30954 - Dutch Language and Linguistics 1

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student has gained a basis knowledge of the history of  Dutch and Flemish Literature from the origins until the contemporary period, with special attention to the relation between the literary production and the historical as well as linguistic context. During the course s/he will become acquainted with the fundamental instruments of analysis and interpretation of the literary text in relation to both prose and poetry.

Course contents

Dutch and Flemish Language and Linguistics 1

Linguistic and metalinguistic competence of Dutch and Flemish Language. At the end of the course, the student has a basis knowledge of grammar and an elementary linguistic competence of Dutch, both spoken and written, which allows him to manage communication in non-complex linguistic situations. This competence is collocated at basic level A1 as standardized by the Counsel of Europe.

Programme

The course aims to provide basic knowledge of Dutch language through the study of phonological and morphological elements and with the reading of a selection of elementary texts, supported by manuals and translations. Special attention will be given to the following themes: vowel and consonant systems, syllabical division, the simple sentence and lexical elements for beginners.

The course (cycle of lessons and individual study) also includes reflections on themes such as the nature of  language, its position among  other languages, standard language and dialect, the linguistic situation of Flemish Belgium and an introduction to the history of the language (I part).

Exam: written (exercises) and oral exam on knowledge obtained from the lessons.

Each student will present a list of new words (project Woordenschat, at least 30) with the related main meanings (use of the dictionary Van Dale/Zanichelli is suggested) and will be able to speak about elementary texts previously discussed in class.

 

Dutch and Flemish Language and Linguistics 2

Linguistic and metalinguistic competence of Dutch and Flemish Language.

Programme

The course includes the study of language from the  point of view of sentence structures and textual linguistics through the reading and analysis of texts of a general nature. The second year course includes also reflections on themes such as the position of the language in the world, the dialects of the Netherlands and Belgium, the formation of a  standard language and more readings on the position of the language among the Germanic languages.

Part of the course will be dedicated to the history of the language until the contemporary situation (II part: from late Middle Ages to XIX Century).

Exam: written (exercises) and oral exam on the knowledge obtained from the lessons. During the oral exam the students of II and III year will be asked to analyze a short text previously discussed in class.

Dutch and Flemish Language and Linguistics 3

Linguistic and metalinguistic competence of Dutch and Flemish Language.

Programme

The course includes the study of the language on the basis of semantics and textual linguistics.

The course of the third year (cycle of lessons and individual study) also includes reflections on themes such as linguistic changes on semantic and lexical levels, the composition of texts, different textual typologies, lexical elements for advanced users and the complex verbal forms. Part of the course will be dedicated to the history of the language (part III)  and to the theme of the diffusion of the language in the world.

Exam: written (exercises) and oral exam on the knowledge obtained from the lessons. During the oral exam the students of II and III year will be asked to analyze a short text previously discussed in class.

DUTCH AND FLEMISH LITERATURE I (includes II and III year)

The Imperfect Dream of the Colonial Netherlands. The “Max Havelaar” (1860) by Multatuli between Literature and Social Revolution.

“As an object lesson on the immovability of economic and political institutions when faced with the oppression of those whom they are supposed to serve, the tale of Max Havelaar is essential reading for those concerned with global justice” (Wild, Coffee: A Dark History, 2005).

When Multatuli's masterpiece “Max Havelaar of de koffieveilingen der Nederlandsche handelsmaatschappij” (Amsterdam 1860) sees the light, in a moment when the echo of the colonial Dutch power reaches the far ends of the known world, history changes in an irreversible way for this kingdom. The book presents the ventures of Max Havelaar, alter ego of the author, who arrived in the Dutch East Indies as a new assistant and who was employed initially in the poor province of Lebak. Here he cannot and will not accept the conditions of misery and exploitation in which the local population is obliged to survive and he decides to denounce the abuse of power and the violence. Obstructed by the authorities in every possible way and transferred for unclear reasons to another province, Havelaar is obliged to turn to the General Governor, at the end colliding with the hard reality of a fatherland that enjoys an unprecedented wealth precisely as a result of the colonies, and where nobody seems to want to pay attention to the very high costs paid by the less and less safeguarded indigenous population. In the end he must accept the failure of his project; back in Holland he succeeds, not without difficulties, in publishing an account of his experience as a colonist who “suffered a great deal”.

