The acquisition of English as a third language in bilinguals: a case study in an Italian middle school

The present thesis work will focus on the influence of bilingualism in the acquisition of English as a third language. Bilingualism has become quite a popular topic in recent years and many aspects related to it have been deeply analysed by researchers. However, the aspect connected to third language acquisition, especially in the Italian context, may need further investigation. For this reason, the first three chapters of the dissertation will have a theoretical approach, focusing on general notions connected to bilingualism and its phenomena and the processes of second and third language acquisition in bilingual subjects. The fourth chapter of the present thesis work, instead, will focus on a study that I conducted in an Italian middle school, during which I observed bilingual students with different linguistic backgrounds during the English classes. The dissertation will also show the results of a questionnaire that students were given in order to better understand their perspective and their relationship with the English language.