Ateneo - UPO

The Language, mind and society course (60 hours, 12 ECTS) examines the theoretical dimension of the study of language in depth and 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

For students who attend the course:
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.

Non-attending students shall study, in addition to the material indicated above, also:
1) Bazzanella, C. (2014). Linguistica cognitiva. Un’introduzione. Bari-Roma: Laterza (pages 3–41 only).
2) Luraghi, S. and L. Gaeta (2003, eds.). Introduzione alla linguistica cognitiva. Roma: Carocci (a choice of one chapter among chapters 6, 9, 10, or 11).

Sociolinguistics

Students who attend the course:
(1) Slides and other material uploaded on DIR.
(2) Silvia Ballarè, Ilaria Fiorentini e Emanuele Miola (a cura di), 2024, Le varietà dell’italiano contemporaneo, Carocci, Roma,: only chapters 3 (L’italiano regionale), 6 (L’italiano dei giovani) and 7 (L’italiano dei nuovi media).
(3) For language and gender issues: (i) Edoardo Lombardi Vallauri, 2026, L'italiano in bilico. Quello che sì, quello che no, Il Mulino, Bologna: only chapter 5, Se la lingua italiana sia sessista; (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 (paper 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, new edition, UTET/De Agostini, Novara.

Beside the bibliographical references mentioned above, students who do NOT attend the course will also study:
(5) Gaetano Berruto and Massimo Cerruti, 2019, Manuale di sociolinguistica, new edition, UTET/De Agostini, Novara.
(6) Gaetano Berruto, Sociolinguistica dell'italiano contemporaneo, Carocci, Roma, 2012 (new edition): only chapters 1 (L’italiano come gamma di varietà) and 2 (Tendenze di ristandardizzazione).

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, change and sociolinguistic variation, 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.
Each of the two 6-ECTS courses that make up this integrated course features the following credit breakdown: 1.5 ECTS of delivery and interactive teaching (in person); 4.5 ECTS of self-study activities. For non-attending students, the 6 ECTS of each of the two courses consist entirely of self-study activities.

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.

The integrated course mainly consists of lectures. Interactive teaching is also included during the course. Students will be involved through the examination and discussion of linguistic data and case studies, 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.
Study support materials, including all slides projected during lectures, will also be made available on the DIR platform (on the pages of the two courses).

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 final assessment consists of an oral examination lasting approximately 30 minutes, aimed at verifying the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of the relevant topics (those included in the objectives and the expected learning outcomes) and the use of appropriate scientific terminology. 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.

For both exams, grades are assigned according to the following criteria:
A. Marks in the 18–22 range will be awarded for:
- sufficient knowledge and understanding of theoretical and methodological principles of cognitive linguistics and sociolinguistics;
- limited ability to formulate independent critical judgments in the analysis of linguistic data and case studies through the application of acquired knowledge;
- sufficient communication skills, particularly regarding the use of specific scientific terminology.
B. Marks in the 23–26 range will be awarded for:
- satisfactory knowledge and understanding of theoretical and methodological principles of cognitive linguistics and sociolinguistics;
- satisfactory ability to formulate independent critical judgments in the analysis of linguistic data and case studies through the application of acquired knowledge;
- satisfactory communication skills, particularly regarding the use of specific scientific terminology;
C. Marks in the 27–30 range will be awarded for:
- good or excellent knowledge and understanding of theoretical and methodological principles of cognitive linguistics and sociolinguistics;
- good or excellent ability to formulate independent critical judgments in the analysis of linguistic data and case studies through the application of acquired knowledge;
- excellent communication skills, fully appropriate and consistent with specific scientific terminology.
D. Honours (cum laude) will be awarded based on an assessment of accuracy, depth, and the ability to elaborate on the responses.

Further information for Cognitive Linguistics II level
During the exam, at least one question will require students to discuss a specific case study in which the cognitive approach is applied either to the investigation of linguistic situations from the past or to the analysis of linguistic change.
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%).

Further information for Sociolinguistics
The final exam is structured into 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 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

In the first part of the course, the foundational principles of Cognitive Linguistics will be explored. After a brief historical overview, the lessons 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.
The second part of the course, through specific case studies, will show 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, FrameNet, 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, at a basic level, to apply the learned notions to the analysis of different phenomena and case studies.

Autonomy of judgment:
To demonstrate an initial level of autonomy in making critical judgments on synchronic and diachronic data.

Communicative skills:
To use specific scientific terminology in an appropriate manner.

Learning ability:
To develop sufficient theoretical and methodological knowledge, 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:
(i) have acquired a solid knowledge of cognitive linguistics and sociolinguistics; (ii) be able to confidently apply knowledge and understanding to data analysis; (iii) demonstrate full autonomy in expressing well-articulated, critical judgments on linguistic phenomena influenced by cognitive and pragmatic factors; (iv) express oneself exclusively through specific scientific terminology; (v) combine the theoretical learning of concepts and methodologies with direct observation of empirical data, demonstrating a high level of applied competence.