Martina Delfino

Portuguese Language Spread: an analysis of the relationships among policies of Portuguese language promotion.

Biography

After achieving a bachelor’s degree with Honours at the University of Turin (Italy) with the dissertation Antonio Tabucchi: postmodern kaleidoscope. The last three days of Fernando Pessoa, I completed a master’s degree with Honours at the University of Bologna (Italy) with the dissertation Portuguese Language in Brazilian language policies supervised by Dr Roberto Mulinacci and Dr Carlos Alberto Faraco (University of Paraná, Brazil). 

During the studies, I participated in competitive exchange programs and I achieved the opportunity to study at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Lisbon, Portugal) for one year and at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (Florianópolis, Brazil) for six months where I contributed to the organization of the VII International Meeting of Language policy researchers. 

I am currently a member of the Associação Internacional de Lusitanistas and the Society for Latin American Studies. 

Outside academia, I have been passionately involved in language teaching as a Portuguese and Italian language Tutor for public and private institutions.

Research Interests

The research project positions itself in the interdisciplinary field of language policy studies. It will be originally aiming at gaining a deep understanding of the policies of international promotion of the Portuguese language formulated by Portugal, Brazil, and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP).  

The starting point of this research is a strong personal interest in the Portuguese language and in the postcolonial political relationships existing among the nine official Portuguese-speaking countries around the world. The research will benefit from a transdisciplinary analysis and data will be collected through a mix of qualitative methods.