OVERVIEW

The course of General Linguistics provides a theoretical and metodological introduction to the study of natural language. The course focuses on the following topics: the fundamental properties of human language; the main levels of linguistic analysis (phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics); the criteria for classifying natural languages on a genealogical and typological basis; the dimensions of linguistic variation; language acquisition and the relationship between language, mind and brain.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at providing the main theoretical and practical tools for the linguistic analysis of words, utterances and verbal interactions in Italian and in the main European languages. The focus will be especially focused on phonetics and phonology, morphology and word formation processes, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, typology and linguistic variation.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The main goal of the course is to offer to the students the main conceptual and methodological tools of general linguistics and the theoretical and technical knowledge necessary for linguistic analysis at different levels.

At the end of the course, the students should have:

• understood the nature of the linguistic sign, what are the fundamental elements of the structure of verbal language and what are the main properties of natural language.

• acquired the ability to analyze words, sentences, utterances and verbal interactions in Italian at different levels (phonetic / phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic).

• learned the different classification criteria for the languages ​​of the world, as well as which are the main attested linguistic families and subfamilies.

• learned the main dimensions of variation of natural languages.

• assimilated the fundamental notions of historical linguistics and the historical-comparative method; knowing how to analyze and correctly interpret some cases of phonetic, phonological, morphological and syntactic change.

• acquired the fundamental notions of sociolinguistics.

• learned the main theories on language acquisition and the relationship between language, mind and brain.

PREREQUISITES

The course does not require specific prerequisites

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

6 CFU

• Language ​​and languages: the nature of the linguistic sign; the fundamental properties of human verbal language; the origin of language; structuralism and generativism.

• Phonetics and phonology: the phonatory apparatus; phones, phonemes and allophones of Italian; phonetic / phonological transcription; minimal pairs; description of phonological rules using the combined-parenthesis method; the main phonological phenomena; the syllable; suprasegmental features (analysis with spectrogram).

• Morphology: types of morphemes; analuysis of words into morphemes; morphological processes

• Syntax: valence; types of phrases; constituency tests; sentence analysis into constituents; syntactic trees; inflectional categories; generative and transformational rules; the X-Barr, Merge and Move.

• Lexicon and lexicology: mental lexicon; dictionaries; sectoral languages.

• Semantics: meaning and reference; extension and intension; truth-conditional semantics; analysis of the meaning in semantic traits; lexical relationships; tautologies, contradictions, entailmentsand presuppositions; quantifiers and pronouns.

• Pragmatics: implicatures; speech acts theory; deixis; conversation analysis.

Insegnamento da 12 CFU (in aggiunta ai temi sopra indicati):

• Linguistic typology: genealogical classification of the linguistic families of Europe and the world; morphological and syntactic typology; universals.

• Linguistic variation: the main dimensions of variation of natural languages ​

• Dialectology and linguistic geography: standard language and dialects; dialects in Italy; bilingualism and diglossia; pidgin languages ​​and creole languages;

• Sociolinguistics: language, society and identity; sociolects; Labov and the social markers; overt prestige and covert prestige.

• Diachronic variation: linguistic and Indo-European reconstruction; the phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic change; the main mechanisms of linguistic change.

• Language acquisition: innatism; acquisition and development of the first language; second language learning; the critical period; bilingualism.

• Psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics: language, mind and brain; aphasias and language disorders; experimental methods in psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics.

METAPHOR, MIND & BRAIN

The final part of the course will be dedicated to metaphor and, in particular, to literary metaphors. The concluding lessons will focus on the following topics:

• what is a metaphor;

• classical and contemporary theories of metaphor;

• how the metaphorical meaning is understood;

• what is the difference between familiar metaphors and literary metaphors;

• how the mind and brain process literary metaphors;

• how the ability of understanding metaphors is acquired and developed;

• what role do metaphors play in advertising, in journalistic, political, artistic and scientific communication.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

ATTENDING STUDENTS

 6 CFU 

• Graffi G., Scalise S. (ed. 2013), Le lingue e il linguaggio, Il Mulino, Bologna. From Chapter 1 to Chapter 8 (except  Chapter 3)

12 CFU

Graffi G., Scalise S. (ed. 2013), Le lingue e il linguaggio, Il Mulino, Bologna. 

One book between these two options:

• Ervas F., Gola E. (2016), Che cos’è una metafora, Carocci, Roma
• Bambini V. (2017), Il cervello pragmatico, Carocci, Roma

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS

 6 CFU 

• Graffi G., Scalise S. (ed. 2013), Le lingue e il linguaggio, Il Mulino, Bologna. From Chapter 1 to Chapter 8 (included  Chapter 3)

12 CFU

Graffi G., Scalise S. (ed. 2013), Le lingue e il linguaggio, Il Mulino, Bologna. 

+

• Ervas F., Gola E. (2016), Che cos’è una metafora, Carocci, Roma

+

• Bambini V. (2017), Il cervello pragmatico, Carocci, Roma

Foreign students are kindly required to contact Prof. Domaneschi before the beginning of the course 

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

FILIPPO DOMANESCHI (President)

MASSIMILIANO VIGNOLO

MARCELLO FRIXIONE (Substitute)

CARLO PENCO (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

27 September 2022

Class schedule

GENERAL LINGUISTICS

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam for 6 ECTS consists in a single written test with exercises and open questions.

The exam for 12 ECTS comprises two written tests with exercises and open questions (intermediate and final). The intermediate test is equivalent to the single 6-ECTS-test and gives access to the final test.

Exam schedule