00381 - Romance Philology (A-L)

Learning outcomes

During the course students will acquire a basic knowledge of medieval Romance Languages and Literatures studied from a comparative point of view. They will also acquire a basic knowledge of the position of ancient and modern Italian among the other Romance varieties and of the expansion of Romance languages in the world. The course will deal also with problems concerning textual philology, literary communication and semiotics.

Course contents

(A) Lettere, 12 cfu, and Lingue, French, 9cfu:

The course is organized into two sections:

(1) Introduction to Romance Linguistics

The subject of this introduction is the origin and development of Romance languages with especial consideration of Italian and Gallo-Roman (French and Provencal) studied from a comparative point of view. Topics: Vulgar Latin; origin and classification of Romance languages; standard language and dialects; the so-called "Romania nova"; the main features of Romances languages: phonology; morphology; syntax; vocabulary.

(2) Woman's voices in the medieval lyric poetry

The subject of this section is the so-called "chanson de femme" and "chanson d'ami" studied in their Romance varieties: Mozarabic jarchas; the poems of the trobairitz; French, Portuguese and Italian "chansons de femme" and "chansons d'ami". The most significant texts and their Italian versions will be collected in an anthology that will be presentend and commented during the course; the Provencal poems of Azalais de Porcaraigues, Comtessa de Dia and Castelloza as well as the Italian ones will be examined in their original versions that students will analyse also from a linguistic point of view. During the course students will receive the basic notions concerning old Provencal and prosody.

(B) Lettere, 6 cfu:

The course is limited to Part I, Introduction to Romance Linguistics; the reading of a selection of literary texts is also required, as illustrated below (see Readings/Bibliography, 1).

(C) Students of Spanish and Portuguese:

There is not a specific syllabus for students of Spanish and Portuguese, but as concerns the translation and linguistic analysis they may replace the Provencal texts with the Portuguese ones (see below, Recommended Readings).

Students coming from abroad can agree upon another syllabus with the teacher.

Readings/Bibliography

(A) Lettere, 12cfu, and Lingue, French:

(1) Introduction to Romance Linguistics

P. Gresti, Introduzione alla linguistica romanza, Bologna, Pàtron, 2016.

(2) Woman's voices in the medieval lyric poetry

1. The anthology of texts and translations in xerocopy provided by the teacher and available at the beginning of the course at Mastercopy's, Bologna, via Cartoleria. The texts are to be read in their Italian version, with the exception of the Provencal poems of Azalais de Porcaraigues, Comtessa de Dia, Castelloza, which students will read in their original version and explain also from a linguistic point of view. As concerns the Italian poems, students will provide a paraphrase and a literal commentary. Among the best manuals of prosody students can refer to P.G. Beltrami, Metrica italiana, Bologna, il Mulino, 1991.

2. P. Gresti, Antologia delle letterature romanze del Medioevo, second edition, Bologna, Pàtron, 2011, Section C (Lirica), corresponding to Section A of the first edition (Bologna, Pàtron, 2006): the texts are to be read in their Italian version, together with their introduction and commentary. The texts are to be read in their Italian version,together with their introductions and commentaries.

3. As concerns the literary and historical frame: L. Formisano, La lirica romanza nel Medioevo, Bologna, il Mulino, 2012 ("Itinerari. Filologia e critica letteraria").

4. Au. Roncaglia, La lingua dei trovatori. Profilo di grammatica storica del provenzale antico, Roma, Pisa-Roma, Fabrizio Serra Editore, 1999 (first edition: Roma, Edizioni dell'Ateneo, 1965): the study of this handbook will be oriented to the translation and linguistic analysis of the Provencal texts, with especial consideration of Provencal morphology.

(B) Lettere, 6 cfu:

1.P. Gresti, Introduzione alla linguistica romanza, Bologna, Pàtron, 2016.

2. P. Gresti, Antologia delle letterature romanze del Medioevo, Second edition, Bologna, Pàtron, 2011, Sections  B (Epica), C (Lirica), D (Romanzo), E (Racconto), corresponding to Section C, A and B respectively of the first edition, Bologna, Pàtron, 2006: the texts are to be read in the Italian translation together with their introductions and commentaries.

(C) Students of Spanish and Portuguese:

  Students of Spanish and Portuguese can replace the Provencal texts with the Portuguese ones; in that case, they will replace the handbook of Provencal indicated in A2.4 with I. Castro, Storia della lingua portoghese, Roma, Bulzoni, 2006, chapters 1-3.

Teaching methods

Readings and commentaries in class introduced with a historical and linguistic outline.

Assessment methods

Final oral examination concerning the whole course contents, according to the above-given indications.

Teaching tools

Traditional tools: books and xerocopies.

Office hours

See the website of Luciano Formisano