The aim of the course is to introduce students to the study of
basic concepts of the theoretical linguistics, with specific reference both to the synchronic and the diachronic approaches for the analysis of natural languages.
The course is divided into two modules. The first module will introduce the fundamental concepts of synchronic Linguistics; the second module will focus on the diachronic development of languages, with particular reference to Greek and Latin.
- G. Berruto, M. Cerruti, La linguistica. Un corso introduttivo, UTET Università, 2011(1), 2017(2)
- S. Luraghi, Introduzione alla linguistica storica, Carocci, 2006(1), 2016(2)
Learning Objectives
During the course, students are introduced to the study of basic concepts of synchronic and diachronic linguistics.
Discipline-specific skills :
- Demonstrate a basic knowledge of terms and concepts of synchronic linguistics
- Demonstrate a basic knowledge of terms and concepts of diachronic linguistics, with particular reference to Indo-European languages and linguistic change in Greek and Latin
- Demonstrate the knowledge of basic linguistic terminology
- Demonstrate basic knowledge of linguistic methods and both synchronic and diachronic analysis, including Phonetics and Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics and Lexicon, Pragmatics
- Demonstrate knowledge of the linguistic analysis of texts
- Demonstrate a good understanding and a detailed knowledge of variation and language change
- Use of real-life examples to illustrate a point
Prerequisites
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Teaching Methods
Lectures and seminars; handouts and basic readings during seminars; use of electronic resources (via the Moodle learning platform).
Further information
The course involves compulsory attendance for 2/3 of the lessons for full-time students. Lesson attendance for part-time students (part-time enrolment)
is not mandatory. Part-time students have to contact the teacher at the beginning of the course.
Type of Assessment
Oral examination in order to asses theoretical knowledge acquired during the course.
Topics:
- methodological introduction
- concepts and basic terms of Historical and General Linguistics
- theory, methods and analysis models of Linguistics (Phonetics, Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics, Pragmatics)
- analysis of diachronic linguistic change
This examination will also assess students' ability to apply their knowledge to concrete cases of linguistic analysis, the relevance and coherence of the students' answers, their communication skills, their capacity for making judgements, their ability to express opinions on a topic in a structured way, their language accuracy and their style.
Students must demonstrate an adequate level of preparation in all the required topics in order to pass the examination.
The final mark will be based on the assessments given for all the questions.
Course program
The aim of the course is to introduce students to the study of
basic concepts of the theoretical linguistics, with specific reference both to the synchronic and the diachronic approaches for the analysis of natural languages.
The course will introduce the fundamental concepts of synchronic Linguistics and will focus on the diachronic development of languages, with particular reference to classical languages.
The corse will introduce the following issues and concepts:
Language faculty and natural languages. classification of natural languages (language families, language typology, areal Linguistics etc.). Main linguistic domains: phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax. Grammar: grammatical categories. Lexical semantics: perspectives on the lexical meaning. Pragmatics: the speech act theory. The synchronic variation.
Principles and methods of Historical Linguistics; origin and development of the comparative method. The Indo-European languages. Language change in a diachronic perspective. Diachronic Studies of Greek and Latin.