Mattia Zingaretti (PhD, FHEA)

  • Linguistics and English Language
  • School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

Contact details

Address

Street

Dugald Stewart Building

City
3 Charles Street, Edinburgh
Post code
EH8 9AD

Biography

Background

Prior to joining Edinburgh, I studied English and German at Sapienza University of Rome and at Trinity College Dublin (2013-2016). I later completed an MSc in English Language (2016-2017) and a PGCert in Academic Practice (2020-2021) at the University of Edinburgh. Funded by an AHRC-SGSAH grant, I carried out my PhD research also at Edinburgh (2018-2022), where I investigated the changes that occur in bilingual speakers' first language (i.e., first language 'attrition') using psycholinguistic methods. My primary research interests include language acquisition and attrition, the linguistic, cognitive and emotional impact of bilingualism, and the implications of bilingualism for language teaching and learning. As a passionate linguistics instructor and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), I have been teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses in linguistics and language acquisition in the Linguistics and English Language department, and Italian language courses in the department of European Languages and Cultures. I am also an active member of Bilingualism Matters, collaborating regularly on different public engagement events and projects which aim to bridge the gap between research and the wider public.

Qualifications

2018-2022: PhD in Linguistics and English Language, University of Edinburgh 

  • Thesis title: 'First Language Attrition in Late Bilingualism: Lexical, Syntactic and Prosodic Changes in English-Italian Bilinguals'
  • Supervisory team: Prof A. Sorace, Dr V. Chondrogianni and Prof D. R. Ladd
  • Examiners: Dr P. Sturt (internal) and Prof I. M. Tsimpli (external, University of Cambridge)

2020-2021: PGCert in Academic Practice (Higher Education), University of Edinburgh 

2016-2017: MSc in English Language, University of Edinburgh

2013-2016: Laurea (BA) in English and German, Sapienza University of Rome 

  • 2015-2016 Michaelmas Term: Erasmus+ exchange at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Responsibilities & affiliations

Memberships

  • 2022-present: European Second Language Association (EuroSLA)
  • 2017-present: Bilingualism Matters Ltd

Fellowships

  • 2021-present: Advance HE (FHEA)

Peer Review

  • 2021-present: Narodowe Centrum Nauki

Undergraduate teaching

2022-2023:

Department of Linguistics and English Language

  • Lecturer and Tutor: First Language Acquisition (Hons)
  • Tutor: Second Language Acquisition (Hons), Introduction to Cognitive Science

Skills Centre, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

  • Tutor: Essay and Dissertation Writing Consultations

 

Previously:

Institute for Academic Development

  • Dissertation Writing Advisor (2021-2022): Dissertation Writing Consultations

Department of European Languages and Cultures

  • Tutor (2020-2022): Foundation Italian Language 1, Italian 1

Department of Linguistics and English Language

  • Lecturer and Tutor (2018-2022): Second Language Acquisition (Hons)
  • Tutor (2018-2022): First Language Acquisition (Hons), Child Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, Linguistics and English Language (1A, 1B, 2D)

Skills Centre, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

  • Tutor (2018-2022): Essay and Dissertation Writing Consultations

 

Postgraduate teaching

2022-2023:

Linguistics and English Language:

  • Lecturer and Tutor: First Language Acquisition (MSc)

Research summary

Psycholinguistics; developmental linguistics; first/second language acquisition; first language attrition; bilingualism and cognition; bilingualism and hate speech; bilingualism and education; teaching and learning in Higher Education; English language teaching and learning; English as a lingua franca; English varieties and dialects

Knowledge exchange

2013-present: Social Media Coordinator for TEAM - Teacher Education About Multilingualism (http://team.amu.edu.pl/)

2018-2020: Social Media Ambassador (research-focus) for Linguistics and English Language, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences 

Affiliated research centres

Project activity

2023-present: Connecting Linguistics Research with English and Modern Foreign Language Teaching

  • Project connecting current research in linguistics (particularly in linguistic structure, language acquisition, variation and change, and multilingualism) to English and Modern Foreign Language teaching, with Dr C. Ilbury, Prof J. Culbertson and Dr V. Chondrogianni. Funded through a College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Knowledge Exchange and Impact grant at the University of Edinburgh.

2021-present: Teacher Education about Multilingualism (TEAM)

  • Erasmus+ funded project aiming to educate pre-service and in-service teachers about multilingualism (http://team.amu.edu.pl/), involving the co-creation of materials on language acquisition with Prof A. Sorace, Prof A. Wach (Poznań) and R. Spelorzi.

2021-2022: A Linguistic Investigation of Hate Speech (ALIHAS) 

  • Part of the Edinburgh research unit of the Una Europa funded project (https://blogs.helsinki.fi/alihas-unaeuropa/), exploring the link between bilingualism and hate speech perception with Prof A. Sorace and Dr M Garraffa (East-Anglia).

2020-2021: The Effects of an Intensive Online Language Course: Linguistic and Cognitive Changes in English Learners of Italian

  • Research project funded by the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, exploring the linguistic and cognitive effects of an intensive online language learning course of Italian, with R. Spelorzi and Prof A. Sorace.

