OVERVIEW

Firstly, the foundations of phonetics and phonology will be introduced: special attention will be devoted to the description of the IPA and to the Italian phonological system.

Second, this course develops awareness on the part of the students with regard to:

• structure of communication; interaction between linguistic expressions and indexical structures;
• grammatical structures of simple sentence and its meaning; lexical structures and contents;
• from natural lexicon to special purposes terminologies.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course aims to provide the student with the essential notions to the scientific study of language mainly from a synchronic perspective but also touching upon diachronic issues. The course will start with some introductory remarks about the concepts of "language" and its constitutive features. Therefore, the foundations of phonetics and phonology will be introduced: special attention will be devoted to the description and use of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and to the Italian phonological system compared to those exhibited by the main European languages.

Aim of the second part of the course is to enhance the students' awareness about the structure and functions of linguistic expressions and meanings in both L1 and L2.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this course, the student will know all main levels of linguistic analysis, namely phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, some basic notions of pragmatics, lexicon, and their possible interrelations from a synchronic and diachronic perspective. The student will have gained some basic knowledge about different theoretical frameworks and their epistemological basis. 

PREREQUISITES

This is an introductory course in Theoretical and Historical Linguistics in the sense that it does not presuppose any previous training in the subject. 

TEACHING METHODS

Oral lessons. During the academic year 2020/21, oral lessons will be delivered online on Microsoft Teams. Materials will be available on the Aulaweb platform.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

First part: Introduction: Language and Linguistics. Phonetics and phonology.

Second part: Language, indexicality and communication.

1. A grammar of rules

The sounds of languages: phonetics and phonology.

Syntax and semantics of the core of the sentence

2. A grammar of options

Expanding the core of the sentence

Communicative perspective

3. Natural lexicon and terminology
 

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

General linguistics section:

M. Prandi, C. De Santis, Le regole e le scelte. Manuale di linguistica e di grammatica italiana, UTET, Torino, 2011: Premessa, Parti I, II, III, VII

M. Prandi, Il significato delle espressioni e l'interpretazione dei messaggi, in F. Frasnedi, L. Salmon (a cura di), Il lettore e il senso, Clueb, Bologna, 1999: 56-69.
Disponibile su Aulaweb

M. Prandi, Sulla frontiera tra frase e testo: prospettive di analisi, in H. Jansen, P. Polito, L. Schosler, E. Strudsholm (a cura di), L'infinito e oltre. Omaggio a Gunver Skytte, Odense University Press, Odense 2002: 391-407.
Available on Aulaweb.

Lexicon and terminology section:

«Lessico naturale e lessici di specialità», in C. Navarro (a cura di), Terminología, traducción y comunicación especializada. Homenaje a Amelia de Irazazábal, Actas del Congreso Internacional, 11 – 12 de octubre 2007 – Verona, Fiorini, Verona, 2008: 359-386.
Available on Aulaweb.

Phonetics and Phonology section:

Federico Albano Leoni; Pietro Maturi, Manuale di fonetica. Nuova edizione (Università / 375 Linguistica), Roma, Carocci, terza edizione 2002 (172 p. + CD, ISBN 88-430-2127-3, 19,50), segnatamente le pp. 31-83 (= chapter 2: Fonetica articolatoria e trascrizione fonetica).

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MICHELE PRANDI (President)

FRANCESCA STRIK LIEVERS

CHIARA FEDRIANI (President Substitute)

LESSONS

Class schedule

LINGUISTICS

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

First part: Written test which includes both exercises (phonetic transcription and minimal pairs) and questions about topics in phonetics and phonology illustrated and discussed during the course.

Second part: Oral exam.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Written test on phonetics and phonology.

Oral exam with the aim of assessing the student's ability to expose subjects of grammar and semantics in a coherent form. One subject will be chosen by the student, the others will be proposed by the Professor

Exam schedule