13049 - General Linguistics (1)

Academic Year 2012/2013

  • Docente: Nicola Grandi
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: L-LIN/01
  • Language: Italian

Learning outcomes

Students will acquire an exhaustiveknowledge of theoretical and methodological foundations of language sciences

Course contents

The course aims at giving the students the theoretical tools for developing a critical and consious reflection about an aspect of human beings always taken for granted: our communicative skill. Specific properties of human language will be analysed, in comparison with communicative systems attested in the 'animal kingdom'. These issues will be presented according to two complementary perspectives: an 'internal' perspective (that is, human language faculty and human languages will be described in order to focus all levels of analysis: phonetcs/phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, and semantics) and an 'external' perspective (in this case, we will focus on the role of language faculty and human languages in the history of our species, on how humans profited from language faculty in their evolution, on the place of languages within human communities, etc.)

Readings/Bibliography

NO CHANGES in reccomended readings for students who do not attend the lectures
12 cfu:
- Berruto, G. / Cerruti, M. (2011), La linguistica. Un corso introduttivo , Torino, UTET
- Grandi, N. (a cura di) (2011), Dialoghi sulle lingue e sul linguaggio, Bologna, Pàtron - Banfi, E. / Grandi, N. (2002), Lingue d'Europa. Elementi di storia e di tipologia linguistica,Roma, Carocci
- Lessons' notes, slides, handouts and other materials can be downloaded from the website www.grandionline.net/nicola/linguistica_generale

6 cfu:
- Berruto, G. / Cerruti, M. (2011), La linguistica. Un corso introduttivo , Torino, UTET and
- Banfi, E. / Grandi, N. (2002), Lingue d'Europa. Elementi di storia e di tipologia linguistica,Roma, Carocci(chapters 3, 4, 5)
or Grandi, N. (a cura di) (2011), Dialoghi sulle lingue e sul linguaggio , Bologna, Patron (introduction and three chapters) - Lessons' notes, slides, handouts and other materials can be downloaded from the website www.grandionline.net/nicola/linguistica_generale
PS The volume Dialoghi sulle lingue e sul linguaggiowill be available from Sept. 2011

Teaching methods

Power Point presentations will be available to the students in the website www.grandionline.net/nicola/linguistica_generale

Assessment methods

The exam is made up of a written test (12 questions: 10 multiple choice questions and 2 open questions), followed by an oral colloquium. The colloquium will be held approx. a week after the written test. Further details: http://www.grandionline.net/nicola/linguistica_generale/esame_ling_gen.html

Teaching tools

Lectures

Links to further information

http://www.grandionline.net/nicola

Office hours

See the website of Nicola Grandi