Ateneo - UPO

The integrated course examines linguistic and literary practices in English from two complementary perspectives: a sociolinguistic and sociopragmatic investigation of encyclopaedic lexicographic production during the Late Modern period, and a historical-literary and rhetorical-stylistic analysis of representative works associated with the flourishing of the novel over the same chronological period.
The Advanced English Linguistics B module focuses on the origins and development of specialised discourse. Through lexical, textual and discourse analysis of headwords and lexicographic entries relating to commercial, colonial, geographical and geopolitical topics, the module explores the relationships between cultural context, linguistic choices, ideology, and the construction of identity and otherness.
The Advanced English Literature B module examines the emergence and development of the English novel. Particular attention is devoted to the principal stages in the critical debate concerning its origins, the formal features that define the novel as a literary genre, and the role of women as authors, readers, characters and cultural agents. Primary texts are analysed in relation to the political, economic, social and gender-related transformations of the period.
Taken together, the two modules provide students with an opportunity to investigate how linguistic and literary practices contribute to the codification and circulation of knowledge, the representation of social and cultural relations, and the construction of individual and collective identities during the period conventionally referred to as the Late Modern era.

McColl Millar, Robert, 2012, English Historical Sociolinguistics, Edinburgh University Press.
Wright, Laura, 2023, The Social Life of Words. A Historical Approach, Wiley Blackwell.
Nevalainen, Terttu, 2015, “What are historical sociolinguistics?”, Journal of Historical Sociolinguistics, 1(2), pp. 243-269.
Romaine, Suzanne, 2016, “The variationist approach”, in Merja Kytö e Päivi Pahta, a cura di, The Cambridge Handbook of English Historical Linguistics, pp. 19-35.
MacKay, Marina, 2011, The Cambridge Introduction to the Novel, Cambridge University Press.
Hale, Dorothy, 2006, The Novel: An Anthology of Criticism and Theory, 1900-2000, Blackwell.
Armstrong, Nancy, 1987, Desire and Domestic Fiction, Oxford University Press.
Gallagher, Catherine, 1994, Nobody’s Story: The Vanishing Acts of Women Writers in the Marketplace, 1670-1920, University of California Press.

The integrated course aims to develop advanced knowledge and skills in the analysis of linguistic and literary practices in English by combining the methodological perspectives of historical sociolinguistics and sociopragmatics with historical-literary and critical-textual approaches, with particular attention to gender studies. A cross-cutting objective of the course is to develop students’ ability to relate linguistic and literary forms to the historical and cultural contexts in which they are produced, while recognising the role of texts in representing and shaping social relations.
For students who attend classes, the 12 ECTS credits are allocated as follows: 2.4 ECTS credits for taught and interactive learning activities; 9.6 ECTS credits for self-study.
More specifically, the course aims to:
analyse specialised lexicographic production, with particular reference to the commercial and geopolitical vocabulary of the Late Modern English period, and understand its role in processes of innovation, codification and dissemination within specialised discourse;
develop a greater awareness of the relationships between language, discourse, ideology, identity and otherness;
understand the development of the novel, with particular attention to its relationship with the social, political, economic and cultural transformations of the long eighteenth century;
examine the role of women as authors, readers, characters and agents within the literary system, situating women’s fiction within contemporary debates on marriage, sexuality, race and women’s education;
develop the ability to critically analyse authentic primary sources, both literary and non-literary, through lexical, textual, discourse-analytical, corpus-based and rhetorical-stylistic approaches, while engaging critically with relevant secondary scholarship.

English language proficiency at a minimum level of B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is required. A B2+ level of proficiency is recommended in order to engage effectively with the theoretical readings, seminar activities, and linguistic and literary analyses included in the course. Students are also expected to have basic knowledge of linguistic, textual, and literary analysis.

Within the 12 ECTS credits allocated to the course, 60 hours are devoted to face-to-face teaching (DE), delivered through weekly lectures. These hours also include interactive teaching activities (DI), such as seminar discussions, practical activities in linguistic and textual analysis, guided discussions, and individual or group presentations.
The remaining hours are devoted to guided independent study, through the individual reading and analysis of the texts included in the syllabus.

Classes, required readings, and assessment methods are in English.
Non-attending students follow the same syllabus as attending students.

