Ateneo - UPO

The Linguistic Reconstruction course (60 hours, 12 ECTS) combines the analysis of language data from a pragmatic and a philological approach, with particular regard, respectively, to: (i) the construction of dialogic interaction from a diachronic perspective; (ii) preaching in the Romance Language in the 12th Century.

Advanced Historical Linguistics (1) Slides and all the other material uploaded on DIR. (2) Chiara Fedriani e Maria Napoli, Pragmatica storica dell’italiano: ieri, oggi, domani. In Studi e Saggi Linguistici LXIII, 2, 2025 [available on DIR] (3) Andrea Sansò, I segnali discorsivi, Carocci, Roma, 2020: only chapter 2 (Come nascono e si sviluppano i segnali discorsivi). (4) For students who do attend the course: 2 papers to be chosen among those that will be made available on DIR. 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). (6) Filippo Domaneschi, Introduzione alla Pragmatica, Carocci, Roma, 2014 [as an introductory reference manual]. Advanced Romance Philology For attending students, the specific bibliography will be provided in class, following students' interests. Bibliography (a selection) - Jean Leclercq, L’amour des lettres et le désir de Dieu, Paris, Cerf, 1957 [3 ed. 1990, 4 ed. 2008] ; trad. ita Cultura umanistica e desiderio di Dio, several editions and reprints. - Michel Zink, La prédication en langue romane avant 1300, Paris, Champion, 1982 (2nd ed.). - Brian Stock, The Implications of Literacy. Written Language and Models of Interpretation in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries, Princeton, Princeton UP, 1983. - Gioia Paradisi, La parola e l'amore. Studi sul Cantico dei Cantici nella tradizione francese medievale, Roma, Carocci, 2009. - Geneviève Hasenohr, Textes de dévotion et lectures spirituelles en langue romane (France, XIIe-XVIe siècle), Turnhout, Brepols, 2016. - Nicole Bériou, Religion et communication. Un autre regard sur la prédication au Moyen Âge, Genève, Droz, 2018. - Michel Zink, Parler aux "simples gens": un art médiéval, Paris, Cerf, 2023. - Nicole Bériou, Le pouvoir de l'éloquence. Parole et pastorale dans la chrétienté latine (XIIe - XIIIe siècles), Genève, Droz, 2024. - Piero Andrea Martina - Fabio Zinelli, Traductions monastiques du Nord Est de l’espace d'oïl au XIIe siècle, Strasbourg, Editions de Linguistique et de Philologie, under contract. Non-attending students will choose a program with the teacher.

The primary goal of the integrated course is to enable students to acquire a basic knowledge of theoretical and methodological aspects related to the pragmatic and philological analysis of texts, in order to: (i) understand how language may be influenced by contextual factors related to speaker-hearer interaction, analyzed in different historical stages and how pragmatics affects language change, taking into account also the socio-cultural context; (ii) to read a medieval Romance-language text in its manuscript form, and to be able to independently approach and critically analyze a philological problem, also using the bibliographic tools of the discipline. A further, more advanced, aim is to develop students’ ability of applying theoretical and methodological principles to the investigation of data, specific case studies and texts from Romance, so that they can refine their personal critical capacities with respect to the areas studied. Finally, didactic methods for teaching Historical Linguistics will be dealt with, taking the topics examined during the course of Advanced Historical Linguistics as a starting point.

Advanced Historical Linguistics: 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. Fulfillment of these requirements will be preliminarily assessed during the examination. Advanced Romance Philology: Basic philological-linguistic knowledge is expected following a Bachelor's degree in Humanities. Students who have not yet taken an exam in Romance Philology must promptly contact the instructor.

Lectures, individual study and “web-didactic” (DIR). In the course of the lectures, the active involvement of students through a seminar approach is also envisaged, in order to develop the ability to analyse texts and data, the assimilation of methodologies and communication skills.

