31358 - General Linguistics 2

Learning outcomes

After completing the course the student knows the most important theoretical models of language. He knows the articulation of human language in all levels: phonological, morphological , syntactic and semantic . He can therefore make comparisons between models, he is able to collect data and analyze them. He can cope with typological  problems and linguistic universals. He knows the epistemological foundations of the discipline , he knows how to seize significant linguisticic generalizations and knows how to structure scientific argumentation.

Course contents

1. Pragmatics and text linguistics: an introduction

- Introduction to pragmatics and text linguistics. Definitions and  theories in comparison.

- Introduction to a linguistic understanding of the text: production vs. understanding, misunderstanding, literal and non-literal meaning, semantic and pragmatic level, cooperation. Overview of the theories of linguistics and textual understanding.

2. To produce and understand utterances: speech act, inferential processes and conversation

- The speech act: the theory of speech act and performativity.

- Exchange of texts, exchange of statements: the logic of conversation and the interpretation of the unsaid, coding vs. inference. The mechanisms underling mutual (mis)understanding.

- Grice and conversational implicatures

- Neo-Griceans and generalized conversational implicatures

- Post-Griceans: Relevance theory

- Elements of conversation analysis and discourse: shifts, breaks, repairs, courtesy, compliments, expression of agreement and disagreement.

3. Text and context

- How to recognize a 'text': the criteria for textuality

- Consistency and coherence

- Within the text and outside the text: text, co-text, con-text, anaphoric phenomena.

- The semantic-communicative units of each text: sentences and utterances, levels of analysis and information structure. Topic, comment, focus.

4. The spoken language

- The units of analysis of speech and related issues

- The pragmatics of spoken language

- Digital resources for the analysis of spoken language

- How to elicit and collect data: the creation of a corpus

5. Insights

- Vagueness in language and its interpretation

- Ad hoc categories in discourse

- Discourse markers

- Intercultural pragmatics: courtesy and face

Readings/Bibliography

Manuals

• ANDORNO C., 2005, Che cos'è la pragmatica linguistica, Roma, Carocci.
• BIANCHI, C. 2009. Pragmatica cognitiva. I meccanismi della comunicazione. Laterza Editore.
• DE MAURO T. 1999. Capire le parole, Laterza Editore.

Further manual for those who do not attend

• ANDORNO C., 2003, Linguistica testuale. Un'introduzione, Roma, Carocci.

Further resources

• The slides will be published every week on the AMS Campus collection, and it is highly recommended to read them - both for those who attend the class and for those who cannot attend.

• Further references on specific topics will be provided during the lessons.

Teaching methods

All classes will have a strong empirical component: we will introduce and use online resources and techincal tools for the analysis and collection of linguistic data.

In addition to traditional lectures, students will be involved in a laboratory, where they will learn to collect new data and analyze existing corpora. 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 and lab sessions) 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.

The laboratory sessions will require the students to actively use digital tools and web resources for the analysis of data.

Office hours

See the website of Caterina Mauri