2018-2022: When a Foreign Language Interferes with your Native Language: The Relationship between Second Language Acquisition and First Language Attrition

Invited speaker

  • Zingaretti, M. (2022, April 4). The relationship between second language acquisition and first language change across language domains: Discussing data from English learners of Italian. Edinburgh University Bilingualism Research Group, Edinburgh, Scotland.

  • Zingaretti, M. (2021, November 3). Can native speakers ’forget’ their first language? Discussing findings and implications of research on second language acquisition and first language attrition. Edinburgh University Translation Society, Edinburgh, Scotland.

  • Zingaretti, M. (2020, October 21). Every translator is bilingual, but is every bilingual a translator? The role of bilingualism in translation. Edinburgh University Translation Society, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Organiser

  •  (2021, June 16). Workshop co-organiser, with Roberta Spelorzi and Katarzyna Przybycien, "Rethinking participation for multilingual learners in hybrid teaching", University of Edinburgh Learning and Teaching Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland.
  • (2019, June 4-7). Conference co-organiser, with Georges Sakr (Chair) et al., University of Edinburgh Linguistics and English Language Postgraduate Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Papers delivered

  • Zingaretti, M., Spelorzi, R. & Sorace, A. (2022, October 25). The effects of an intensive online language course: Linguistic and cognitive changes in English learners of Italian. [Poster presentation]. Bilingualism Matters Research Symposium 2022, Edinburgh, Scotland. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/AYUJE

  • Zingaretti, M. (2022, August 24). Investigating L1 attrition in late L2 acquisition: A discussion of key methodological issues in the comparison of different language domains. [Paper presentation]. The 31st Conference of the European Second Language Association, Fribourg, Switzerland.

  • Zingaretti, M., Chondrogianni, V., Ladd, D. R. & Sorace, A. (2022, March 25). The dynamics of late bilingualism: First language change in adult language learners. [Paper presentation]. Fourth International Conference on Language Attrition and Bilingualism, New Haven, Connecticut.

  • Zingaretti, M., Garraffa, M. & Sorace, A. (2022, March 11). The impact of bilingualism on hate speech perception and slur appropriation: A first study on Italian UK residents [Paper presentation]. Excessive Language in Public Discourse, Helsinki, Finland.

  • Zingaretti, M., Garraffa, M. & Sorace, A. (2021, November 12). L’impatto del bilinguismo sulla percezione del linguaggio d’odio e sulla riappropriazione dell’insulto: un primo studio sugli italiani residenti nel Regno Unito [Paper presentation]. Workshop Internazionale ALIHAS - A Linguistic Investigation of Hate Speech, Bologna, Italy.

  • Spelorzi, R. & Zingaretti, M. (2021, September 17). A week abroad from the comfort of your home: Preliminary results of an intensive online language course [Paper presentation]. The Third Year Abroad Conference - The Year Abroad: Reimagined, jointly organised online by Keele University and Regent's University London, England.
  • Zingaretti, M. & Spelorzi, R. (2021, May 25). The challenges of inclusive education in times of distance learning [Paper presentation]. Learning for Citizenship Conference - Supporting Migrant Students Through the Pandemic, Nottingham, England.
  • Zingaretti, M. (2019, September 21). Between acquisition and attrition: First language change in late second language learners [Poster presentation]. Bilingualism Matters Research Symposium 2019, Edinburgh, Scotland.
  • Zingaretti, M. (2019, April 16). When a foreign language interferes with your native language: The relationship between L2 acquisition and L1 attrition in English-Italian and Italian-English bilingual adults [Poster presentation]. Experimental Methods in Language Acquisition Research XV, Utrecht, Netherlands. 

In the press

  • Zingaretti, M., Garraffa, M. & Sorace, A. (Forthcoming). The impact of bilingualism on hate speech perception and slur appropriation: A first study on Italian UK residents. In S. Cruschina & C. Gianollo (Eds.), An Investigation of Hate Speech: Use, Identification, and Perception of Aggressive Language in Italian. Helsinki University Press.
  • Zingaretti, M. (2022). First language attrition in late bilingualism: Lexical, syntactic and prosodic changes in English-Italian bilinguals [Doctoral dissertation, University of Edinburgh]. Edinburgh Research Archive. https://doi.org/10.7488/era/3187
  • Zingaretti, M. & Spelorzi, R. (2022). One size fits none in international higher education: A UK-based case study on how to foster inclusive participation and active engagement in the classroom. Postgraduate Pedagogies, 2(1), 73-97. https://journals.studentengagement.org.uk/index.php/gtateach/article/view/1149
  • Zingaretti, M. & Spelorzi, R. (2021). Bridging the gap between native and non-native English-speaking teachers: Insights from bilingualism research. Spark: Stirling International Journal of Postgraduate Research, 7. https://spark.stir.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Zingaretti-and-Spelorzi_final.pdf
  • Zingaretti, M. (2017). On nativeness and near-nativeness: An analysis of the implications of convergence between L1 attriters and L2 speakers [Master’s dissertation, University of Edinburgh]. ResearchGate. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.27585.68960/1
  • Zingaretti, M. (2016). Beyond native-speakerism: Teaching and learning criteria in ELF use [Bachelor's dissertation, Sapienza University of Rome]. ResearchGate. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.36393.72805/1
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