Tracing German Imprints: Crosslinguistic Influence in L3 Italian Storytelling

Storytelling meets a fundamental human need to preserve events in collective memory, with its effectiveness deeply tied to narrative perspective. In the context of L3 acquisition (De Angelis, 2007; Håkansson et al., 2002; Bardel and Falk, 2007; Bardel and Lindqvist, 2007; Flynn et al., 2004; Rothman, 2011), limited attention has been paid to how advanced learners’ L3 narrative production is shaped by prior linguistic knowledge or background languages (BL). Grounded in Slobin's Thinking for Speaking Theory (1996), this study investigates crosslinguistic influence (CLI) in the narrative practices of German-Italian bilinguals and German learners of L3 Italian, an underrepresented language pair in existing literature. Moving beyond the focus of prior studies addressing only the grammatical interface (Carroll & von Stutterheim, 2007), this project also investigates pragmatic strategies in storytelling (Giuliano & Di Maio, 2007; Giuliano & Musto, 2016; 2018), exploring how the interaction of background languages shape L3 narrative production and examining the interplay between linguistic and conceptual transfer (Sayehli, 2013; Jarvis, 2007; 2016a; 2016b). The study employed the Quaestio Theory (Klein & von Stutterheim, 1991) to analyse the narrative productions of 10 German-Italian early simultaneous bilinguals and 10 German learners of L3 Italian (B1 level) with L2 English or French (B2-C1). A scenario of unshared knowledge was created: participants watched a short film from the Polish mute series Reksio and were then asked to narrate it in detail in Italian and German to a listener who had not seen the film. This communicative context required precise and effective narrative strategies. To ensure balanced data, the order of narrative languages was reversed for each interview. The Quaestio Theory was applied to examine the informational structure of the narratives, conceptualised as shaped by an implicit question. Foreground utterances advance the narrative, while background utterances provide context. The study compared informational structures in both languages to identify instances of linguistic or conceptual transfer. The narratives, transcribed using CHAT conventions (MacWhinney, 2000), were analysed both quantitatively (via descriptive and inferential statistics) and qualitatively (through content analysis). Quantitative analysis revealed significant differences in morphosyntactic and lexical organization. Both groups favoured relative subordinates, though Italian narratives featured a higher proportion of non-finite subordinates. Semantic analysis showed a preference for relative subordinate clauses, with an asymmetry emerging between their use for narrative versus attributive functions (Berman & Slobin, 1994). Content analysis highlighted bilinguals' frequent overextension of Italian verbs into German contexts, indicating conceptual transfer. Temporal relations analysis revealed both groups’ overuse of temporal connectors in Italian, possibly reflecting German influence. Learners showed stronger influence from their mother tongue, German, evidenced by the past perfect tense over the present tense in Italian retellings, a clear case of German transfer. These findings highlight the influence of background languages on L3 narrative production, revealing how multilinguals navigate competing linguistic systems. By combining statistical and content analyses, the study sheds light on both structural and pragmatic aspects of language acquisition, providing insights into the complex interaction between linguistic forms and cognitive perspectives (Jarvis, 2007; Jarvis, 2016a, 2016b; Sayehli, 2013).