HISTORY OF THE GERMAN LANGUAGE

The course in history of the German Language will be held in German.

Main aims of the course:

1. to focus on some main questions about the standardization of the language.

2. to gain relevant knowledge about German syntax, and about some relevant changes occurred to orthographical standards.

3. to enlarge conceptual understanding and methodological competence about working in German studies and modern research techniques.

4. to be able to critically evaluate current research, advanced research and scholarship in the discipline or area of professional competence.

5. to encourage intellectual independence and practical competence in this research field as well as ethical behaviour consistent with academic integrity and the use of appropriate guidelines and procedures for responsible conduct of research.

6. To sustain the communication of ideas, issues, and conclusions, both through a written essay and an oral examination.

The lessons of the teacher and the laboratory of the expert are fundamental to achieve the targets of the course.

The course will be divided into a series of lessons held by the teacher which will introduce the topics and methodologies to be used in group-works. The practical exercise of the German language will be provided also by the mother tongue expert. All the lessons will be held in German and all the communications with the teacher and the expert will be in German.

The course will focus on the peculiarities of contemporary German and academic writing. Stylistic, rhetoric and syntactic peculiarities will also be examined as main interests for academic and professional writing.

Part of the course will be dedicated to the analysis of texts, to translation and to academic writing. The analysis will take different research perspectives into account trying to unfold different layers and peculiarities (section A).

An anthology of different texts (section B) will provide the start-up discussion, and written exercises, to develop individual skills and a final research project (presentation and written papers) that will be evaluated during the exam.

The project and the research will be guided and followed by the teacher during the course and by the linguistic expert during the hours of laboratory.

A History of the German language

Karl-Heinz Göttert, Deutsch: Biographie einer Sprache, Ullstein, Berlin, 2010, pp. 400.

B Reading texts:

Viktor Klemperer, LTI: Notizbuch eines Philologen, Reclam, Leipzig, 2007, pp. 385.

A reader of texts in German will be available on the web-page of STUDIUM and will be the starting point for the group works.

To write the final work we suggest to get information about the formal features in:

- H. Gruber, B. Huemer, M. Rheindorf, Wissenschaftliches Schreiben: Ein Praxisbuch für Studierende der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften, UTB, 2009, pp. 240.

Please remember that in compliance with art 171 L22.04.1941, n. 633 and its amendments, it is illegal to copy entire books or journals, only 15% of their content can be copied.

For further information on sanctions and regulations concerning photocopying please refer to the regulations on copyright (Linee Guida sulla Gestione dei Diritti d’Autore) provided by AIDRO - Associazione Italiana per i Diritti di Riproduzione delle opere dell’ingegno (the Italian Association on Copyright).

All the books listed in the programs can be consulted in the Library.