OVERVIEW

"The thousand faces of linguistic contact"

Some decades ago, the linguist Benvenuto Terracini proposed the idea of 'interpenetration between speaker and interlocutor', in which the speaker is immersed among their peers in a perpetual and variable state of bilingualism. To create the conditions for linguistic contact — the meeting of two non-homogeneous varieties in a communicative act, which can trigger a dynamic of change — two speakers are sufficient. However, the classical conception of contact envisages lasting interaction between groups or populations speaking different languages. Upon closer inspection, contact situations are manifold: individual and social; peaceful or violent; equal or unequal. This gives rise to an almost infinite variety of situations, which we will attempt to illustrate with a few examples ranging from language contact in the Balkan area and multilingualism to social and individual diglossia and language contact and transculturality in migratory contexts.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Through in-depth study of the topic proposed for the semester, the course aims to: (1) consolidate the ability to independently apply and reflect on theories, methods and tools of linguistics; (2) acquire a structural, historical-comparative and critical approach to linguistic data; (3) develop linguistic awareness, both in production and perception, including in everyday practice.

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:

• distinguish between the different types of language contact based on the historical and social circumstances in which they occur;
• distinguish the different formal cases of language contact based on the structural levels involved;
• reconstruct paths of historical linguistics and language history, taking into account the role of language contact;
• understand the difficulties, dynamics and opportunities of a multilingual social context.

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

First part: what is language contact? Part two: some canonical examples of language contact. Part Three: linguistic contact between Italian and dialects. Part four: social, territorial and individual multilingualism. Fifth part: transcultural language contact and language contact in migration contexts.

The essential points of the programme will be summarised in a short script that will be updated during the course.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

For those aiming to take the exam in English, German or French and lacking sufficient passive comprehension of written Italian, the basic readings are:

• Weinreich, Uriel, Languages in Contact (Mouton de Gruyter 1979)
• Matras, Yaron, Language Contact, 2nd edition (Cambridge University Press 2020)

This list applies to both attending and non-attending students. Alternatively, both groups can create a customised programme based on the reading list provided during the course.

Non-attending students are requested to contact the lecturer (who is also available for online group receptions — see reception) at least two months before the scheduled examination date.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The course begins the week of September 29th 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 can rely on the substitutive bibliography and take the examination in English, French or German.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam will assess the ability to critically reflect on the proposed readings and to identify and discuss the course's key themes. Particular attention will be paid to concepts such as contact, adstrate, substrate, interference, integration, induction, borrowing, code-switching and multilingualism, as well as the discussion of concrete historical and contemporary cases.

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