Ateneo - UPO

The Language, mind and society course (60 hours, 12 ECTS) examines the theoretical dimension of the study of language in depth, combines the analysis of phenomena and linguistic data from, respectively, the point of view of Cognitive Linguistics and Sociolinguistics. 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 relationship between language use (namely, variation) and social factors (with a special focus on the Italian language).

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. Sociolinguistics Students who attend the course (1) Slides and other material uploaded on DIR. (2) Chapters n. 3 (L’italiano regionale), n. 6 (L’italiano dei giovani) and n. 7 (L’italiano dei nuovi media)from: Silvia Ballarè, Ilaria Fiorentini and Emanuele Miola (eds.), Le varietà dell’italiano contemporaneo, Carocci, Roma, 2024. (3) For language and gender issues: (i) Paolo D’Achille and Anna Thornton. 2023. Se c’è il perito, ci deve essere anche la perita (e sono entrambi vivi e vegeti.)! Italiano Digitale 27/4: 1-2.; (ii) Anna Thornton. 2022. Genere e igiene verbale: l’uso di forme con ə in italiano. Annali del Dipartimento di Studi Letterari, Linguistici e Comparati. Sezione linguistica n.s. 11: 11-54. The two papers will be made available on DIR. (4) 1/2 papers to be chosen among those that will be made available on DIR. For more details about Sociolinguistics, attending students can consult: Gaetano Berruto and Massimo Cerruti. 2019. Manuale di sociolinguistica, nuova edizione. UTET/De Agostini, Novara. Beside the bibliographical references mentioned above, students who do NOT attend the course will also study: (5) Gaetano Berruto e Massimo Cerruti. 2019. Manuale di sociolinguistica, nuova edizione. UTET/De Agostini, Novara. (6) Chapter 1 (L’italiano come gamma di varietà) and Chapter 2 (Tendenze di ristandardizzazione) from: Gaetano Berruto, Sociolinguistica dell'italiano contemporaneo, Carocci, Roma, 2012 (new edition). Further reading suggested for consultation: Fabiana Fusco. 2024. Lingua e genere. Carocci, Roma.

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 sociolinguistic perspectives, in order to widen their understanding of the main cognitive and social mechanisms that influence language and 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.

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 Sociolinguistics) 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 and communicative skills. Practical activities are included, based on online resources to explore the social, 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. Sociolinguistics The final exam is oral and takes approximately 30 minutes. Candidates will be expected to answer some questions showing knowledge and understanding of the relevant topics, and using appropriate scientific terminology. More precisely, the exam is structured as follows, namely it is made up of 3 sections: Sect. 1 = questions on theoretical and methodological aspects related to sociolinguistics; Sect. 2 = questions on language variation as influenced by external factors; Sect. 3 = analysis and 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/or the material put on DIR). The final evaluation will be based on the following criteria: use of appropriate scientific terminology = 10%; answers to questions from Section 1 = 20%; answers to questions from Section 2 = 35%; answers to questions from Section 3 = 35%. The exam will be passed successfully if the final grade is equal to or higher than 18/30. To achieve18/30, students must be familiar with the main issues concerning the relationship between language and society, and be able to analyze the relevant data at least at a basic level. To obtain a higher mark, students must demonstrate autonomy of judgment, consistent argumentation and depth of analysis. Exams 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 Sociolinguistics, approaching them from both a theoretical viewpoint and through the application of introduced notions to specific data and case studies. 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. Sociolinguistics Part I, theoretical and methodological sociolinguistic issues 1. Introduction to the lessons. 2. Basic sociolinguistic notions and preliminary issues on the relationship between language and society. 3. Variation and sociolinguistic variables. 4. Data in Sociolinguistics. Part II, Variation in the Italian language 5. The “architecture” of contemporary Italian. 6. Analysis and discussion of case studies. 7. (Gender mainstreaming) Language, gender and society.

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 Sociolinguistics; Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: - to be able to apply the learned notions to the analysis of different phenomena and case studies; 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 social 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.