BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course enables the students to appreciate the peculiar linguistic and sociolinguistic features of languages, Italo-romance dialects, and minority languages in Italian territory. Such a piece of knowledge is essential to develop the ability to analyze critically the literary, linguistic, and historical culture of our Country.
Course Prerequisites
Attendance of a course on the basic principles of Linguistics.
Students who have not attended a course on the basic principles of Linguistics are recommended to enrol in Module 1.
Teaching Methods
The course is taught with frontal lessons, but students will be encouraged to use their questions to guide the teaching process and to appreciate the possibility of applying theoretical notions to analyze the reality surrounding them. Students are warmly recommended to download from the e-learning area of the course a PDF file containing a few exercises focusing on applied principles. The exercises will be discussed during the lessons, and exercise keys will be available (on the same e-learning area) for non-attending students as well.
From the e-learning area of the course, students will be able to download the slides and the didactic materials commented on during the lessons.
Assessment Methods
The assessment takes place either in written or spoken form. As far as the contents are concerned, the above-mentioned assessment forms are equivalent. In four out of eight exam sessions, the assessment will be in written form (usually in the June, July, and September exam sessions), whereas in the remaining four sessions the exam will be in oral form. Students are invited to choose the assessment form that best suits them. The final mark, leading to the acquisition of 12 university credits, can be either accepted or rejected by the student, but does not entail any other assessment test. The grade is expressed on a scale from 18 to 30, where 18 is the minimum passing grade. Achieving a 30 is considered excellent. Both written and oral exams involve theoretical questions and exercises like those discussed during the training practice hours mentioned in the previous paragraph. To pass the entire integrated course of General Linguistics (code 24327), it is necessary to pass both the Basic Linguistics test (MOD 1) and the Sociolinguistics and Dialectology test (MOD 2) in the same exam session. The written test, lasting 90 minutes, will be composed of 15 questions; each answer will be assigned from 0 to 2 points. After each text, a PDF file named Soluzioni will be available on the e-learning page of the course, containing an example of the answers expected by the Students.
Contents
The course focuses on the dynamics of language contact concerning Italian, Italo-romance dialects, and both historical and new minority languages. The topic will be addressed from different perspectives, including the analysis of the functional allocation of the various linguistic systems within both the individual and the community linguistic repertoire, the analysis of the local linguistic landscape, the main outcomes of multilingualism in terms of language policy and language planning initiatives, as well as the role played by speakers’ attitudes and perceptions.
Online Resources
More information
NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS are not required to study any additional text but are expected to download and study all the slides and the teaching materials published in the e-learning section.
ERASMUS students are invited to contact the teacher to arrange their exam schedule. Students with special needs are invited to contact the teacher at the beginning of the lessons.