Ateneo - UPO

The Synchronic and Diachronic Linguistic course (60 hours, 12) combines the analysis of language data from a sociolinguistic perspective with their investigation within a historical dimension; in the first case (Sociolinguistics) we will concentrate mainly on the relationship between language use (namely, variation) and social factors; in the second case (Advanced Historical Linguistics), the focus will be on the relationship between the investigation of language change and linguistic typology, especially with regard to the problem of comparison between ancient and modern languages.

Sociolinguistics

Students who attend the course:

(1) Slides and other material uploaded on DIR.
(2) Gaetano Berruto and Massimo Cerruti. 2019. Manuale di sociolinguistica, nuova edizione. UTET/De Agostini, Novara.
(3) For language and gender issues: (i) Paolo D’Achille and Anna Thornton. 2023. Se c’è il perito, ci deve essere anche la perita (e sono entrambi vivi e vegeti.)! Italiano Digitale 27/4: 1-2.; (ii) Anna Thornton. 2022. Genere e igiene verbale: l’uso di forme con ə in italiano. Annali del Dipartimento di Studi Letterari, Linguistici e Comparati. Sezione linguistica n.s. 11: 11-54. The two papers will be made available on DIR.
(4) 1/2 papers to be chosen among those that will be made available on DIR.

Beside the bibliographical references mentioned above, students who do NOT attend the course will also study:
(5) Gaetano Berruto, Sociolinguistica dell'italiano contemporaneo, Carocci, Roma, 2012 (new edition), only chapter 1 (L’italiano come gamma di varietà); and chapter 2 (Tendenze di ristandardizzazione).

Further reading suggested for consultation: Fabiana Fusco. 2024. Lingua e genere. Carocci, Roma.

Advanced Historical Linguistics
(1) Slides and other material uploaded on DIR.
(2) Napoli Maria. 2019. Linguistica diacronica. La prospettiva tipologica. Collana Studi Superiori. Roma: Carocci.
(3) For students who do not attend the course: chapter 1 (Obiettivi, metodi e strumenti della tipologia) from Grandi Nicola e Caterina Mauri. 2022. La tipologia linguistica. Unità e diversità nelle lingue del mondo. Roma: Carocci.

(4) For students who do attend the course: 2 papers to be chosen among those that will be made available on DIR (one of them will be discussed during the lessons). For students who do not attend the course: 3 papers to be chosen among those that will be made available on DIR.

(5) Chiara Fedriani and Maria Napoli. 2020. Se insegnare la legge di Grimm ti fa sentire un brontosauro. Un esperimento per una didattica partecipata. 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. Officina 21, Milano: pp. 131-146 (https://www.societadilinguisticaitaliana.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/009_Fedriani_Napoli_Atti_SLI_LIII_Insubria.pdf).

The primary goal of the integrated course is to lead students to tackle at least the main issues, methodologies and challenges related with the analysis of linguistic data from a sociolinguistic perspective, on the basis of a synchronic approach, and from the historical-comparative and typological perspective, on the basis of a diachronic approach, in order to widen their understanding of how: (i) language may be influenced by society; (ii) languages change across time (iii) linguistic change can be investigated in the light of the results of typology.
A further, more advanced, aim is to develop students’ ability of applying theoretical and methodological principles to the survey of empirical data from various languages and to the examination of specific case studies.
Finally, didactic methods for teaching Linguistics will be dealt with, taking the topics examined during the course of Advanced Historical Linguistics as a starting point.

Students should have basic knowledge of general linguistics and historical linguistics.
Those who have never taken an examination in general linguistics and/or historical linguistics must contact the teacher in advance for a syllabus supplement, consisting of an introductory textbook for each domain. Fulfilment of these requirements will be preliminarily assessed during the examination.

Lectures and “Web didactic” (DIR). In the course of the lectures, the active involvement of students through the examination, discussion and presentation of linguistic data and case studies is also envisaged, in order to develop the ability to analyze language, the assimilation of didactic methodologies and communicative skills.

Since the course is conceived of as a seminar, attendance is strongly recommended.

Students with physical disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

The overall evaluation will take the final grades of the two individual exams into account and will be based on the assessment of the whole degree of insightfulness of knowledge, of the degree of autonomy in applying it and of the communicative skills, consistently with the mission and intended learning objectives.