Since the courses are 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. 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 fundamental issues concerning historical pragmatics, with a focus on the different pragmatic phenomena analyzed; 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 issues relating to the investigation of languages from a historical-pragmatic 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 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 Romance Philology Learning will be assessed both during the course and through a final exam. The evaluation will be based on the following points: 1. During the seminar, students are expected to actively participate in the lectures and discussions; 2. Students will be required to prepare an edition specimen of an unpublished medieval text, which will be presented and discussed in class; 3. Students must study a general reference volume, to be agreed upon with the instructor; 4. Students must submit a brief report (approximately 2 pages) on a book or a selection of articles read independently, as agreed with the instructor; 5. The oral exam will conclude the assessment process, during which the student will present the work they have carried out. Weighting of each component for the final grade: • Point 1: 10% • Point 2: 30% • Point 3: 20% • Point 4: 20% • Point 5: 20% Honors ("cum laude") will be awarded based on the depth and originality of the written work and the oral exam.

Advanced Historical Linguistics Part I, Introduction to pragmatics and historical pragmatics Unit 1.: Basic pragmatic notions: context, speech acts, the cooperative principle and conversational maxims. Unit 2. From pragmatics to historical pragmatics: objects, methods, and challenges. Part II, Data analysis Unit 3. Analysis of case studies related to pragmatic phenomena from a historical perspective, such as speech acts and (im)politeness, deixis, discourse markers, and changes that may have affected them. Unit 4. Pragmatic analysis of literary texts through the DIADIta corpus. Unit 5. Gender mainstreaming: ‘feminine’ speech acts? Unit 6. Didactic methods for teaching historical linguistics. Advanced Romance Philology For the academic year 2025–2026, the seminar will focus on the study of selected examples of vernacular preaching from the 12th century. The topic will be explored through the reading of specialized bibliography, direct examination of a selection of texts, and the study of the manuscripts in which they are preserved. Some unpublished texts will be the subject of a critical edition exercise carried out as part of the seminar itself. In the first part of the course, the following topics will be addressed: • Preaching in the Romance language: direct and indirect sources (up to the 11th century); • Saint Bernard: Latin preaching and the debate on (possible) French preaching; • Style and language: the sublimity of Bernard's prose; • Romance-language production in the 12th century: the manuscripts; • Translated preaching; • "Threshold sermons": short texts and miscellany manuscripts. The second part of the course, which will take a more seminar-style format, will involve the reading and editing of selected texts, primarily from the following manuscripts: ms. Nantes, Musée Dobré, 5; Paris, BnF, fr. 24764; Paris, BnF, fr. 24768.

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-methodological issues and main aspects related to the pragmatic analysis of languages from a historical perspective; - to be acquainted with didactic methods for teaching Historical and General Linguistics. - have acquired a fundamental understanding of the topics covered in the course and in the assigned bibliography; be able to comprehend a medieval Romance-language text. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: - to be able to analyze texts identifying pragmatic phenomena and interpreting them in relation to the specific socio-cultural context. - to be able to apply the learned notions to the analysis of different case studies on pragmatic phenomena in languages (or language stages) of the past and/or their development; - to be able to plan teaching activities concerning Historical and General Linguistics; - be able to work with an unpublished medieval Romance-language text, placing it within the literary context of its time. Autonomy of judgment: - making evaluative judgments regarding the pragmatic data examined at least at a basic level; - be able to discuss editorial choices within the philological domain. Communicative skills: - to know how to use specific scientific terminology in a coherent and appropriate manner, in order to set up a clear and insightful account of the relevant topics and the linguistic data examined; - be able to clearly present—using proper Italian and disciplinary terminology—the knowledge acquired during the course and through independent study, as well as justify editorial choices. Learning ability: - to widen knowledge of theoretical and methodological notions in the field of Historical Linguistics, while enhancing their skills in the empirical analysis of data (in particular, from the Italian language), at least with regard to some significant case studies concerning pragmatic phenomena from historical and diachronic approaches; - be able to use the methodological tools provided in class or prepared for independent philological study and work. In order to achieve a more advanced level in the field of Historical Linguistics, students are required to show what follows: - to be able to apply knowledge and understanding by grasping the complex relationship between different pragmatic phenomena, structural linguistic elements, contextual effects; - to show sound judgment in the insightful evaluation of specific pragmatic changes; - - to develop communicative skills at a high level, in order to use exclusively specific scientific terminology and to provide a clear, well structured and consistent account of relevant topics.