Ateneo - UPO

The Languages and Cultures course (60 hours, 12 ECTS) examines the theoretical dimension of the study of language in depth and combines the analysis of phenomena and linguistic data from, respectively, the point of view of Cognitive Linguistics and Historical Pragmatics. More precisely, it will focus on: (i) the fundamental principles of Cognitive Linguistics and their application to linguistic analysis from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives; (ii) the construction of dialogic interaction from a diachronic perspective.

Cognitive Linguistics II level 1) 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) Any other content that will be uploaded on the platform DIR. 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].

The primary goal of the integrated course is to lead students to tackle at least the main issues, methodologies and challenges related with the investigation of language within the cognitive and historical-pragmatic perspectives in order to widen their understanding of the main cognitive and pragmatic mechanisms that influence language and linguistic change, and in order to be able to discuss about these topics with sufficient clarity and using appropriate specialized terminology. A further, more advanced, aim is to develop students’ ability of applying theoretical and methodological principles to the analysis of phenomena, empirical data, and specific case studies. Finally, didactic methods for teaching Historical and General 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 (of the course in Advanced Historical Linguistics) in advance for a syllabus supplement, consisting of an introductory textbook. Fulfillment 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. Practical activities are included, based on online resources to explore the pragmatic, semantic and conceptual dimensions of language.

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. Cognitive Linguistics II 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%). The exam will be passed with a minimum score of 18/30. A cum laude distinction 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. 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. The exam may be passed with a full grade (30/30) “cum laude” in the case of high accuracy in all answers.

The course examines different issues in the domains of Cognitive Linguistics and Historical pragmatics and analyzes several case studies and data taken from various types of texts and online resources. Cognitive Linguistics II level This course will explore the foundational principles of Cognitive Linguistics. After a brief historical overview, the curriculum will delve into key concepts, including frames and prototypes, and examine the essential elements that underpin the processes of categorization and conceptualization of experience. The cognitive approach’s contribution (and limits) to lexical semantics will be illustrated and discussed, with particular attention to embodied cognition. A significant portion of the course will focus on metaphor as a fundamental mechanism for conceptualizing reality and its role in language. Through specific case studies, the course will further demonstrate how core assumptions of Cognitive Linguistics can be effectively applied to investigating past linguistic situations and analyzing linguistic change. Additionally, valuable resources for exploring the semantic and cognitive dimension of language, such as FrameNet, MetaNet, and linguistic corpora, will be presented and utilized during lectures. 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.

To achieve a basic level of knowledge and skills students are required to show what follows: Knowledge and understanding: - to know and understand the basic notions and main aspects related to the domains of Cognitive Linguistics and Historical Pragmatics; - to be acquainted with didactic methods for teaching Historical and General Linguistics. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: - to be able to apply the learned notions to the analysis of different case studies and of pragmatic change, identifying pragmatic phenomena through the investigation o f texts; - to be able to plan teaching activities concerning Historical 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 skills in the empirical analysis of data, 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 in the analysis of linguistic phenomena influenced by cognitive and pragmatic factors; - 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.