Raccontare il corpo all’infanzia e all’adolescenza. La lingua sfidante del Dizionario folle del corpo di Katy Couprie

Although the idea that movement plays a central role in the healthy and com plete development (not only motor) of the individual is now widely accepted among experts, the discussion on the body in schools has recently been fueled by a growing interest in diversity and disability. This has naturally led to an intensification of the debate on corporeity and the flourishing of dedicated research aimed at investigating the functions, possibilities, and challenges of discussing the body within educational processes and specific learning contexts. On a linguistic level, an interesting observatory is represented by the study of forms and methods that can be used to talk about the body during childhood and adoles cence. The contribution presented here aims to pursue this goal by offering a linguistic investigation of the Dizionario folle del corpo by Katy Couprie (2019). It is an unusual lexicographic work in which the body is described in the succession of entries, pre sented in rigorous alphabetical order and accompanied by unpublished illustrations and ancient engravings. Particular attention will be paid to the linguistic solutions and communication strategies the author adopts to address an audience that also includes children and teenagers.