Assessment consists of the examinations associated with the two modules, which are conceived as complementary components of the integrated course examination, and comprise:
1. An oral examination in English on the syllabus of the Advanced English Linguistics B module, designed to assess students’ in-depth knowledge of: the topics covered in the course; the texts listed in the bibliography; the concepts and methodological approaches addressed during classes; the materials for linguistic and discourse analysis uploaded to the DIR platform; the primary lexicographic sources analysed during the course. 2. An oral examination in English on the syllabus of the Advanced English Literature B module, designed to assess students’ in-depth knowledge of: the primary texts and their relevant historical and cultural contexts; the novel as a literary form and its historical, cultural, social, and theoretical contexts; gender-related issues in the development of the novel and the principal strands of the relevant critical debate; the ability to analyse a passage from one of the texts included in the syllabus, with particular attention to the relationship between text and context and to its linguistic, rhetorical, and stylistic features.
To pass the examination, students must achieve a passing grade in both modules. The final grade is jointly determined by the instructors and gives equal weight to the results obtained in the two modules.
The following assessment criteria apply to both oral examinations:
- knowledge of the topics covered during the course, the primary texts, and their historical and cultural contexts;
- ability to organise and structure an argument;
- clarity, range, and relevance of the presentation;
- lexical accuracy and range;
- appropriate use of subject-specific terminology;
- ability to analyse the linguistic, textual, and discursive features of the texts under consideration;
- relevance and accuracy of responses.
General grading criteria
29–30 and 30 cum laude: comprehensive and well-structured knowledge of the topics covered; excellent ability to contextualise, synthesise, and carry out linguistic and literary analysis; clear, rigorous, and independent presentation; excellent command of English and of subject-specific terminology. Cum laude is awarded for evidence of independent critical engagement, original reflection, and autonomous in-depth study of the topics.
26–28: sound knowledge of the course content; good ability to contextualise and analyse; a generally accurate and well-organised presentation, with only minor inaccuracies.
23–25: satisfactory knowledge of the course content, although at times mechanical or predominantly based on memorisation; adequate analytical skills, though not always developed in depth; generally comprehensible expression, albeit not always fully appropriate.
18–22: basic knowledge of the syllabus; limited analytical skills; difficulty in moving beyond summary or description; poorly structured presentation and some linguistic inaccuracies.
Fail: insufficient knowledge of the syllabus; inability to construct a logically structured argument; inappropriate or inadequate expression.

Module 1 – Advanced English Linguistics B
1. Introduction to historical sociolinguistics and historical sociopragmatics.
2. Methods and aims of sociolinguistic research from synchronic and diachronic perspectives.
3. Social context and language use: the case of dictionaries of trade and commerce.
4. Written text production and linguistic codification.
5. The role of lexicography in the codification of general vocabulary and specialised terminology.
6. Origins and development of specialised languages.
7. Lexical expansion, innovation, and codification.
8. Encyclopaedic lexicographic production.
9. Written text production and social values.
10. Lexical choices and representation from a historical perspective.
11. The sociolinguistics of written discourse.
12. The representation of knowledge and the construction of identity.
13. Elite culture and English encyclopaedic lexicography.
14. Linguistic resources and the construction of discourse.
15. Lexicographic works as communities of practice.
16. Tradition and innovation in dictionary macrostructure and microstructure.
17. Literacy, the emergence of the middle class, and the use of language as an instrument of social change.
18. Analysis of headwords and lexicographic entries relating to commercial, colonial, geographical, and geopolitical topics.
19. Discourse and ideology in dictionaries of trade and commerce.
20. The linguistic construction of identity and otherness.
21. Authors, compilers, and the social role of lexicographic works.
22. Application of qualitative and quantitative methods, including corpus-based approaches, to primary sources.
Module 2 – Advanced English Literature B
Unit 1 – The Long Eighteenth Century and the Rise of the Novel: introduction to the historical, political, economic, and cultural context of the period 1660–1800; the critical debate on the rise of the novel.
Unit 2 – Women and the Novel: the role of women as authors, readers, characters, and cultural agents; fiction, domesticity, desire, and the publishing market.
Unit 3 – Aphra Behn, Oroonoko; or, The Royal Slave: Restoration literary culture.
Unit 4 – Fanny Burney, Evelina; or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World: the novel of manners.
Unit 5 – Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice: the legacy and transformation of the eighteenth-century tradition.

Knowledge and Understanding
- knowledge of the main methodological approaches in historical sociolinguistics and historical sociopragmatics;
- metalinguistic and linguistic awareness of the relationships between communities of speakers and writers, social groups, registers, contexts, and text types;
- knowledge of the development of specialised lexicography and specialised languages during the Late Modern English period;
- knowledge of the historical and cultural context of the British long eighteenth century;
- knowledge of the critical debate on the rise of the novel and of the distinctive features of the novel as a literary genre;
- knowledge of the intellectual profiles and works of the major women novelists of the period;
- understanding of the relationships between language, literature, ideology, gender, race, social class, and the construction of identity.
Applying Knowledge and Understanding
- apply sociolinguistic and sociopragmatic tools to the analysis of authentic texts;
- carry out lexical, textual, and discourse analysis of lexicographic sources;
- identify the communicative and social functions of linguistic choices;
- interpret the relationship between textual production, linguistic codification, and social change;
- identify the distinctive features of the novel as a literary genre;
- relate literary texts to their historical, political, economic, social, and gender contexts;
- analyse the linguistic, rhetorical, and stylistic dimensions of texts;
- use secondary scholarship to develop critical interpretations.
Making Judgements
- formulate independent interpretations grounded in linguistic and textual evidence;
- critically assess hypotheses and theoretical perspectives;
- recognise the role of linguistic and formal choices in the construction of meaning;
- reflect critically on the relationships between text, context, ideology, and representation;
- compare linguistic and literary disciplinary perspectives.
Communication Skills
- present knowledge, information, and opinions clearly and effectively in English;
- use appropriate linguistic and literary terminology;
- organise a coherent and well-argued discourse;
- discuss primary texts and theoretical contributions critically;
- participate actively in seminar activities and guided discussions.
Learning Skills
- read theoretical, critical, lexicographic, and literary texts in English independently;
- use bibliographic tools, corpora, and digital resources;
- pursue independent study of linguistic, historical, and literary topics;
- integrate different disciplinary methods and perspectives;
- apply the knowledge and skills acquired to new texts and contexts of study.