Ateneo - UPO

Master’s course on fundamental principles of Linguistics, from a synchronic and diachronic perspective.

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.

The aim of the course at a basic level is to enable students to acquire the following knowledge, skills, and abilities: - Knowledge of the fundamental notions of General Linguistics in relation to different levels of analysis (in particular phonetic/phonological, morphological, syntactic). - Knowledge of the main phenomena of interlinguistic variation and linguistic change affecting these dimensions, and of the factors that can determine linguistic change in diachrony. - Ability to adequately analyze and describe concrete linguistic data and phenomena at different levels. - Ability to formulate coherent observations and arguments, using appropriate specialized terminology. The aim of the course at a more advanced level is to ensure students not only achieve full and solid command of the aforementioned knowledge, skills, and abilities, but also, in addition, to enable them to develop the capacity to grasp the link between the structure and internal organization of languages, on the one hand, and the changes that affect them at various levels, on the other; and therefore to analyze linguistic phenomena (at least the cases discussed in class and in the reference bibliography) in light of this relationship, understanding their complexity and knowing how to observe them from multiple perspectives.

No prior knowledge in linguistics is required.

Lectures, integrated with 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 Historical Linguistics 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 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 decomposition, constituent 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%). Students will pass the exam if they achieve at least 18/30. The final grade of 30 cum laude will be awarded for a very in-depth knowledge demonstrated in relation to all topics covered during the interview, accompanied by a full mastery of the discipline's vocabulary.

The lecture content will cover the following topics: - Introduction: fundamental notions and historical overview of the discipline; the evolution of human verbal language. - The sounds of language: segmental and suprasegmental phonetics, phonology, phonetic/phonological transcription with the IPA alphabet. - The form of words: morphology and the principles of word segmentation, word formation processes; elements of morphological typology. - The clause and the sentence: from phrase to clause, immediate constituent analysis and tree diagrams, the structure of the complex sentence; elements of syntactic typology. - The main types of linguistic change affecting the phonetic/phonological, morphological, and syntactic levels (presentation and discussion of specific case studies); the interaction between synchrony and diachrony and the causes of linguistic change.

To achieve the knowledge and skills corresponding to a basic level, at the end of the course, students must demonstrate the following: Knowledge and understanding: - they 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 the main phenomena of interlinguistic variation, and linguistic change, affecting these dimensions. - they have acquired knowledge of the factors that can determine linguistic change. Applying knowledge and understanding: - they are able 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 includes, in particular, being able to provide the phonetic/phonological transcription of a word, identify its morphological structure, identify the phrases of a sentence and their interrelations, and provide a formal representation of the sentence with a tree diagram; - they are able to describe and analyze linguistic change phenomena that affect the phonetic/phonological, morphological, or syntactic dimension (at least with reference to the cases discussed in class and in the reference bibliography). Communication skills: - they are able to formulate observations and arguments and to communicate the key concepts of the discipline clearly and articulately, using specialized terminology at an appropriate level. For the achievement of an advanced level, students are asked to demonstrate the following: - Knowledge and understanding: they have acquired an in-depth and articulated knowledge of the topics mentioned above. - Applying knowledge and understanding: they have developed the ability to critically integrate synchronic and diachronic perspectives, autonomously applying the notions introduced during the course to the description and analysis of linguistic phenomena (at least with reference to the cases discussed in class and in the reference bibliography). - Communication skills: they are able to present arguments coherently and articulately, with full mastery of specialized terminology.