OVERVIEW

"Language and Reality: A Semantic-Pragmatic Tragedy in Two Acts"

This course picks out two historical moments in which the debate on the structural capacity of language to express factual and conceptual 'reality' has been central: the founding moment for Western culture, i.e. the 5th-4th centuries BC, particularly in Greece, and the contemporary age, characterised by the emergence of so-called 'post-truth'. From a linguistic point of view, the tools we will mainly use will be those of semantic, pragmatic and information structure analysis. Furthermore, the central part of the course can be considered an introduction to the history of classical linguistic thought. The aim of the course is to reflect on the potential of language and the consequences of its use.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Through the in-depth study of the topic proposed in the semester, the course aims both to consolidate the ability to independently use and reflect on the methods and tools of linguistics and to acquire a structural, historical-comparative and critical approach to linguistic data.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students with a more organic understanding of language, both as an articulated structure, as a system of signs and as a cultural product.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• describe the outlines of the debate on the relationship between language and reality in ancient Greece, and use these foundations to reflect on the contemporary debate on post-truth and information;
• analyse the information structure of a text using syntactic, semantic and pragmatic tools;
• deconstruct a text or message by identifying the ambiguities it contains;
• appreciate the relevance of linguistic and textual analysis not only in the philological-literary field, but also in other communicative and knowledge transfer contexts.

PREREQUISITES

No specific prerequisites. Those who did not take a linguistics exam at BA level can catch up on the basics by using a reference manual.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Part one: introduction to the analysis of information structure; elements of pragmatics and semantics. Part two: language and truth in Greek linguistic-philosophical thought, with reading of translated excerpts. Part Three: 'Lying' and 'dishonest' language in contemporary debate; the language of politics.

The syllabus applies to both attending and non-attending students. The latter are kindly requested to contact the teacher (who is also available for online group office hours, see office hours) at least two months before the scheduled examination date.


 

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The course is structured around the following readings:

• Colli, Giorgio, 1975, La nascita della filosofia, Adelphi (116 pp.)
• Berrettoni, Pierangiolo, 2001, Il silenzio di Cratilo, Giardini (136 pp.)
• Weinrich, Harald, 2007, La lingua bugiarda, Il Mulino (128 pp.)
• Orwell, George, 2021, La neolingua della politica, Garzanti (112 pp.)
• Lombardi Vallauri, Edoardo, 2019, La lingua disonesta, Il Mulino (288 pp.)

The additional readings provided during the course will be supplementary, but will not form part of the examination.

The bibliography applies to both attending and non-attending students. The latter are kindly requested to contact the teacher (who is also available for online group office hours, see office hours) at least two months before the scheduled examination date.


 

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

LORENZO FILIPPONIO (President)

GUIDO GIOVANNI BORGHI

ROSA RONZITTI (President Substitute)

LORENZA BRASILE (Substitute)

IRENE DE FELICE (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

24th February 2025

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of an oral test.

Erasmus students not proficient in Italian may request a substitutive bibliography, and take the examination in English, French or German.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The examination will assess the ability to critically reflect on the proposed readings and to identify and discuss the thematic threads of the course. Particular attention will be paid to syntactic, semantic and pragmatic analysis in order to identify the structure of the information and any ambiguities contained in the texts.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students with disabilities or DSAs are reminded that in order to request accommodations for the exam, they must first enter their certification on the University website at servizionline.unige.it in the "Students" section. The documentation will be verified by the University Services for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and the DSA Sector (https://rubrica.unige.it/strutture/struttura/100111).

Then, at least 10 days before the date of the exam, an email must be sent to the teacher with whom you will take the exam, including in the knowledge copy both the School's Teacher Referent for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and DSA (Prof. Elisabetta Colagrossi: elisabetta.colagrossi@unige.it) and the above-mentioned Sector. The email should specify: the name of the teaching; the date of the request; the student's last name, first name and roll number; the compensatory aids and dispensatory measures considered functional and required.

The contact person will confirm to the lecturer that the applicant is entitled to request adjustments the examination and that these adjustments must be agreed upon with the lecturer. The lecturer will reply to say whether the requested adjustments can be made. Requests should be sent at least 10 days before the date of the examination in order to allow the lecturer(s) to assess the content. In particular, if you intend to make use of conceptual maps for the exam (which must be much more concise than the maps used for study), there will not be the technical time to make changes if the submission is not made in time.

For further information on the request for services and adaptations, please refer to the document: https://unige.it/sites/unige.it/files/2024-05/Linee%20guida%20per%20la%20richiesta%20di%20servizi%2C%20di%20strumenti%20compensativi%20e_o%20di%20misure%20dispensative%20e%20di%20ausili%20specifici%20Maggio%202024.pdf