Variation and sociolinguistic competence in children’s talk at school

This study analyses how children switch between varieties of Italian during classroom interaction, based on video recordings from third-grade classes in four Lazio schools (Colleferro, Pomezia, Valmontone, Frosinone). It examines the role and communicative functions of these shifts in relation to children’s sociolinguistic competence. By observing how students use different forms depending on context, interlocutor, and activity, the research explores intentional variation to achieve interactional goals. The theoretical framework combines sociolinguistic and conversational approaches, focusing on style-shifting within the broader concept of code choice and comparing it with code-switching. The second part presents the data by variation type and classroom setting, classified by activity, topic, interlocutor, direction and scope of style-shifting, and communicative intention.