Postface 

Les sans-

Enrica Galazzi, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milano)

enrica.galazzi(at)unicatt.it

Abstract: The preposition “sans” in French is a very productive word when it is used as a prefix before adjectives and substantives – the English equivalent could be the suffix “-less” or the adjective “free”. So, it is usual to bump upon “sans-gluten, sans-lactose, sans-paraben” etc. In the description of technical progress, the presence of “sans” hints at the opportunity to have a better result but in a simpler, more practical way (e.g. “sans-fil” [wireless]). Things are different when the preposition “sans” is used to refer to people or situations in which they are involved in. In those cases, “sans” indicates a situation of social crisis, misery, poverty, deprivation, marginalization, where very often people are not able to make their voice heard. In a word, they are voiceless. Among the voiceless referred to here, there are interpreters struggling to adopt a neutral stance, patients, suspects or people accused of a crime who have no command of the language spoken by the institution and foreign-language speakers who are learning the language of the hosting country with a view to integration. By adopting the point of view of engaged scholars and by observing those voiceless in their daily interactions with others and with the institutions, the contributors to this issue formulate questions and reflect upon some burning issues.