Anglicisms in the Italian language of fashion: A case study of the "Vogue Italia" magazine

The aim of this paper is to investigate the interference of English in the Italian language of fashion used in magazines and social media. In the first part of the paper, I will take into account the phenomenon of Anglicization of language in Europe, the spread of English as a lingua franca and the controversial use of Anglicisms (“genuine” and “pseudo”). In the second part, the fashion magazine Vogue Italia will be examined from a linguistic standpoint. I will study the frequency of Anglicisms in the articles published in this magazine (issues of October, November and December 2022) and a significant number of Instagram posts from the official social profile. I will argue that the use of foreign words has a twofold character: on the one hand, it represents the Italian language of fashion as a special language, and, on the other hand, this linguistic interference is adopted to express, among others, the desire for exclusivity, inclusion and belonging. In this scenario, the large amount of linguistic loans plays a pivotal role, which helps to better understand both the multifaceted world of fashion and the tendency which reflects a global culture. I will conclude that the language of fashion in general, and in particular in the Italian fashion press, is made up to fit perfectly with the inner nature of the passionate readers and the fashionistas.

The aim of this study is to investigate the interference of English in the Italian language of fashion used in magazines and social media. In the first part of the paper, I will take into account the phenomenon of Anglicization of language in Europe, the spread of English as a lingua franca and the controversial use of Anglicisms (“genuine” and “pseudo”). In the second part, the fashion magazine Vogue Italia will be examined from a linguistic standpoint. I will study the frequency of Anglicisms in the articles published in this magazine (issues of October, November and December 2022) and a significant number of Instagram posts from the official social profile. I will argue that the use of foreign words has a twofold character: on the one hand, it represents the Italian language of fashion as a special language, and, on the other hand, this linguistic interference is adopted to express, among others, the desire for exclusivity, inclusion and belonging. In this scenario, the large amount of linguistic loans plays a pivotal role, which helps to better understand both the multifaceted world of fashion and the tendency which reflects a global culture. I will conclude that the language of fashion in general, and in particular in the Italian fashion press, is made up to fit perfectly with the inner nature of the passionate readers and the fashionistas.