56395 - LINGUISTICA ITALIANA

The course will focus on the birth and the development of Italian language, from its origins to contemporary period. In particular, students will have to discuss on the correlation between language and dialects, on the norm’s fixation and the spread of literary language, as well as the spread of Italian language through centuries. 

General learning objectives include the acquisition of full awareness in the analysis of Italian language structures, especially for what concerns its formal aspects and the differences linked to context varieties.

Attending the course, students will gain theoretical and methodological instruments to: 

• recognize, learn and understand phenomena of Italian language linked to different contexts; 
• know technical language of Linguistics; 
• learn to use linguistc’s tools to analyze and to describe language’s aspects; 
• know how to develop a critical discussion. 

During the course, made of 18 lessons, there will be two tests to verify the achievement of different objectives. All students that will do the tests during the course will be able to divide the final program; all other students will do a unique written test before final exam.   

The tests will focus on these subjects: 

• language varieties and their principal linguistic traits; 
• language structures and syntactical analysis; 
• history of Italian language. 

Students should know the parts of speech and structures of the Italian language, distinguishing their levels of relevance (phonological, morphological, syntactic...). 

In addition, students should be able to place major historical and cultural events in space and time (e.g. invention of printing, discovery of America, Unification of Italy...). 

Attendance is not mandatory. 

Classes will be turned in attendance. 

• The architecture of contemporary Italian: variational axes. 
• Standard language; 
• Spoken language; 
• neostandard language; 
• Dialects and regional languages; 
• Popular Italian; 
• Special languages; 
• Structures of Italian language: phonetics; morphology; syntax; punctuation; lexicon. 
• Textuality; textual typologies; 
• Digital texts;
• Features of the language in contemporary Italy;
• Language and extralinguistic context; 
• History of Italian language, from its origins to contemporary period; 
• Unification, norm, and the spread of Italian language; 
• Contacts between Italian and dialects

• C. Giovanardi, E. De Roberto, L’italiano. Strutture, comunicazione, testi. Seconda edizione, Milano-Torino, Pearson, 2022. 

• R. Cella, Storia dell’italiano, Bologna, il Mulino, 2015. 

• G. Antonelli, L’italiano nella società della comunicazione 2.0. Seconda edizione, Bologna, il Mulino, 2016. 

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.

The exam will include two in-progress tests, open to all students, which will entail for those who pass it the possibility of subdividing the program. Both tests will be structured with closed and open questions and may involve period analysis or analysis of short texts. 

Those who do not take the in-progress tests during the course will then have to pass a written exam, with the same format as the in-progress tests, before the oral test.

The final exam will be oral. 

Mastery of the content and skills acquired, linguistic accuracy and lexical property, and the candidate's demonstrated argumentative ability will be taken into account in evaluating the exam.

What is meant by diamesia; characteristics of neo-standard Italian; the verbal system in the standard and neo-standard; characteristics of the descriptive text; what is meant by e-talian?; expressing an opinion on the interaction of Italian and English in contemporary public communication; the difference between vernacular, language and dialect; Manzoni's role in the linguistic landscape of the 19th century.