Teaching the Syntax of German Microvarieties in Italy: Critical Reflections and Prospects.

This article examines the challenges of acquiring and teaching sentence-level syntax in six small German-based minority languages spoken in northeastern Italy, which have developed complex syntactic features due to prolonged contact with northern Italian dialects. It proposes a diasystemic approach that treats these varieties as a unified but internally diverse system, facilitating comparative syntactic analysis and informing language instruction. Using materials such as *Il Tesoro Linguistico delle Isole Germaniche in Italia* ("The Linguistic Treasure of the Germanic Language Islands in Italy"), the article illustrates this approach through a case study on finite verb position and subject inversion, highlighting systematic variation across varieties. The diasystemic model aims to enhance metalinguistic awareness among learners and educators, supporting the maintenance and revitalization of these endangered minority languages through tailored, comparative educational frameworks.