Ateneo - UPO

The course Language and Cognition (60 hours, 12 ECTS) delves into the fundamental principles of General Linguistics and Cognitive Linguistics, and their application to the description and analysis of linguistic phenomena from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives.

For General Linguistics 2° level: 1) Arcodia, G. F. and A. Panunzi (2023, eds.). Linguistica. Introduzione alle scienze del linguaggio. Milano: Pearson [chapters from 1 to 10]. 2) Course materials that will be uploaded on the DIR platform. For Cognitive Linguistics 2° level: 2) Croft, W. and D. A. Cruse (2010). Linguistica cognitiva (edited by S. Luraghi). Roma: Carocci (chapters 6 and 7 excluded). 2) Luraghi, S. and L. Gaeta (2003, eds.). Introduzione alla linguistica cognitiva. Roma: Carocci (only chapters 7 and 8). 3) Course materials that will be uploaded on the DIR platform.

The objective of the integrated course at a basic level is to make students acquire the following knowledge, competences, and abilities: - Knowledge of the founding principles and the main theoretical models of General Linguistics, with particular reference to the phonetic/phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic levels of analysis, and of Cognitive Linguistics. - Knowledge of the factors, including cognitive mechanisms, that influence the forms and structures of language and come into play in linguistic change. - Ability to apply the methodologies and theoretical notions acquired in the fields of General and Cognitive Linguistics to describe and analyze specific linguistic phenomena (also providing formal representation when appropriate), from both a synchronic and diachronic perspective. - Good mastery of specialized terminology and ability to communicate the learned notions in a clear and articulated way. The objective of the course at a more advanced level is to make students achieve not only a full and solid possession of the aforementioned knowledge, competences, and abilities, but also, in addition, to make them develop the ability (i) to grasp the link between the structure and internal organization of languages, the phenomena of change to which they are subject, and the cognitive mechanisms that influence them at various levels and (ii) to know how to interpret and analyze linguistic data in light of this link (at least in relation to the cases discussed in class and in the reference bibliography), highlighting the limits and strengths of the different approaches.

No prior knowledge in linguistics is required.

Lectures, integrated with practical activities based on the use of online resources, guided discussions, and analysis of case studies from different languages and different periods.

The choice of this course is reserved for students enrolled in Master's degree programs who have never previously taken an exam in General Linguistics or Glottology in their academic career. Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via reference office 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 final grade will derive from the results obtained in the two individual exams and will also take into consideration the overall level of knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired by the students. General Linguistics 2° level: The final exam will consist of an oral examination lasting approximately 30/40 minutes, aimed at verifying the acquisition of knowledge and skills outlined in the course objectives. During the interview, questions will be asked on the main theoretical topics covered in lectures and the reference bibliography. In addition, students will be asked to actively apply the knowledge and methodologies learned to the analysis of concrete linguistic data. This part will include a phonetic transcription exercise, morphological analysis, analysis of sentence syntactic structure, and the discussion of a case of linguistic change. For the final grade, the following will be evaluated: mastery of the fundamental concepts of the subject (45%), the ability to apply acquired knowledge to the description and analysis of concrete linguistic data or phenomena (45%), and clarity and use of scientific terminology in presenting arguments (10%). Cognitive Linguistics 2° level: The final exam is an oral assessment lasting approximately 30 minutes. Students will be asked questions covering topics from lectures and the core bibliography. This aims to check their understanding of the course objectives and expected learning outcomes. At least one question will focus on describing a specific case where the cognitive approach is applied to study past linguistic situations or analyze linguistic changes. The final grade will be based on: mastery of fundamental concepts (50%); ability to apply acquired knowledge to describe or analyze concrete linguistic phenomena (35%); use of scientific terminology when presenting arguments (15%). For both courses, the exam will be passed with a minimum score of 18/30. The final grade of 30 cum laude will be awarded for demonstrating a very in-depth understanding of all topics discussed during the exam, along with full mastery of the discipline’s terminology.

The integrated course addresses several topics of central relevance within General Linguistics and Cognitive Linguistics. Specifically, the General Linguistics 2° level course will begin with a general introduction to General Linguistics, in which its history will be briefly outlined, the fundamental notions of linguistics will be presented, and some aspects of the evolution of human verbal language will be discussed. Subsequently, the course will focus on the different levels of linguistic analysis, and in particular: (i) segmental and suprasegmental phonetics, phonology, phonetic/phonological transcription with the IPA alphabet; (ii) morphology, the principles of word segmentation and word formation processes, and an overview of morphological typology; (iii) syntax, immediate constituent analysis and the construction of tree diagrams, and an overview of syntactic typology. Finally, the course will address the main types of change affecting the phonetic/phonological, morphological, and syntactic levels, through the presentation and discussion of specific case studies; the main causes of linguistic change will also be described. The Cognitive Linguistics 2° level course, after a brief history of the discipline, will focus on the fundamental principles of Cognitive Linguistics. Some fundamental notions will be introduced, such as frame and prototype, and the essential elements underlying the processes of categorization and conceptualization of experience. The contribution and limitations of the cognitive approach (with particular attention to embodied approaches) to the analysis of lexical semantics will be illustrated and discussed. In this area, ample space will be dedicated above all to metaphor as a fundamental mechanism for the conceptualization of reality and its role in language. Through the analysis of specific case studies, it will also be shown how some fundamental assumptions of Cognitive Linguistics can be profitably applied to the investigation of past linguistic situations and the analysis of linguistic change phenomena. Some useful resources for exploring the semantic and cognitive dimension of language (FrameNet, MetaNet, linguistic corpora) will be presented and used during the lessons.

To achieve the knowledge and competences corresponding to a basic level, at the end of the course students must demonstrate to: Knowledge and understanding: - Possess a knowledge of the fundamental notions of General Linguistics in relation to the various levels of analysis investigated (phonetic/phonological, morphological, syntactic), as well as of the main phenomena of interlinguistic variation and of change that affect these dimensions of language. - Have acquired knowledge of the factors that can determine linguistic change. - Possess a basic knowledge of the principles and fundamental notions of Cognitive Linguistics, including the main cognitive mechanisms that influence language. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: - Know how to describe and analyze linguistic data from a synchronic perspective and at different levels, applying with sufficient autonomy the theoretical notions to concrete data drawn predominantly from Italian (this also includes, in particular, knowing how to provide the phonetic/phonological transcription of a word, knowing how to identify its morphological structure, knowing how to identify the phrases of a sentence and their interrelations, giving a formal representation of the sentence structure with a tree diagram). - Know how to describe and analyze from a diachronic perspective phenomena of linguistic change that affect the phonetic/phonological, morphological or syntactic dimension (at least with reference to the cases discussed in class and in the reference bibliography). - Be able to apply the cognitive approach to the analysis of concrete linguistic phenomena or data, both from a synchronic and diachronic perspective. Communication abilities: - Be able to formulate observations and arguments and to communicate the concepts in a clear and articulated way, using specialized terminology at an adequate level. For the achievement of an advanced level, the student is asked to demonstrate the following: Knowledge and understanding: - To have acquired a deep and articulated knowledge of the topics subject of the lessons and of the exam bibliography. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: - To have developed the ability to apply the notions learned in the two modules to the description and analysis of linguistic phenomena (at least with reference to the cases discussed in class and in the reference bibliography), looking at the linguistic data from different points of view and critically integrating synchronic and diachronic perspectives. Communication abilities: - Know how to present the topics in a coherent and articulated way, with full mastery of specialized terminology.