Ateneo - UPO

The Italian Language Proficiency course offers first-year students the opportunity to address the gaps identified
through the initial placement test.The main objectives are:
1. To develop an awareness of the extraordinary richness of the Italian language;
2. To understand its distinctive features and historical layers;
3. To recognise the coexistence of different varieties of language (spoken and written Italian, the language of bureaucracy, advertising, etc.);
4. To understand the continuous evolution of the language over time.
At the same time, students’ knowledge of spelling rules and the function of punctuation will be assessed.
Grammatical, logical and syntactic analysis will aim to develop coherence and cohesion in both spoken and written communication

The course makes use of PowerPoint presentations to support explanations and exercises,
which are conducted primarily in a seminar format. Given the short duration of the course
and the potential difficulty students may encounter in their studies - particularly those who
have not passed the initial placement test - the presentations are made available to provide
a clear and concise summary of the topics covered in class.
A list of selected reference texts follows:
1 - F. Sabatini, La lingua e il nostro mondo, Loescher, Torino 1979
2 - G. Berruto, Corso elementare di linguistica generale, UTET, Torino 1997
3 - M. Bocchiola - L. Gerolin, Grammatica pratica dell'Italiano dalla A alla Z, Hoepli, Milano 1999
4 - F. Ilardi - M. Bocchiola, Ortografia pratica dell'Italiano dalla A alla Z, Hoepli, Milano 2003
5 - G. Basile - A. R. Guerriero - S. Lubello, Competenze linguistiche per l'accesso all'Università, Carocci, Roma 2007
6 - M. C. Peccianti, Grammatica italiana per stranieri, Giunti, Firenze 2007
7 - T. De Mauro, Guida all'uso delle parole, RCS Media Group Spa, Milano 2019
8 - V. Coletti, Parole antiche, idem, Milano 2019
9 - G. Adamo, Parole nuove, idem, Milano 2019
10 - L. Pizzoli, Modi di dire, idem, Milano 2019

The initial assessment of students' language skills often reveals significant gaps, highlighting the need for a remedial
program aimed at addressing these shortcomings and ensuring adequate language education. This course represents
a valuable opportunity, as it aims to provide students with the methodological tools necessary to develop and strengthen
the language skills they should have acquired during secondary school. These skills are essential both for their current
academic studies and, more broadly, for improving their oral and written comprehension and communication skills.

Knowledge of the Italian language. High school diploma.

The course is delivered through lectures supported by PowerPoint presentations.
During each lesson, assessment exercises at different levels will be carried out in a seminar format

The course is structured as a 25-hour module. Regular attendance is strongly recommended for students who
have not passed the initial italian language proficiency test. Attendance is compulsory, and students are required to
attend at least 60% of the total scheduled hours.

The course does not include a final assessment in the form of traditional examination, as progress will be monitored
through the lessons. This will make it possible to assess individually and collectively the acquisition of new skills
through exercises covering the various topics of the program, with particular attention to the difficulties identified
among students during the correction of their work. The assessment of the results achieved will instead be carried
out through a final individual written test, corresponding to the initial placement test, in order to evaluate each student’s
progress on the basis of a comparison between their starting level and the learning path they have completed.

The content of the program will depend on the students' learning pace, their initial skills, and the difficulties they encounter.
The program outline, to be adapted to various situations, includes:
1 - Vocabulary: exploring the world of words
2 - Spelling: exceptions and common mistakes
3 - Punctuation
4 - The continuous evolution of language. Word formation: Greek and Latin loanwords, borrowings from other languages
5 - Grammatical analysis (noun, article, adjective, pronoun, preposition, verb, adverb)
6 - Sentence structure: the various logical functions of complements
7 - Sentence architecture: syntax. From simple to complex sentence (main, coordinate and subordinate clauses)
8 - Text properties: mechanisms of cohesion and coherence
9 - Summarizing: the ability to select and organize information
10 - Non-literary language: bureaucratic, scientific, political and journalistic language etc.
11 - Text planning: outlines, paragraphs, chapters, quotations, footnotes and bibliography

In defining the expected learning outcomes at the end of this short and intensive course, I would like to refer to a reflection by linguist Tullio De Mauro:

“Words and sentences are a powerful instrument of freedom for human beings. (...) They are means through which we can express every possible meaning, reach people of all kinds, and achieve any purpose. Nevertheless, the space in which we move through sentences and words, the ‘linguistic space’, is not chaotic. It is governed by certain structures. Knowing how to use words means being aware both of the great freedom they offer us and of the order, or rather the different systems of order, that govern linguistic space.”
In view of the widespread impoverishment of linguistic expression, it is important to remember that “if we wish to undertake the most difficult task of all – the task of being human beings and responsible members of a civil society – we can and must find, among the words of our language, those that best convey the meanings we wish to express.”

I therefore believe that this course can pursue significant objectives, such as fostering this awareness, encouraging students to enrich their vocabulary and acquire new expressive tools, and motivating them to continue the learning process they have embarked upon, well beyond the 25 hours of course attendance.