The project stems from the collaboration between two research units with complementary expertise in linguistics and computer science, characterised by a strongly interdisciplinary approach. The University for Foreigners of Perugia (UnistraPG) brings to the project its experience in corpus linguistics, second language acquisition and phraseology. The University of Perugia (UniPG) contributes advanced expertise in the development of high-performance web applications and the use of artificial intelligence based on neural networks. The combination of these perspectives has made possible a project that draws its strength from the integration of these two fields and the collaboration between the partners involved.

The project was developed through several phases of work, corresponding to a number of work packages (WPs).

• WP1 – Project launch and administrative management. Analysis of literature on collocation dictionaries.
  Responsible university: UnistraPG
  
  
• WP2 – Selection of criteria for extracting collocations to be included in the dictionary.
  Responsible university: UnistraPG
  
  
• WP3 – Dictionary design: entry structure, graphical and computational interface.
  Responsible university: UniPG
  
  
• WP4 - Collocation extraction and filtering through quantitative measures: final list of collocations.
  Responsible university: UnistraPG
  
  
• WP5 - Assigning collocations to labels based on CEFR levels.
  Responsible university: UnistraPG
  
  
• WP6 - Adding definitions and examples and testing their functionality.
  Responsible university: UnistraPG
  
  
• WP7 - Creation of the web platform and testing of quality and interface.
  Responsible university: UniPG
  
  
• WP8 - Results' dissemination.
  Responsible university: UnistraPG
  
  

The DICI-A will become a reference resource for learners, supporting the development of phraseological competence and promoting activities aimed at learning Italian as a second language. Thanks to an intuitive interface and a design conceived for maximum portability, the dictionary can be used both independently and within classroom teaching programmes.

The project will offer teachers of Italian as a second language around the world a useful tool for defining teaching objectives more precisely, integrating the phraseological dimension into the CEFR scales. Teachers will be able to select the collocations most suited to their students' CEFR levels.

The DICI-A will have a significant impact on Italian as a second language syllabuses used in universities and language schools, offering programme and test designers a reliable resource calibrated to CEFR levels. The project will also help to strengthen the dialogue between research on language acquisition and teaching practice.

The DICI-A will also play a decisive role in rethinking methods and tools for L2 lexicography, particularly with regard to phraseology. Thanks to its definition designed for non-expert users and the use of authentic examples taken from corpora, the DICI-A could become the starting point for new electronic lexicography projects dedicated to specific lexical fields.

Finally, the project will influence the publishing sector for Italian as a second language, which will be able to update textbooks and teaching materials in light of the collocation profile provided by the DICI-A, in which the most common collocations in Italian will be associated with the CEFR proficiency levels.