12322 - History of the Greek Language (1)

Learning outcomes

The students are expected to acquire a basic knowledge of the fundamental stages of the Greek language in its diachronic development, from the archaic age to the formation of the so-called 'common language' that then developed into Modern Greek.
Through a direct analysis of textual specimens the pupils are expected to develop: a) the ability to recognise the proper historical setting of a Greek text or document; b) the methodological skills to analyse a text from a historical and linguistic point of view.

Course contents

Core course ('parte istituzionale')

a) General rudiments of History of the Greek Language

Lecture-Seminar (optional, for students majoring in Greek, held in further meetings to be arranged)

b) The language of archaic comedy: Aristophanes' Clouds.

Lectures Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 16-18, Aula II (13.2.2017-12.4.2017).

Start date: 13.2.2017 (2nd semester).

Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 9-13 (Dept.).

Links: http://www.unibo.it/docenti/camillo.neri

http://www2.classics.unibo.it/Didattica/Programs/20162017/Corso_Camillo/

Readings/Bibliography

a) Notes from the lectures. O. Hoffmann-A. Debrunner-A. Scherer, Storia della lingua greca, trad. it. Napoli, Macchiaroli, 1969, or A. Meillet, Lineamenti di storia della lingua greca, trad. it. Torino, Einaudi, 1981 (2nd ed.), or L.R. Palmer, The Greek Language, London, Faber, 1980. For the study of the Greek dialects, Y. Duhoux, Introduzione alla dialettologia greca antica, trad. it. Bari 1986; L. Bottin, Testi greci dialettali, Padova 2000.

The following optional texts are also recommended: for phonetics, L. Heilmann, L'alfabeto e la pronuncia del greco, in Introduzione allo studio della cultura classica, II, Milano, Marzorati, 1973, 335-362, and M. Lejeune, Phonétique historique du mycénien et du grec ancien, Paris, Klincksieck, 1972; as for morphology, P. Chantraine, Morphologie historique du grec , Paris, Klincksieck, 1961, and L. Heilmann, Grammatica storica della lingua greca, Torino, Sei, 1963; for the 'Indo-European language', P. Szemerényi, Introduzione alla linguistica indoeuropea, ed. by G. Boccali-V. Brugnatelli-M. Negri, Milano, Unicopli, 1985, F. Villar, Gli indoeuropei e le origini dell'Europa, trad. it. Bologna, il Mulino, 1997, W.P. Lehmann, La linguistica indoeuropea. Storia, problemi e metodi, trad. it. Bologna, il Mulino, 1999, M. Alinei, Origini delle lingue d'Europa, I-II, Bologna, il Mulino, 2000 (2nd ed.); for the epic language, P. Chantraine, Grammaire homérique, I-II, Paris, Klincksieck, 1948-1953.

b) Notes from the lectures. For the text see N.G. Wilson, Aristophanis fabulae, I, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1984, pp. 129-202; see also J.H. Henderson, Aristophanes, II. Clouds Wasps Peace, Cambridge, Mass.-London, Harvard University Press, 1998, pp. 1-211; G. Guidorizzi-D. Del Corno, Aristofane. Le Nuvole, Milano, Fondazione Lorenzo Valla, 1996; or any other edition with Greek text (and possibly critical apparatus). Italian translations: G. Mastromarco, Commedie di Aristofane, I, Torino, Utet, 1983, pp. 323-441; K.J. Dover, Aristophanes. Clouds, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1968; A. Grilli, Aristofane. Le Nuvole, Milano (Bur) 2005 (5a ed.); F. Turato, Aristofane. Le Nuvole, Venezia (Marsilio) 1995; or any other edition with Greek text. For a critical assessment, cf. N.G. Wilson, Aristophanea. Studies on the Text of Aristophanes, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 2007, pp. 62-80; E. Degani, Appunti per una traduzione delle «Nuvole» aristofanee, «Eikasmos» I (1990) 119-145.

Teaching methods

The lectures will be of two kinds: a) lectures given by the teacher, which will outline a concise history of the Greek language from the origins to the Byzantine era through the reading of original texts, translated and analysed in class; b) the reading of Aristophanes' Clouds (after some introductory lectures and the specimen analysis of some lines made by the teacher) will be carried out by the students themselves as presentations (which will test thus the abilities they have developed in the first part of the course).

All the material handed out in the lectures will be available afterwards on line at http://www2.classics.unibo.it/Didattica/Programs/20162017/Corso_Camillo

Assessment methods

The viva voce examination consists of a conversation in which the teacher, through a series of questions, will test the theoretical knowledge and the theoretical-practical methodologies as explained in the lectures. In particular, the students will be invited to deal with a particular chapter of the history of the Greek language (i.e. the Ionic-Attic dialect group, the koiné, etc.) through the analysis of the textual examples illustrated in class.

Teaching tools

PC, video projector, overhead projector, photocopied handouts.

Office hours

See the website of Camillo Neri