Ateneo - UPO

Introduction to Late Modern English lexicography from a sociolinguistic and sociopragmatic approach in historical perspective.Origin and development of 'ESP' (English for specific purposes), with reference to lexical expansion and the production of dictionaries of arts and sciences (innovation and codification).Lexis, text, and discourse in lexicographic entries: commercial, colonial, geographic, and geo-political headwords and their sociolinguistic load.Cultural relationships, context and linguistic choices; community of practice; discourse and ideology; sociolinguistic functions of Late Modern English dictionaries of trade and commerce in the construction of British identity vs. otherness.

COMPULSORY HANDBOOKS (all the students)MONOGRAPHS:McColl Millar, Robert, 2012, English Historical Sociolinguistics, Edinburgh University Press.Wright, Laura, 2023, The Social Life of Words. A Historical Approach. Wiley Blackwell.JOURNAL ARTICLES and book CHAPTERS:- Nevalainen, Terttu. 2015. “What are historical sociolinguistics?”. Journal of Historical Sociolinguistics 2015; 1(2): 243–269- Romaine, S. 2016. “The variationist approach”, in Merja Kytö and Päivi Pahta (eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of English Historical Linguistics, pp. 19-35.Language, text, and discourse analysis of primary sources (lexicographic entries in Late Modern English dictionaries of trade and commerce, etc.) in historical and diachronic perspective. Writers/Compilers and their social roles. The analysis will be carried out on qualitative and quantitative principles (corpus-based). Primary sources will be selected and made available on the webpage DIR (Didattica in Rete).

English Linguistics Specialistica B, which considers both the aims and needs of LM37+LM49, can be considered as the second level and continuation of the more specific English Linguistics Specialistica A (there are two specific editions of this first level, one for LM 37, the other for LM 49). This second level aims at a wider perspective in English Linguistics, and at an in-depth discussion of the main linguistic phenomena in society. The main interest and the methodological perspective are those of sociolinguistics and socio-pragmatics, and related phenomena. Sociolinguistics is a field of study that includes any communicative activity, at different levels, in different linguistic and cultural contexts, and considering different participants/interlocutors. English Linguistics Specialistica B will focus on the main aspects of English historical sociolinguistics, investigating the expanding Late Modern English lexicographic production in specific areas of knowledge, especially related to commercial expansion and geo-political interests. The course general contents and specific topics, language skills and activities, the end-of-course examination, as well as the assessment criteria applied, refer to B2+ level of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference).

Language skills at an advanced level: min. B2, but B2+ is preferred (CEFR). Please check the prerequisites for admission to the MA Lingue, Culture, Turismo: https://disum.uniupo.it/en/university-studies/course/foreign-languages-cultures-tourism-double-degree-y-20262027

Lectures and practical activities on source texts/text analysis.

The course will be held in the first semester, between October 2026 and January 2027. The use of handbooks for the theoretical approach will be supported by authentic materials for the analysis of the sociolinguistic features and the communicative strategies under scrutiny. 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://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.

ORAL EXAM:Oral interaction and discussion on the course contents, concepts, notions, texts, and linguistic-discursive analysis of primary sources (original texts uploaded to DIR).Students will highlight the main contents, concepts and methodological approaches of the materials listed in bibliography and uploaded to DIR.The discussion of contents, concepts, and methodological approaches is worth 60% of the assessment process, the critical discussion on primary sources (text analysis of original works/dictionary entries) is worth 40%.All study materials for the analysis must be brought to the exam (book/individual reading, materials uploaded on DIR).Students will pass their exam if they get 18/30 in both their book presentation/discussion and the oral discussion of course contents.The final grade is calculated on a weighted assessment basis. With reference to the 'Intended learning objectives' (see below), the following grades correspond to different skills: 18-22/30-sufficient, 23-25/30-satisfying, 26-28/30 good, 29-30 lode-very good.ORAL EXAM ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: 1. appropriate presentation and discussion of topics, notions, and concepts; 2. discourse organisation; 3. lexical richness and accuracy; 4. lexical propriety; 5. lexical variety; 6. detailed text analysis (especially related to text and discourse construction in synchronic/diachronic sociolinguistic perspective); 7. discourse skills.

Social background and language use: focus on dictionaries of trade and commerce.Written text production and language codification: the role of lexicography (general vocabulary and specialised terminology over time).Written text production and social values: lexical selection and lexical representation in historical perspective.The sociolinguistics of written texts: representing knowledge and 'displaying' identity.Elite culture and British encyclopaedic lexicography: multifaceted language resources and discourse construal.Lexicographic works as 'communities of practice': tradition and innovation in dictionary macro- and microstructure.Literacy and the middle classes: language use as social change.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING English Linguistics Specialistica B will provide students with the main methodological perspectives, and the main objectives of sociolinguistics and historical sociolinguistic studies, and fields of research/application. Students will be fully aware of the metalinguistic (theoretical) and linguistic (practical) components in the complex process of interaction between different speech communities, different social groups, different contexts, different registers, and different text types in historical perspective. APPLIED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS They will be able to select the most appropriate forms and functions, and culture-bound elements to achieve the specific communicative goals in interaction, in a cross-cultural perspective as well. They will be provided with a sociolinguistic competence. Linguistic knowledge and language understanding will be used at a practical level, and applied to the many disciplinary research and professional contexts.