Over the years “Max Havelaar” has become an icon of social transformation through the literary word, a symbol of literature as an instrument of concrete intervention in social reality, bringing to light the very importance and effectiveness of the conscious rediscovery of tolerance and respect for the other. Multatuli, who entrusts to his protagonist's voice the sense of justice that is in him all the time, incarnates the unlucky hero in a world of powerful people who, nevertheless, through peaceful intervention and inspired writing, manages to change the colonial politics of the country and bring to the world a classic of Dutch literature, translated into many languages and studied all over the world. 

This course aims first of all to give a large panoramic view of the historical and socio-cultural situation of the Netherlands and its colonies in the XIX century from an International perspective, with reference also to the Belgian colonial empire and other colonial systems of the time. A large part of the literary production in Dutch of the colonial period will be taken into account, with special attention for the positions of authors of the era who brought awareness of the misery of the overseas conquests. Also the image of the colonial venture will be explored through the work of later authors (M. Dermoût, E. du Perron, H. Haasse) from a perspective of collective memory. Above all we will concentrate on the analysis and the interpretation of “Max Havelaar”, and, in particular, on the modalities of re-elaboration of the most important themes correlated to colonialism, from the critical point of view of the most conflicting questions in that book, and the manifold themes still very topical today. Of particular interest is the profound ambiguity of the character-colonist Havelaar, who simultaneously incarnates the idealist who wants to change the world and the spokesman for the unfair and slowly falling apart system. Through the analysis of a selection of other writings by Multatuli in the original language (with translations for the 1st year students), the course will give the chance to become acquainted with one of the most important authors of Dutch literature. The student, starting with the instruments given during the lessons and through recent studies on colonial and post-colonial literature, will choose a subject or a book which will be the object of her/his paper (usually required for all years).

A seminar for the 2nd and 3rd years is provided together with the projection for all students of the film “Max Havelaar of de koffieveilingen der Nederlandsche handelsmaatschappij” (The Netherlands, 1976), based on Multatuli's masterpiece and directed by Academy Award winner Fons Rademakers.

Readings/Bibliography

Dutch and Flemish Language and Linguistics 1 
Short bibliography:

D. Ross & E. Koenraads, Grammatica neerlandese di base, Hoepli, 2007; B.C. Donaldson, Dutch. A Linguistic History of Holland and Belgium, Leiden, M. Nijhoff, 1983; P. Kleijn de e E. Nieuwborg, Basiswoordenboek Nederlands, Groningen, Wolters-Noordhoff, 1983; Van Dale handwoordenboek Italiaans-Nederlands / Nederlands-Italiaans, Zanichelli, 2001; L. Schram-Pighi (et. al.): Italiaans Nederlands, Utrecht, Uitgeverij Het Spectrum, 1993; G. Visser - Boezaardt et al., Nederlands Italiaans, Utrecht, Uitgeverij Het Spectrum, 1993. Vandeputte, J.H. Meter et al., Il Nederlandese, Stichting Ons Erfdeel, 1981, M. van der Wal, Geschiedenis van het Nederlands, Utrecht: Spectrum, 1992 (capita selecta previamente discussi in aula); A.M. Fontein, A. Pescher-ter Meer, Nederlandse Grammatica voor Anderstaligen, Utrecht, Nederlands Centrum Buitenlanders, 1994; J. A. Kossmann-Putto, E. H. Kossmann, I Paesi Bassi, Ons Erfdeel, 1993; R. Rizza, La lingua e la letteratura nederlandese in Italia. Saggi introduttivi e bibliografia dei contributi italiani dal 1897 ad oggi, Bologna, Cappelli, 1987; R. Rizza, "Il nederlandese, questo sconosciuto" in: Passato e futuro della lingua nederlandese. Atti del Convegno Internazionale, (Roma, 5.11.1992), Istituto Olandese di Roma, 1994, pp. 41-52; R. Trampus-Snel, Introduzione allo studio della lingua neerlandese, vol. I, Grammatica, Edizioni Universitarie di Lettere Economia Diritto, 1993; R. van Ertvelde, Introduzione alla fonologia nederlandese(capita selecta).

