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 provide students who have not previously taken an examination in General Linguistics or Historical Linguistics with the following knowledge, competences and skills:
- Knowledge of the fundamental notions of General Linguistics in relation to the different levels of linguistic analysis (in particular phonetic/phonological, morphological, and syntactic levels);
- Knowledge of the main phenomena of cross-linguistic variation and linguistic change affecting these dimensions, as well as of the factors that may determine the evolution of language over time;
- Ability to adequately analyse and describe concrete linguistic data and phenomena at different levels, using appropriate specialist terminology.

The aim of the course at a more advanced level is to provide students with the following knowledge, competences and skills:
- In-depth knowledge of the main theoretical and methodological tools of General Linguistics and of their relevance in the description and analysis of linguistic data;
- Ability to grasp the relationship between the structure and internal organisation of languages and the processes of variation and change affecting them, analysing linguistic phenomena taking into account their complexity;
- Ability to evaluate and discuss linguistic data and phenomena in light of this complexity, adopting multiple perspectives of observation, formulating well-grounded analyses, and using specialist terminology rigorously.

These objectives are consistent with those established for the Degree Programme, as outlined in the SUA-CdS.
The course corresponds to a total of 6 ECTS credits, distributed as follows: 1.5 ECTS credits for lectures and interactive teaching activities (in person); 4.5 ECTS credits for self-study activities. For non-attending students, the 6 ECTS credits of the course consist entirely of self-study activities.

No prior knowledge in linguistics is required.

The course mainly consists of lectures, integrated with guided discussions and analysis of case studies from different languages and different periods.
Study support materials, including all slides projected during lectures, will also be made available on the DIR platform. These materials, together with the reference bibliography, are necessary to prepare for the exam (for both attending and non-attending students).

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 course instructor 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 examination, students will be asked questions on the main theoretical topics covered in the course and the required bibliography. In addition, students will be asked to actively apply the knowledge and methodologies acquired to the analysis of linguistic data. This part will include a phonetic/phonological transcription exercise, morphological decomposition, constituent analysis of sentence syntactic structure, and the discussion of a case of linguistic change.

The final grade will be based on the following criteria: mastery of the fundamental concepts of General linguistics (45%); ability to apply the 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%).

Grading criteria

A grade between 18 and 22 will be awarded to students who demonstrate:
- sufficient knowledge and understanding of the fundamental concepts of General Linguistics relating to the main levels of analysis (phonetics/phonology, morphology, and syntax), as well as the principal phenomena of cross-linguistic variation and language change;
- sufficient ability to apply the acquired knowledge to the analysis, including guided analysis, of linguistic data from either a synchronic or a diachronic perspective;
- limited autonomy in formulating observations on linguistic data;
- sufficient clarity of presentation and appropriate use of the discipline's scientific terminology;
- sufficient learning skills, demonstrated by the ability to identify and assimilate the concepts and methods of General Linguistics and to further develop the topics covered in the required bibliography.

A grade between 23 and 26 will be awarded to students who demonstrate:
- satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the fundamental concepts of General Linguistics relating to the main levels of analysis (phonetics/phonology, morphology, and syntax), as well as the principal phenomena of cross-linguistic variation and language change;
- satisfactory ability to apply the acquired knowledge to the analysis, including guided analysis, of linguistic data from either a synchronic or a diachronic perspective;
- satisfactory autonomy in formulating observations on linguistic data;
- satisfactory clarity of presentation and appropriate use of the discipline's scientific terminology;
- satisfactory learning skills, demonstrated by the ability to identify and assimilate the concepts and methods of General Linguistics and to further develop the topics covered in the required bibliography.

A grade between 27 and 30 will be awarded to students who demonstrate:
- good or excellent knowledge and understanding of the fundamental concepts of General Linguistics relating to the different levels of analysis (phonetics/phonology, morphology, and syntax), as well as the principal phenomena of cross-linguistic variation and language change;
- good or excellent ability to apply the acquired knowledge to the analysis of linguistic data from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives;
- good or excellent autonomy in formulating observations on linguistic data;
- good or excellent clarity of presentation and full command of the scientific terminology of the discipline;
- good or excellent learning skills, demonstrated by the ability to identify and assimilate the concepts and methods of General Linguistics and to further develop the topics covered in the required bibliography.

The award of honours (30 cum laude) requires outstanding performance, demonstrated through a very thorough knowledge of all the topics addressed during the oral examination, combined with complete autonomy in the analysis and interpretation of linguistic data and an excellent command of the discipline's terminology.

The lecture content will cover the following topics:
- Introduction: fundamental notions and historical overview of the discipline.
- The sounds of language: segmental and suprasegmental phonetics, phonology, phonetic/phonological transcription with the IPA alphabet; elements of acoustic phonetics.
- 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, by the end of the course students are expected to demonstrate the following:
- Knowledge and understanding: demonstrate 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;
- Applying knowledge and understanding: be able to describe and analyse linguistic data at different levels of analysis, applying with sufficient autonomy the theoretical concepts acquired during the course to concrete linguistic data, primarily drawn from Italian. This includes, in particular, the ability to provide the phonetic/phonological transcription of a word, identify its morphological structure, identify the constituents of a sentence and their interrelationships, as well as describe and analyse phenomena of language change from a diachronic perspective (at least with reference to the case studies discussed during the course or in the required bibliography);
- Making judgements: be able to formulate well-grounded observations on the linguistic data analysed, providing sufficiently autonomous arguments for their choices on the basis of the knowledge acquired;
- Communication skills: be able to communicate the key concepts of the discipline clearly and in a sufficiently well-structured manner, using appropriate specialist terminology;
- Learning skills: be able to use the knowledge and methodological tools acquired during the course to analyse linguistic data and to further develop their understanding of the topics covered through the recommended bibliography.

To achieve an advanced level, students are expected to demonstrate the following:
- Knowledge and understanding: demonstrate an in-depth and well-articulated knowledge of the topics outlined above, understanding the relationships between the structure and internal organisation of languages and the processes of language change affecting them at different levels of analysis;
- Applying knowledge and understanding: demonstrate the ability to integrate synchronic and diachronic perspectives critically, applying independently the theoretical and methodological tools acquired during the course to the description and analysis of linguistic phenomena (at least with reference to the case studies discussed during the course and in the required bibliography), appreciating their complexity and relating the different levels of linguistic analysis to one another;
- Making judgements: demonstrate full autonomy in analysing linguistic data, critically justifying their interpretations on the basis of the knowledge acquired during the course;
- Communication skills: be able to present the topics covered in a coherent, rigorous, and well-structured manner, demonstrating full command of the specialist terminology of the discipline;
- Learning skills: demonstrate the ability to use independently the knowledge and methodological tools acquired during the course to analyse independently linguistic data, including data beyond those directly addressed during the course, and to develop a critical understanding of the topics covered through the relevant scholarly bibliography.

These intended learning objectives are consistent with those of the Degree Programme, as outlined in the SUA-CdS.