rai program Linguacce with Carlo Cianetti, airing Monday to Friday from 3:30 PM to 4 PM.

Marco Guerini is a researcher in Computational Linguistics and head of the Language and Dialogue Technologies group at the Bruno Kessler Foundation (FBK). He specializes in persuasive technologies and social phenomena on the web. He graduated in Philosophy from the University of Siena and later obtained a Ph.D. in Information and Communication Technologies from the University of Trento. He is the author or co-author of significant works published at leading international conferences in the field. In recent years, his research has focused on developing artificial intelligence technologies to combat online hate. His research has also appeared in international journals and newspapers, such as the Wall Street Journal, MIT Technology Review, Harvard Business Review, and Wired.