Study material supplied during the lessons.
Further bibliographical indications will be given at the beginning of the course.

Dutch and Flemish Language and Linguistics 2
Short bibliography:

D. Ross & E. Koenraads, Grammatica neerlandese di base, Hoepli, 2007; Haeseryn W., K. Romijn, G. Geerts, J. de Rooij e M.G.van den Toorn, Algemene Nederlandse Spraakkunst (2 voll.), Groningen/Deurne, Martinus Nijhoff/Wolters Plantijn, 1997;Van Dale handwoordenboek Italiaans-Nederlands / Nederlands-Italiaans, Zanichelli, 2001; D. Ross, La struttura verbale in neerlandese e italiano: analisi constrastiva e strategie traduttive, Trieste, SSLM, 1987, cap. 5; M. Mertens,Voorzetselconstituenten, Università degli studi di Padova, Centro Linguistico di Ateneo, Padova, 2002; N. van der Sijs, Taal als mensenwerk: het ontstaan van het ABN, Den Haag, SDU, 2004; P. Sterkenburg van, Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands, Antwerpen, Utrecht, Van Dale Lexicografie, 2002; J. de Vries, Het verhaal van een taal. Negen eeuwen Nederlands, Amsterdam, Prometheus, 1994; M. van der Wal, Geschiedenis van het Nederlands, Utrecht, Spectrum, 1992.

Recommended reading:

Riccardo Rizza, La lingua e la letteratura nederlandese in Italia. Saggi introduttivi e bibliografia dei contributi italiani dal 1897 ad oggi (Bologna: Cappelli, 1987)

Dutch and Flemish Language and Linguistics 3
Short bibliography:

Haeseryn W., K. Romijn, G. Geerts, J. de Rooij e M.G.van den Toorn, Algemene Nederlandse Spraakkunst (2 voll.), Groningen/Deurne, Martinus Nijhoff/Wolters Plantijn, 1997; P. Sterkenburg van, Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands, Antwerpen, Utrecht, Van Dale Lexicografie, 2002; Marijke van der Wal, Geschiedenis van het Nederlands (Utrecht: Spectrum, 1992); N. van der Sijs, Taal als mensenwerk: het ontstaan van het ABN (Den Haag: SDU, 2004); G. Janssens e A Marynissen,Het Nederlands vroeger en nu, Leuven/Leusden, Acco, 2003; M. Mertens, Nederland en het water, Centro Linguistico di Ateneo, Padova, 2003; D. Ross & E. Koenraads, Grammatica neerlandese di base, Hoepli, 2007.

Study material supplied during the lessons.
Further bibliographical indications will be given at the beginning of the course.

Recommended reading:
R. Rizza, Deze onbekende taal (and other essays);
a selection of articles and literary texts will be supplied by the teacher.
Further bibliographical indications will be given at the beginning of the course.

