Ateneo - UPO

Historical pragmatics: construction of dialogic interaction from a diachronic perspective.

(1) Slides and all the other material uploaded on DIR. (2) Fedriani Chiara e Maria Napoli, Pragmatica storica dell’italiano: ieri, oggi, domani. In Studi e Saggi Linguistici LXIII, 2, 2025 [available on DIR] (3) Sansò Andrea, 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) Fedriani Chiara 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) Domaneschi Filippo, Introduzione alla Pragmatica, Carocci, Roma, 2014 [as an introductory reference manual].

The basic aim of this course is to bring students to tackle the main questions, problems and challenges posed by historical pragmatics, so that they can deepen: (i) their knowledge of the theoretical and methodological tools to analyze language use in different historical stages from an interactional perspective; (ii) their understanding of the way in which languages change is pragmatically influenced. 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, with a special focus on the Italian language. Finally, didactic methods for teaching Historical and General Linguistics will be dealt with, taking the topics examined during the course as a starting point.

Students should have basic knowledge of general linguistics and mainly historical linguistics. Those who have never taken an examination in historical linguistics must contact the teacher in advance for a syllabus supplement, consisting of an introductory textbook (or parts of it, for those who already have basic knowledge of general linguistics). 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 (mainly taken from the DIADIta corpus) 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 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.

We will examine how speaker intentions, (inter)subjective relation with the hearer, context and social norms have influenced language use across different eras, taking into account internal structural factors and their influence on language change. 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 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. 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. Autonomy of judgment: - making evaluative judgments regarding the data examined at least at a basic level. 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. 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. In order to achieve a more advanced level, 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.