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Giuseppina Turano
Albanian languages and literature

What do you teach at Ca’ Foscari? What are your main research interests? 
I am Giuseppina Turano, an Arbëreshë from Calabria. I have been teaching Albanian language and literature at Ca' Foscari since 2002. I previously taught the same subject at universities in Calabria, Bari and Florence. I focus on Albanian linguistics and Arbëreshë dialectology, especially in morphosyntax.

Tell us about your academic path.
I graduated in Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Florence. I did my PhD in Albanian Studies at the University of Calabria. I was an adjunct lecturer before becoming a researcher in Venice, where I am now an associate professor.

Have you always known that this was going to be your path?
The idea came to me while I was at university preparing for my exams in Linguistics, a previously unknown field of study and a discipline poorly applied to Italian-Albanian dialects, which I am a native speaker of. The PhD was the way to focus my interests on theoretical and applied linguistics and the study of Albanian syntax.

What is the aspect of your research you are most passionate about?
The lack of studies in this field of research is a motivation to keep exploring. The idea of contributing to an under-explored field of research always renews the passion in your work. The Albanian language and its dialects, inside and outside the borders of Albania, have a complex grammatical structure that few scholars have approached with the methods of modern linguistics. Being able to describe, investigate and analyse the syntactic structures of this language by applying the latest theories to it contributes to the vitality of scientific research.  

What does teaching and researching mean to you?
Teaching and researching is an ideal combination of work and passion. Teaching means passing on knowledge, training young minds, creating situations where you can exchange the results of your research. The two activities are closely related.

What has given you the greatest satisfaction in your career?
They come from the publication of my own research results (books, articles, conference proceedings), participation in conferences and conventions (moments to meet and discuss with your peers), collaboration with colleagues, positive feedback from scholars and students.

Last update: 27/02/2024