Ateneo - UPO

Spanish language diachronic evolution from the origins to the modern and contemporary age.

1) Rafael Lapesa [1981], “Historia de la lengua española”, Madrid, Gredos, pp. 13-64, 107-170, 193-220, 237-248, 257-259, 280-286, 291-299, 367-424, 428-434, 451-461; 2) María Jesús Torrens Álvarez [2018], “Evolución e historia de la lengua española”, Madrid, Arco Libros, pp. 56-74, 99-112; 3) Further material provided in class or uploaded on DIR.

Introduce students to the study of the history of Spanish language. Provide the tools to recognise and analyse the main phonetic-phonological, morphosyntactic and lexical phenomena, characteristic of various evolutionary stages of Spanish language, from the origins to the modern and contemporary age.

Knowledge of Spanish [level B1 minimum]. Knowledge of the fundamentals and main aspects of general and Spanish linguistics.

Lectures and seminars with students participation. A part of the lectures will be dedicated to the analysis of texts.

Didactic material and texts to be analyzed in class will be provided by the professor through the moodle platform (DIR). *** 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 acquisition of knowledge and competences will be assessed through a single in-class written exam [2 hours], structured as follows: 3 open questions on the theoretical contests of the course; 2 theoretical-practical questions [exercise or text analysis] . The use of a dictionary is not allowed. *** EVALUATION CRITERIA: knowledge and level of depth of the contests of the course; ability to synthesize and re-elaborate the theoretical contests; use of pertinent examples; ability to identify and analyze the phenomena discussed during the course; mastering the specific lexicon and formal and linguistic correctness. *** An exam will be considered excellent when it demonstrates: an organic view and a deepened knowledge of the themes faced during the course; a great capacity of synthesis/analysis and personal and critical re-elaboration through the use of an abundant number of pertinent examples; clarity of exposition and a great mastery of language and specific lexicon. An exam will be considered good when it demonstrates: a not always deepened and/or occasionally mechanic and mnemonic knowledge of the contents of the course; a discrete capacity of synthesis/analysis and re-elaboration through the use of a few examples; a fairly clear exposition and the use of a correct but not always appropriate language and specific lexicon. An exam will be considered sufficient when it demonstrates: a basic knowledge of the contest of the course, often expressed in a mnemonic way; struggle on producing an efficient synthesis/analysis and the use of only partially pertinent examples; difficulty on the exposition and use of an only partially correct and appropriate language and lexicon. An exam will be considered insufficient when it presents at least one of the following characteristics: significant knowledge gaps and/or exposition that consists on merely reciting the notions or definitions, lack on adequate conceptual links; lack of focus on the theme of the exam; inability to produce an efficient synthesis/analysis and use of non-pertinent examples; inappropriate language.

The course focuses on the study of the historical evolution of the Spanish language from the origins to the modern and contemporary age, with particular attention to the shift that have occurred during the Medieval and Modern Age on both the phonetic-phonological field and the morphosyntax and vocabulary sphere. This study will be conducted also through the analysis of text fragments, selected mostly from the Hyspanic literary canon. In particular, the course will focus on the following evolutionary stages of Spanish language: 1) from the pre-Roman languages to Latin in the Iberic peninsula; 2) from the Visigoth period to the Arab Spain; 3) from the birth of Castilian to the reign of Alfonso X, the Wise [9th-14th centuries]; 4) the transition from medieval Spanish to classical Spanish [15th century]; 5) Spanish language of the Golden Age [16th-17th centuries]; 6) Spanish language of the modern and contemporary age [18th-19th centuries].

At the end of the course, students will know: 1) the fundamentals of diachronic linguistics; 2) the evolutionary stages of Spanish language; 3) the main shifts that took place in the different evolutionary stages of Spanish language in the fields of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and vocabulary. Moreover, in terms of competences and abilities, students will be able to: 1) distinguish, from a diachronic perspective, different linguistic phenomena; 2) analyse texts in Spanish, characteristic from different periods, and identify the main formal characteristics in terms of orthography, morphology, syntax and vocabulary.