31082 - Persian Language and Linguistics 1

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student possesses basic knowledge of Persian grammar (alphabet and elementary morphology of parts of speech) and is able to sustain simple dialogues about the most common everyday life situations. At the level of written skills, he/she is able to read passages of limited syntactic complexity and produce sentences using previously assimilated lexical materials.

Course contents

WHY STUDY PERSIAN?

Many people mistakenly think that it is a minor language; in fact, nowadays it is the official language of at least three countries (Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan) and is also spoken by substantial minorities in Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Turkey, the former Soviet Union, as well as by numerous emigrants scattered around the world, particularly in the United States. In contrast to languages such as Arabic, Persian is a language of great morphological simplicity, whose basic grammar can be learned willingly in a few days; in the Middle Ages it was the “lingua franca” of merchants and travelers on the “Silk Road” leading from the Mediterranean to China via Central Asia. Anything important (scientific, religious, philosophical, literary texts in general, etc.) that was written in Arabic was always readily translated into the easier Persian. So that Persian is a kind of extraordinary “via brevis” to enter through the front door into the Islamic world and its vast and varied culture that has lasted for 14 centuries and has been expressed not only in Arabic and Persian but also in Malaysian Urdu Turkish, etc.

 

COURSE SYLLABUS

The course consists of two parts: Exercises, taught by native speakers (Negar Abbasi), and a semester-long main course taught by the course's titular teacher, Prof. Nahid Norozi.

1. Programme of "Persian Language and Linguistics Exercises 1" (one-year course)
The course takes place in two weekly lessons and the first part is dedicated to learning the alphabet and the basic phonetic and morphological aspects of the Persian language. The second part will be devoted to the elementary notions of grammar, with numerous exercises being carried out in class. A constant part of the Exercises course will be devoted to conversation (self-presentation, simple sentences relating to everyday life, etc.) and the reading and written formulation of simple sentences.

2. Programme of the main course Persian Language and Linguistics 1, taught by Prof. Nahid Norozi (2nd semester)

The course in Persian Language and Linguistics 1, after a presentation of the historical evolution of the Persian language and its three main phases (Old, Middle and Neo-Persian), aims to illustrate the various phonological, morphological, as well as basic grammatical and syntactical aspects of Neo-Persian, with particular emphasis on: nouns, formation of the plural, indeterminative article, indefinite possessive demonstrative interrogative adjectives and pronouns, formation of the comparative-superlative, cardinal and ordinal numbers, adverbs, prepositions, coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, simple verb tenses and their uses, state construct (ezafé), particle rā. Although the language studied will be the Neo-Persian spoken in Iran (Farsi), there will also be references to other Persian language varieties spoken in Tajikistan and Afghanistan, from a comparative linguistics perspective.

The aim of the course is to achieve a knowledge that lies at least between level A1 and A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

This course is dedicated to three-year students of the Department of Modern Languages Literature and Cultures (LILEC) who have chosen to study Persian as their first or second language.

However, the course is also always open to students of Persian 1 (12 cfu, ARCO), Persian Language and Literature 1 (12 cfu, MA), Persian Language and Culture (10 cfu, SVIC), who are particularly interested in the language or who are applying for a dissertation on Persian.

 

Readings/Bibliography

The Reference Text-book (to be taken to class at all times): N. Norozi e N. Abbasi, Lezioni di Persiano per Principianti, seconda edizione, Centro Essad Bey – Amazon IP, Seattle, 2025.

- Any additional material will be sent, during the course, in the form of telematic handouts.

- Highly recommended for students who wish to continue with the study of Persian Language and Literature]: Coletti A. - Gruenbaum H., Dizionario Persiano-Italiano, Centro Culturale Italo-Iraniano, Roma 1978 (edizione aggiornata 2021)

- Highly recommended for NON-attending students:

Lambton A. K. S., Persian grammar, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1984

For further study (optional):

- Dizionario persiano. Italiano-persiano, persiano-italiano, a cura di F. Mardani, Vallardi

- D. Meneghini e P. Orsatti, Corso di lingua persiana (con 2 CD audio), Hoepli, Milano 2012

- Lambton A. K. S., Persian grammar, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1984

- Coletti A., Grammatica della lingua persiana, Nuova Cultura, Roma 2007

- D’Erme G. M, Grammatica del neopersiano, Istituto Universitario Orientale, Napoli 1979

- Piemontese A. M., Grammatica persiana in nuce, Istituti Editoriali e Poligrafici Internazionali, Pisa-Roma 2004.

Teaching methods

Lectures, seminars, listening to musical texts, possible lectures by invitation of specialists

Assessment methods

A student who attends at least 75% of the lectures is considered to be attending.

The examination of 'Lingua e Linguistica Persiana 1' is conducted in two tests: a written and an oral test that could also take place, if desired, on the same day.

1. The written test consists of: grammar, understanding and ortography exercises, translation, verb conjugation + two theoretical and historical-linguistic questions;

2. The oral test consisting of the correct reading of simple sentences and a short basic conversation learned during the Persian Language and Linguistics Exercise course.

The final grade is given by the arithmetic mean of the marks given in the written test of Persian language and the oral test of Persian language.

Teaching tools

Books, handouts, audio-visual media, magazine websites and other useful materials.

 

Students with DSA or temporary or permanent disabilities: it is advisable to get in touch immediately with the University office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ) and with the lecturer, in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the exam. Any requests for adaptations must be made within 15 days of the date of the exam, by sending an email to the lecturer and entering the email address disabilita@unibo.it [mailto:disabilita@unibo.it] (in the case of a disabling condition) or dsa@unibo.it [mailto:dsa@unibo.it] (for students with DSA)."

Office hours

See the website of Nahid Norozi