Ateneo - UPO

Ethnolinguistics and Ethnopragmatics

Reference texts for the course, in parentheses the parts to be studied in depth for the exam: 1) A. Duranti, Etnopragmatica, Roma, Carocci, 2009, II rist. (all). 2) A. Duranti, Etnografia del parlato: per una linguistica della prassi; in B. Turchetta (a cura di), Introduzione alla linguistica antropologica, Milano, Mursia, 1996, pp. 157-180. 3) Guy Deutscher, La lingua colora il mondo. Come le parole deformano la realtà, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2013 (all). 4) C. Severi, Il percorso e la voce. Un’antropologia della memoria, Torino, Einaudi, 2004 (in part.: cap. III, pp. 185-239).

The general objective set is to attain a level of proficiency that will enable the successful completion of the course of study and subsequent work applications wherever in-depth and advanced knowledge of general linguistics and ethnolinguistics is required. The first specific objective of the course is to provide the student with the main ethnolinguistic (taxonomies and semantic-cognitive organization of ethnosciences) and ethnopragmatic (theory of language acts, frames and scripts, textuality and contextuality) notions necessary to correctly analyze oral and aural language in all its performative, diaphasic and diamesic aspects, both in examples provided during laboratory activities, including term papers, and in the final examination. A second, more advanced goal is to place the student in a position to apply metalanguage and to independently develop the notions and methodologies learned to linguistic reasoning about theoretical and empirical data related to the oral/aural and performative component of language and its ethnoscientific, mythic-ritual, pragmatic and sociolinguistic aspects. A third goal is to prepare students for the teaching of general linguistics and ethnolinguistics in particular by developing their public speaking skills and ability to present the results of independent research.

Given the advanced seminar-based nature of the course, attendance is highly recommended. Students who have not taken the General Linguistics A and B exams or the Integrated Elements of Linguistics exam during the Triennio are required to agree on the syllabus with the professor at least three months in advance. This syllabus will in any case include R. SIMONE, Nuovi fondamenti di linguistica. Seconda edizione, Milan, McGraw-Hill, 2024 (ALL). This text will form the initial part of the exam, which in this case will last 50-60 minutes, or preferably will be divided into two parts, one written and one oral, to be taken separately. This syllabus is valid until the February 2027 exam session, after which all students are required to request a new, updated syllabus from the iprofessor.

Lectures and online teaching (DIR); however, the material in the DIR is intended solely as a supplement and does NOT replace the texts listed in the program's bibliography. Classes require active and participatory student involvement through the analysis and commentary of ethnolinguistic and ethnopragmatic data, including short essays and oral presentations using audiovisual materials. This activity aims to develop the ability to analyze diachronic and synchronic material, the assimilation of advanced general linguistics teaching methodologies, and specific metalinguistic and communicative skills.

Students with disabilities, Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), or Special Educational Needs (SEN) can request dedicated services and tools by contacting the Career Development and Coordination and Student Services Staff and by visiting the dedicated page on the University website: https://uniupo.it/it/servizi/servizi-studentidisabilied-dsa. Students with disabilities, SLD, or SEN, after contacting the University Staff, must contact the instructor in charge of the course to arrange the exam procedures at least 20 days before the exam; some of these procedures must be approved by the instructor in advance.

Oral exam lasting approximately 30-40 minutes (50-60 minutes for those who have never taken a linguistics exam before, 60 + 30 minutes for those who choose to split the exam into a written and oral component). The exam is passed if the grade is equal to or higher than 18/30. Students may withdraw during the exam and reject the grade at the end of the exam if they pass; a grade accepted immediately cannot be changed. The overall grade will be based on an evaluation of the appropriate use of the specific metalanguage, the accuracy and appropriateness of the answers to the questions on the texts indicated in the syllabus and in class, and the outcome of the written/oral essay that each student is required to complete as an integral part of the final grade. Honors will be awarded based on an evaluation of the student's ability to delve deeper and develop independent thinking. Pursuant to Article 35 of the University Teaching Regulations, students may sit for the same exam no more than three times in an academic year.

The course/workshop will focus on the analysis of the main ethnolinguistic, ethnopragmatic, and sociolinguistic characteristics of spoken language and voice in oral and aural ritual contexts, from the perspective of both historical-religious tradition and socio-cultural and historical-cognitive perspectives. After having identified and described the basic characteristics of the neurolinguistic and phonic-acoustic apparatus and its biological and historical coevolution, we will first focus on the main characteristics of spoken discourse (encoding/decoding, recognition and turn-taking between speakers, evanescence/redundancy of the message, incidence of prosodic features, use of paralinguistic devices, gestures, etc.), then providing the student with the main ethnolinguistic notions (taxonomies and semantic-cognitive organization of ethnosciences, structure of traditional knowledge and external symbolic storage systems) and ethnopragmatic notions (theory of speech acts, frames and scripts, textuality and contextuality), necessary for the specific identification and critical analysis of the extra-linguistic context and the oral encyclopedia of knowledge shared between speaker and interlocutor in non-standard communication; Finally, some metalinguistic and cognitive aspects of the reciting voice will be highlighted, linking them to the development of consciousness and self-awareness. This will be achieved through the active and dialogic participation of the participating students, who will be required, one or two in each lesson, to give a short but well-structured presentation to their peers and the instructor. This program is valid until February 2027, after which everyone will be required to agree on a new program with the instructor.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: Be able to illustrate the theoretical foundations of ethnopragmatic and ethnolinguistic analysis presented in the course using the appropriate specific metalanguage; be able to understand the linguistic, cognitive, and cultural differences between the different types of performative agency and texts produced in utterance. • ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: Be able to set up the ethnopragmatic analysis of texts, even those never analyzed before; identify, explain, and evaluate at least three of the main linguistic features contained in them (contextual characteristics and their textual impact, type of linguistic register chosen, focalization mechanisms, discourse cues, interruptions, overlaps, dialogic repetitions, evaluate the degree of involvement, symmetry or dissymmetry between interlocutors, self-referentiality and identity of the person taking the turn, etc.); provide examples of at least two of the types of ritual and non-ritual texts covered during the course. • JUDGMENT ABILITY: Ability to recognize the main linguistic phenomena at work in the proposed examples and appropriately propose one's own, also with the aid of audiovisual and IT technologies. • COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS: Ability to express one's knowledge using specific metalinguistic terminology with awareness. • LEARNING SKILLS: Ability to delve deeper into the topics presented and develop a capacity for critical analysis regarding the theoretical references and bibliography presented during the course/workshop and their practical application.