New languages, old issues: Challenges, concepts and visions of managing "old" and "new" multilingualism at schools of South Tyrol

Today, multilingualism in South Tyrol neither only refers to the presence of the three historical and officially recognized languages of German, Italian and Ladin, nor is it limited to formally taught languages such as English, French, Spanish or Russian. It also comprises heritage languages of students whose families have rather recently come to this part of Northern Italy – a region characterised by a very diverse social and linguistic fabric. In contrast to this increasing diversity, the educational sphere of South Tyrol features three different systems with very separate structures, all with their own models for teaching languages and managing multilingualism.

So far, previous studies on multilingualism at South Tyrolean schools have focused on language education in one educational system of the three endogenous ("old") linguistic groups: Italian, German or Ladin and were mostly based on traditional theories of bilingualism that do not take into account "new" multilingualism. This qualitative study aims to provide a timelier, more accurate framework for developing multilingual didactics in South Tyrolean schools to manage and integrate effectively the challenges of "old" and "new" multilingualism in the educational spheres of all three linguistic groups. Interviews with key educational actors in schools throughout South Tyrol will allow a thorough assessment of the current state of affairs and the elaboration of a grounded theory on managing linguistic diversity. This theory may prove useful not only for sustaining collaboration among educational actors in South Tyrol but also serve as a source for developing empirically-based and integrated didactics of multilingualism.