Ateneo - UPO

Introduction to General Linguistics.

1. G. Berruto and M. Cerruti (2022). La linguistica. Un corso introduttivo (III Edition). Novara: UTET Università (ONLY chapters 1–6). Is it also possible to use the II edition of the volume (2017).
2. G. Berruto (2020). Riflessioni sull’insegnamento della linguistica oggi. In A. Sansò (ed.), Insegnare linguistica: basi epistemologiche, metodi, applicazioni. Atti del LIII Congresso della Società di Linguistica Italiana (Università dell’Insubria, 19-21 settembre 2019), pp. 13-29. Milano: Officinaventuno (available at: https://www.societadilinguisticaitaliana.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/002_Berruto_Atti_SLI_LIII_Insubria.pdf).
3. Any other content that will be uploaded on the platform DIR, including the slides used during the lessons.

The main objective of the course is to provide students with knowledge of the fundamental concepts of General Linguistics as well as the most important theoretical and methodological tools necessary to understand and analyze the linguistic structure of words, phrases, and sentences, primarily (but not exclusively) in the Italian language. Attention will be particularly focused on the following levels of linguistic analysis: phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. A second, more advanced aim is for students to develop the ability to independently apply the theoretical concepts learned during the teaching to the comparison and interpretation, from a synchronic perspective, of data and linguistic phenomena derived from a variety of languages (including those different from Italian).

No specific prerequisites are required.

The course includes both lectures and more interactive classes, featuring guided exercises particularly on phonetic and phonological transcription, morphological analysis, and syntactic analysis.

Additional readings (not obligatory for the final exam) and exercise materials will be recommended or provided during the lessons.

A 90-minute written exam, consisting of 12 questions, aimed at assessing students' acquisition of both the theoretical knowledge related to the various topics in General Linguistics covered during the course and in the exam texts, as well as their ability to classify and analyze linguistic forms at the phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic levels. Therefore, the 12 questions include both open-ended theoretical questions and exercises on phonetic transcription, phonological transcription, morphological analysis, and the construction of syntactic trees.

The content of the lessons will cover the following topics:
1. Definition of the field of General Linguistics, brief history of the discipline, and introduction to fundamental concepts.
2. Articulatory phonetics and phonology: vocal apparatus; phones, phonemes, and allophones in Italian; phonetic/phonological transcription; minimal pairs; the syllable; suprasegmental features.
3. Morphology: main types of morphemes; allomorphy and suppletion; morphological analysis of words; word formation processes.
4. Syntax: types of phrases; analysis of sentences into phrases; representation of sentence syntactic structure using tree diagrams.
5. Semantics: sense and meaning; relationships between lexemes.
6. Teaching General Linguistics: methods and challenges.

To achieve a basic level of knowledge and skills, at the end of the course students must demonstrate that they:
- know the fundamental characteristics of human verbal language and the basic elements of language structure;
- have developed sufficient ability to correctly analyze linguistic units (words, phrases, sentences) at the phonetic/phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic levels using appropriate techniques for each level of analysis;
- are able to correctly apply the concepts and analysis techniques learned during the course to the analysis of linguistic data from different languages (especially Italian);
- have acquired the fundamental vocabulary of the discipline.

To achieve an advanced level, at the end of the course, students must demonstrate that they:
- have an in-depth understanding of the general characteristics of human verbal language and the basic elements of language structure;
- have developed full ability to independently and correctly analyze linguistic units (words, phrases, sentences) at the phonetic/phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic levels using the most appropriate techniques for each level of analysis;
- can analyze and interpret synchronic linguistic data from different languages (especially Italian) by applying the concepts and analysis techniques learned during the course;
- show full mastery of the scientific terminology required by the course.