Sociolinguistics
The final exam is oral and takes approximately 30 minutes. Candidates will be expected to answer some questions showing knowledge and understanding of the relevant topics, and using appropriate scientific terminology. More precisely, the exam is structured as follows, namely it is made up of 3 sections: Sect. 1 = questions on theoretical and methodological aspects related to sociolinguistics; Sect. 2 = questions on language variation as influenced by external factors; Sect. 3 = analysis and discussion of data on which to test both the theoretical and methodological knowledge acquired and the ability of applying it empirically (mainly on the basis of the material examined during the course and put on DIR).
The final evaluation will be based on the following criteria: use of appropriate scientific terminology = 10%; answers to questions from Section 1 = 20%; answers to questions from Section 2 = 35%; answers to questions from Section 3 = 35%.
The exam will be passed successfully if the final grade is equal to or higher than 18/30. To achieve18/30, students must be familiar with the main issues concerning the relationship between language and society, and be able to analyze the relevant data at least at a basic level.
To obtain a higher mark, students must demonstrate autonomy of judgment, consistent argumentation and depth of analysis. Exams may be passed with a full grade (30/30) “cum laude” in the case of high accuracy in all answers.

Advanced Historical Linguistics
The final exam consists of an oral examination lasting approximately 30 minutes, aimed at verifying the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of the relevant topics (those included in the objectives and the expected learning outcomes) and the use of appropriate scientific terminology through a 3-section structure: Sect. 1 = questions on theoretical aspects concerning the methodologies of analysis of historical linguistics and typology, with a focus on the concept of "comparison”; Sect. 2 = discussion of data on which to test both the theoretical and methodological knowledge acquired and the ability of applying it empirically (mainly on the basis of the material examined during the course and put on DIR); Sect. 3 = didactic methodologies for teaching linguistics.
The final evaluation will be based on the following criteria: use of appropriate scientific terminology = 10%; answers to questions from Section 1 = 40%; answers to questions from Section 2 = 40%; answers to questions from Section 3 = 10%.

The exam will be passed successfully if the final grade is equal to or higher than 18/30. To achieve 18/30, students must be familiar with the main theoretical issues relating to the diachronic investigation of languages from a typological perspective and be able to analyze relevant linguistic data at least at a basic level. To obtain a higher mark, students must demonstrate autonomy of judgement, consistent argumentation and depth of analysis. Exams may be passed with a full grade (30/30) “cum laude” in the case of high accuracy in all answers.

The course examines different issued in the domains of Sociolinguistics and Historical linguistics and analyzes several case studies.

Sociolinguistics

I Part: theoretical and methodological sociolinguistic issues

1. Introduction to the lessons.
2. Basic sociolinguistic notions and preliminary issues on the relationship between language and society.
3. Variation and sociolinguistic variables.
4. The “architecture” of contemporary Italian.
5. Data in Sociolinguistics.
Part II Analysis and discussion of case studies.
6. Language behaviour and communities of practice.
7. Discourse analysis and the language of the Media.
8. (Gender mainstreaming) Language, gender and society.

Advanced Historical Linguistics
1. Introduction: historical linguistics, diachronic approach and old synchrony.
2. The typological approach and the functional model.
3. The study of the past in the light of the present: the problem of language comparison (from a synchronic and diachronic perspective).
4. Variation and language change: case studies.
5. Synchronic and diachronic explanations in historical linguistics and typology.
6. Didactic methods for teaching linguistics.

To achieve a basic level of knowledge and skills students are required to show what follows:
Knowledge and understanding:
- to know and understand the theoretical issues and main aspects related to the sociolinguistic analysis and to the historical and comparative analysis of languages using a typological approach;
- to be acquainted with didactic methods for teaching Historical Linguistics and General Linguistics.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- to be able to discuss problems concerning the correlation between language use and external factors, and the correlation between language change and typology;
- to be able to apply the learned notions to the analysis of different case studies concerning language variation and change;

- to be able to plan teaching activities concerning Historical Linguistics and General Linguistics.

Autonomy of judgment:
- making evaluative judgments regarding the synchronic and diachronic data examined at least at a basic level.

Communicative skills:
- to use specific scientific terminology in an appropriate manner.

Learning ability:
- to learn theoretical and methodological notions, while enhancing their skills in the empirical analysis of data drawn from specific languages, at least with regard to some case studies relevant to the main topics of the courses.
In order to achieve a more advanced level, students are required to show what follows:
- to be able to apply knowledge and understanding showing solid independence of interpretation, evaluation and judgment: (i) in the analysis of the relationship between social factors and language use (especially as regards the Italian sociolinguistic situation); (ii) in the analysis of language change from a typological perspective.
- to develop communicative skills at a high level, in order to use exclusively appropriate scientific terminology and to provide a well structured and consistent account of relevant topics.