DUTCH AND FLEMISH LITERATURE (I-II-III YEAR)
Short bibliography:

Multatuli, Max Havelaar, a cura di P.B. Marzolla (UTET, 1982); Multatuli, Max Havelaar ovvero le aste del caffè della Società di Commercio Olandese, trad. it. di P.B. Marzolla, Postfazione di F. Ferrari (Iperborea, 2007);  Multatuli, Max Havelaar of de koffiveilingen der Nederlandsche Handelmaatschappy, a cura di A. Kets-Vree (Van Gorcum, 1992, 2 voll.); Max Havelaar: l'avventura del commercio equo e solidale, a cura di N. Roozen e F. van der Hoff (Feltrinelli, 2003); L. Couperus, De Stille Kracht/The Hidden Force; M. Dermoût, De tienduizend dingen/Le diecimila cose; E. du Perron, Het Land van Herkomst; Multatuli. Volledige werken deel X. Brieven en dokumenten uit de jaren 1858-1862, a cura di G. Stuiveling, (G.A. van Oorschot, 1960). 

Literary history: Alles is taal geworden: geschiedenis van de Nederlandse literatuur, 1800-1900 a cura di W. van den Berg e P. Couttenier (Bert Bakker, 2009). For the literature course, the students may consult the handbooks used every year, at their disposal in the library of the Department Lingue e Letterature Straniere Moderne: R. P. Meijer, Literature of the Low Countries, 1978; H. Stouten, J. Goedegebuure and F. van Oostrom, Histoire de la littérature néerlandaise (Pays-Bas et Flandre), 1999; R.B.F.M. Chamuleau and J.A. Dautzenberg, Nederlandse Letterkunde 2 (XIX and XX century) (1991); M.A. Schenkeveld-van der Dussen, Nederlandse Literatuur, een geschiedenis (Groningen 1993); A Literary History of the Low Countries, edited by T. Hermans (Camden House, 2009; chapter 5: The Nineteenth Century, 1800-1880).

Historical context: P. Arblaster, A History of the Low Countries (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005); T. D'haen, The Netherlands and Its Colonies. In: A Historical Companion to Postcolonial Literatures – Continental Europe and Its Empires (pp. 314-399) (Edinburgh University Press, 2008). 

Critics: Lebak en de Max Havelaar: het boek van het "schandelijk en fijngesponnen zamenraapsel van leugens en valsche aantijgingen, Van Laster en Van De Meest, geraffineerde laaghartigheid", ed. by W. H. W. de Kock (Van Stockum & Zoon, 1926); De structuur van Max Havelaar: bijdrage tot het onderzoek naar de interpretatie en evaluatie van de roman, ed. by A.L. Sötemann (J. Bijleveld, 1966, 2 voll.); R. Nieuwenhuys, Oost-Indische Spiegel (Querido, 1973); R. Baay and P. van Zonneveld, Indisch- Nederlandse Literatuur (HES, 1988); J. Israel, The Dutch Republic, Its Rise, Greatness and Fall 1477-1806 (Clarendon Press, 1995); Europa Buitengaats. Koloniale en postkoloniale literaturen in Europese talen, ed. by Theo D'haen (Bert Bakker, 2002, 2 voll.); A. Loomba, Colonialism/ Post-colonialism (Routledge, 2005²).

NB: for texts in translation, other editions may be used. Further bibliographical indications, above all regarding the critics, will be supplied at the beginning of the course. 

Teaching methods

Lessons, individual study, film in original language with subtitles.
Selected reading and critical discussion.

Assessment methods

Dutch and Flemish Language and Linguistics 1

Exam: written (exercises) and oral exam on knowledge obtained from the lessons.

Dutch and Flemish Language and Linguistics 2
Exam: written (exercises) and oral exam on knowledge obtained from the lessons. During the oral exam the students of II and III year will be asked to analyze a short text previously discussed in class.

Dutch and Flemish Language and Linguistics 3
Exam: written (exercises) and oral exam on knowledge obtained from the lessons. During the oral exam the students of II and III year will be asked to analyze a short text previously discussed in class.

Dutch and Flemish Literature 1 (includes II and III year)
Exam: short essay on literature (preferably in Dutch for the II and III year) and oral exam on knowledge obtained from the lessons.

Teaching tools

Study material will be supplied during the lessons.

Office hours

See the website of Tina Montone