00975 - History of the Italian Language (M-Z)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will have a comprehensive overview of the history of the Italian language. They will be able to identify its main turning points, from the grammatical codification in the 16th century to the most recent developments, using a proper periodization.

Course contents

First part ("module 1")

• Italian Historical Linguistics

Second part ("module 2")

• History of the Italian Language

Students attending just one part of the course should choose the second one.

You can switch groups from (A-L) to (M-Z) and vice versa by notifying both professors via email and then enrolling in the corresponding section on the Virtuale learning platform. You shall also register for the exam session of your chosen alphabetical group. Before switching groups, please check for any scheduling conflicts with other courses.

Readings/Bibliography

First part ("module 1")

• Teaching material available on Virtuale.
• Giuseppe Patota, Nuovi lineamenti di grammatica storica dell’italiano. Con un'antologia di documenti antichi, Bologna, il Mulino, 2024 (or later reprints). ISBN 9788815387264

Students not attending classes may replace teaching material with Michele Loporcaro, Profilo linguistico dei dialetti italiani, Rome, Laterza, 2009 (or later reprints). ISBN 9788859300069

Second part ("module 2")

• Teaching material available on Virtuale.
• Claudio Marazzini, La lingua italiana. Storia, testi, strumenti, Bologna, il Mulino, 2015 (or later reprints; not to be confused with the book La lingua italiana. Profilo storico by the same author and publisher). ISBN 9788815252302
  

Students not attending classes may replace teaching material with Città italiane, storie di lingue e di culture, edited by Pietro Trifone, Rome, Carocci, 2014 (or later reprints). ISBN 9788843075225

Teaching methods

Classroom lectures.

Assessment methods

Oral examination. If many students show up the examination might go on during the following day or days.

Assessment criteria:

• knowledge of the terms and concepts of the subject
• ability to produce relevant examples
• ability to analyze texts based on the knowledge acquired
• argumentative skills
• clarity

Artificial Intelligence can be useful for individual study. Please note, however, that in the fields of Italian historical grammar and the history of the Italian language, large language models’ hallucinations are not rare. As for learning assessment, during oral exams, students are obviously expected to answer questions on their own.

Teaching tools

Students with SLDs or temporary or permanent disabilities

We suggest that you contact the relevant university office and your lecturer in good time to find together the most effective way of attending classes and preparing for exams.

Any request for special arrangements must be made at least 15 days before the date of the exam, by sending an email to the lecturer and copying (Cc) the email address disabilita@unibo.it (for disabled students) or dsa@unibo.it (for students with Specific Learning Difficulties).

Office hours

See the website of Michele Colombo