Il teatro dialettale di Raffaele Protopapa: lingue, comicità, scortesia

The paper concerns the use of dialect in the plays by Raffaele Protopapa, one of the most representative playwrights from Salento. The focus is on the comical effects that some dialectal features can produce in the development of the dramatic action. Particular attention is given to the comical efficacy of impoliteness: by adopting the General strategies of impoliteness by Leech, it's possible to show that in dialect comedies the infraction of pragmatic and politeness norms (such as protest, verbal aggression, imposition, distrust) leads to humor.