OVERVIEW

The teaching of History of Italiani language aims to give students a detailed framework of the Italian language along its historical path both in the passage from Latin to vulgar and in its literary and practical realisation as well as its modern phenomenology. To attend the course students should have a good proficiency in Italian lexicon and grammar as well as critical and rhetorical terminology.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the course, students will have acquired competencies in the following areas: historical grammar of Italian and contemporary grammar; the composition of the Italian lexicon; the main print and digital tools for linguistic research; the sociolinguistic variability of the language and the relationships between Italian and dialects; the external history of Italian and the debates that have accompanied it. They will also have developed skills in the linguistic analysis of texts of different types (formal, informal, written, oral) and from different periods (ancient and contemporary), as well as an aptitude for the linguistic and formal reading of literary texts. Specific attention will also be devoted to the teaching of the discipline

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the 12 CFU course, the student will be able to:
- present the main phenomena of historical Italian grammar and the history of grammar
- describe the composition of the Italian lexicon
- recognise the sociolinguistic variability of the language and the relationships between Italian and dialects
- illustrate the external history of Italian and the debates that have accompanied it
- linguistically analyse texts of different types (educated, popular, written, oral) and of different ages (ancient and contemporary), with particular attention to "semicolti" texts
- use the main paper and computer tools of linguistic research
- adapt one's communication to the context, improving one's functional literacy competence

At the end of the 9 CFU course, the student will be able to:
- present the main phenomena of historical Italian grammar and the history of grammar
- describe the composition of the Italian lexicon
- recognise the sociolinguistic variability of the language and the relationships between Italian and dialects
- illustrate the external history of Italian and the debates that have accompanied it
- linguistically analyse texts of different types (educated, popular, written, oral) and of different ages (ancient and contemporary)
- use the main paper and computer tools of linguistic research
- adapt one's communication to the context, improving one's functional literacy competence

PREREQUISITES

The minimum basic skills that the student should possess in order to tackle the contents of the course without particular difficulty are: knowledge of the elementary structures of the Italian language and knowledge of the most important notions of Italian history.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures and participatory lectures with the help of the materials provided on Aulaweb.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

For students using the 9 CFU course, the programme consists of two parts:
1) Essentials of historical grammar. Aspects of contemporary Italian.
2) The question of language from Dante's De Vulgari Eloquentia to Pasolini's Volgar'Eloquio, with reading and linguistic commentary on significant texts.
 
For students using the 12 CFU course, the programme consists of two parts:
1) Essentials of Historical Grammar. Aspects of contemporary Italian.
2) The question of language and the Italian of communication: diachronic overview of discussions on vernacular for aesthetic purposes and of vernacular texts of a practical nature for communicative purposes, with reading and linguistic commentary on significant texts.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography for attending students (9 CFU)
- Notes and texts commented in class.
- P. D'Achille, L'italiano contemporaneo, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2019
- C. Marazzini, La lingua italiana. Profilo storico, Bologna, Il Mulino (latest edition: from ch. V inclusive).

The texts read and commented in class will be made available to students on Aulaweb.

Bibliography for attending students (12 CFU)
- Notes and texts commented in class.
- P. D'Achille, L'italiano contemporaneo, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2019
- C. Marazzini, La lingua italiana. Profilo storico, Bologna, Il Mulino (latest edition: from ch. V inclusive)

- E. Testa, L'italiano nascosto. Una storia linguistica e culturale, Torino, Einaudi, 2014 (excluding chapters II and V).

The texts read and commented in class will be made available to students on Aulaweb.

Bibliography for non-attending students (9 CFU)
- G. Patota, Nuovi lineamenti di grammatica storica dell'italiano, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2007
- P. D'Achille, L'italiano contemporaneo, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2019
- C. Marazzini, La lingua italiana. Profilo storico, Bologna, Il Mulino (latest edition: from ch. V inclusive).

Bibliography for non-attending students (12 CFU)
- G. Patota, Nuovi lineamenti di grammatica storica dell'italiano, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2007.
- P. D'Achille, L'italiano contemporaneo, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2019
- C. Marazzini, La lingua italiana. Profilo storico, Bologna, Il Mulino (latest edition: from ch. V inclusive).
- E. Testa, L'italiano nascosto. Una storia linguistica e culturale, Torino, Einaudi, 2014 (excluding chapters II and V).

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Classes are held in the second semester during the week of 15 September 2026, in accordance with the timetable

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination consists of two parts: a written and an oral part.

For students using the course for 9 or 12 CFU, the written part of the exam consists of a questionnaire composed of open and/or closed questions on the topics of historical grammar and contemporary Italian. For students who use the teaching for 9 CFU, the oral part of the exam consists of an interview on the topics of the language issue. For students who use the teaching for 12 CFU, the oral part of the examination consists of an interview on the topics of language and Italian of the "semicolti".

The grade for the written test is averaged with the grade for the oral examination.

During the course, approximately in early April 2027, it will be possible to take a written test on the topics of historical grammar and contemporary Italian. Students who pass the intermediate written test will only be able to take the oral part of the examination. The grade for the intermediate written test is valid for the entire academic year in which it is taken.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The written test will assess knowledge of the main phenomena of historical grammar and grammar of contemporary Italian, the composition of the Italian lexicon, the sociolinguistic variability of the language and the relations between Italian and dialects.

The oral exam will assess knowledge of the external history of Italian and the debates that have accompanied it, also with reference to texts of different types (learned, popular, written, oral) and of different ages (ancient and contemporary); for students who use the teaching for 12 CFUs, the oral exam will also assess knowledge of the topics of Italian of "semicolti", also with reference to the analysis of "semicolti" texts.

The assessment parameters will be the quality and clarity of exposition, mastery of the specialised vocabulary of the discipline, the ability to critically reason and contextualise the topics studied, and the ability to adapt one's communication to the context.

FURTHER INFORMATION

• Non-attending students and students on European Mobility (Erasmus) are invited to contact the lecturer at the beginning of the course to confirm the programme.
• During the course, the lecturer will make available on the Aulaweb study materials that can be downloaded by students and are useful for exam preparation; all notices and information regarding lectures will also be published on the Aulaweb.
• Students with disabilities or specific learning difficulties (SLD) can find guidance on how to apply for services, compensatory tools or special arrangements, and specific aids in the document available at the following link: https://unige.it/disabilita-dsa/modulistica