00487 - Historical Linguistics (A)

Academic Year 2009/2010

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Foreign Languages and Literature (cod. 0078)

Learning outcomes

This is an advanced course in Historical Linguistics that presupposes some previous knowledge of Theoretical Linguistics. Therefore the passing of the exam of Linguistica Generale is required.

Course contents

The course deals with historical linguistics and mechanisms of language change. The main subjects are the description and the interpretation of the phenomena of phonetic, morphological, syntactic, and semantic change that characterize the diachronic development of the Romance and Germanic languages.

Readings/Bibliography

1) H. Walter, L'avventura delle lingue in Occidente. Origini. Storia. Geografia. Roma-Bari: Editori Laterza, 1999.
2) G. Graffi – S. Scalise, Le lingue e il linguaggio. Introduzione alla linguistica. Bologna: il Mulino, 2003. Capitolo 10: “La trasformazione delle lingue: linguistica storica”, pp. 227-256.
3) R. Lazzeroni (ed.), Linguistica storica. Roma: Carocci, 2008.

Teaching methods

The course is essentially based on frontal teaching.


Assessment methods

The final exam is oral and, by means of simple application exercices, aims at verifying not only the knowledge of the topics dealt with in the textbooks and during the lessons, but also the real comprehension of the laws and mechanisms of language change.

Office hours

See the website of Elisabetta Magni