87424 - Semantics and Pragmatics

Learning outcomes

The course aims to present the main theoretical models dealing with the analysis of meaning and of the mechanisms underlying its comprehension. After the course, students will be aware of the main problems concerning the explicit and implicit dimension of meaning, in written text, but also in spoken interaction. Faced with linguistic data, students will be able to apply different models developed in the fields of semantics, cognitive linguistics and pragmatics, and to identify all the levels on which signification occurs, integrating lexical and discourse components with variables of the context. They will be able to retrieve and compare data from different languages, and to explain phenomena of understanding, translation and misunderstanding both at the intralingual level and at the interlinguistic level. They will also be able to organize a small research project (identifying a research question, identifying data and the methodology that is necessary to answer the research question, analyze the data and formulate a scientific answer, elaborated on an empirical basis).

Course contents

The course is divided into two parts. The first part will present the main topics discussed in pragmatics:
- Introduction: what is pragmatics, pragmantics vs semantics, notions of context, utterance (vs proposition vs sentence), discourse model.
- Presuppositions
- Grice
- After Grice: neo-Griceans (Levinson and Horn), post-Griceans (Relevance Theory)
- Speech acts
- Deixis and Reference: referential expressions, deictics, definiteness, anaphoric relations.
- The informative structure of the utterance: Topic and Focus
- Discourse markers and interaction
- Politeness
- Lying
The second part of the course will focus on the phenomena introduced in the first part from a developmental perspective. This second part will be more seminar-like and some articles, illustrating the developmental paths of pragmatic and discourse skills in different child populations, will be read and discussed. The articles will be provided in electronic version on Virtuale at the beginning of the course.

Readings/Bibliography

MANDATORY READINGS

Part 1:

1. ANDORNO C., 2005. Che cos'è la pragmatica linguistica, Roma, Carocci.
2. BIANCHI, C. 2018. Pragmatica cognitiva. I meccanismi della comunicazione, Laterza Editore (chapp. 2-3).
   

Part 2:

1. DOMANESCHI F., et al. 2022, Pragmatica sperimentale. Il Mulino, (chap. XIII Sviluppo tipico)
2. 1 paper chosen from those proposed in class (a list of papers will be available on Virtuale). 

ADDITIONAL TEXTS FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT ATTEND THE CLASSES

Those who do not attend the classes, in addition to the texts indicated above, must also prepare:

1. ANDORNO, C. (2003). Linguistica testuale. Un’introduzione. Carocci. (chapp. 2 and 5.2 and 5.3)
2. DOMANESCHI F., 2014. Introduzione alla pragmatica. Roma, Carocci. (solo cap. 4).

TEXTS FOR ERASMUS STUDENTS

Erasmus students can choose whether to study the exam material in Italian (the readings are listed above) or in another language (English or Spanish), choosing ONE of the following textbooks:

(ENG) SCOTT K., 2022. Pragmatics in English. An Introduction. Cambridge University Press. (Chapters 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9)

(SPA) PORTOLÉS J., 2007. Pragmática para hispanistas. Síntesis. (chapters only: 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, 13.1)

 

All textbooks are available at the Modern Languages and Literatures library.

Teaching methods

In addition to traditional lectures, students will be involved in a laboratory, where they will learn to analyze existing data from different sources. Moreover, there will be seminars, during which students will read scientific articles and guide the relevant discussion in class.

Assessment methods

The exam is aimed to assess the level achieved by the student in the understanding of the theoretical tools provided during the course and their application to real language data.

The assessment of the knowledge and skills acquired will be done through an oral exam. For students who attend classes, the teacher will also take into account their activity during the course (seminars) in determining the final grade. Students who don't attend classes should study one extra book for the oral exam (see bibliography). All students are kindly requested to inform the teacher about their attending classes or not at the beginning of the course. The evaluation will be based on:

• the number of correct responses
• formal and exhibition adequacy
• expressive clarity and the ability to organize the argumentation

An excellent rating will be given to those who show that they have a thorough knowledge of the program, expressive and expository mastery, precision in data analysis and in the use of specialist terminology, critical thinking skills.

Intermediate evaluations will be given to those who show that they have studied, but will restrict to a partial knowledge of the issues addressed, will use the terminology loosely, and will show themselves insecure in the data analysis.

Sufficiency will be given in the presence of a mnemonic studio, partially incomplete, that reveals a poor command of the terminology and basic concepts of the language, along with an imprecise and inaccurate analysis of data.

The assessment will be insufficient in the presence of significant deficiencies, inability to argue a theoretical discussion and / or properly analyze the data.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations, digital resourses and printed handouts will support most of the lectures.

Office hours

See the website of Nicola Perugini