GENERAL LINGUISTICS A

Course objectives

A) Knowledge and understanding - Students will be required to demonstrate basic knowledge and understanding of the topics covered during the course and presented in the reference bibliography; they will be able to prove to possess abilities of analysis, reflection and comparison concerning the main areas of linguistics. B) Applying knowledge and understanding - Students will be able to demonstrate the full understanding of the syllabus of the course; they should apply the knowledge acquired to relevant issues in a thoughtful and critical way; they will be able to demonstrate they possess the appropriate skills to build and support arguments related to the topics covered by the course, and to apply the suitable techniques and methods to the field. C) Making judgements - Students will be able to express judgments in an autonomous form, on the basis of examples provided in the lectures and/or in the bibliographic resources provided, and prove to be able to find and interpret data in order to formulate answers to general – both concrete and abstract – problems. D) Communication skills - Students will be able to communicate information, ideas, problems and related solutions; to demonstrate adequate capacity of synthesis and expressive ability in the light of the specific terminology. E) Learning skills - Students will develop the skills necessary to undertake further studies with a certain degree of autonomy.

Channel 1
CLAUDIA ANGELA CIANCAGLINI Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
The course aims at providing an overview of the main partitions and topics pertaining to the field of General and Historical Linguistics, as well as some highlights of the most important stages of the history of Linguistics. The first part of the course will address some basic notions of Phonetics, Phonology, and Morphology some general conceptions related to the Saussurean thought (such concepts as sign, arbitrariness, system, structure, langue and parole, synchrony and diachrony etc.), as well as the relationship between language and writing. Some key milestones in the history of linguistics will also be described. The second part of the course will survey the main types of linguistic change, both phonological and morphosyntactic, and the rudiments of the Comparative-reconstructive method will also be described. Finally, some lessons will be dedicated to phenomena of linguistic contact.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites, as it is the first exam in Linguistics
Books
1) Claudia A. Ciancaglini – Artemij Keidan, Linguistica generale e storica. Per studenti di lingue orientali e classiche, Milano, Mondadori Università, 2018; in particular: 1a) first volume Chapters 1, 2, 3 (with the exception of §§ 3.4 e 3.5), 4 (with the exception of §§ 4.3, 4.4), 5 (with the exception of §§ 5.6, 5.7, 5.8), 6 (with the exception of §§ 6.2.6, 6.3.4; 6.4.3); 1b) second volume Chapters 7, 8, 10 (with the exception of § 10.4), 11 2) Maurice Leroy, Profilo storico della linguistica moderna, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2011
Exam mode
The examen is oral. It consists in answering questions that deal with all the main topics covered during the course
Bibliography
F. de Saussure, Corso di linguistica generale, a cura di T. De Mauro, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1967 N. Trubeckoj, Fondamenti di fonologia, a cura di G. Mazzuoli Porru, Torino, Einaudi, 1971 Roger Lass, Historical Linguistics and Language Change, Cambridge, Cambrige Univ. Press, 1997 M. Mancini (a cura di), Il cambiamento linguistico, Roma, Carocci, 2011
Lesson mode
The course will take place in the traditional way, with lessons in the classroom
Channel 2
ALESSANDRO DEL TOMBA Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
The course aims to provide an overview of the main divisions and themes within the fields of general linguistics and historical linguistics. The first part of the course will cover the foundational concepts of phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax, as well as general notions of Saussurean thought and its developments, including the concepts of the sign, arbitrariness, system, structure, langue and parole, synchrony and diachrony, and the relationship between language and writing systems. In the second part, the course will examine the main types of diachronic change in phonology and morphosyntax, alongside an introduction to the fundamental principles of the comparative-reconstructive method. Finally, selected lectures will be dedicated to phenomena of linguistic contact.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites.
Books
(1) Claudia A. Ciancaglini – Artemij Keidan, Linguistica generale e storica. Per studenti di lingue orientali e classiche (two volumes), Milano, Mondadori Università, 2018. (1a) first volume: cap. 1, 2, 3 (with the exception of §§ 3.4 e 3.5), 4 (with the exception of §§ 4.3, 4.4), 5, 6 (with the exception of §§ 6.2.6, 6.3.4; 6.4.3) = pp. 1-118, 137-161, 180-299, 300-305, 307-312. (2a) second volume cap. 7, 8, 11 = pp. 1-123, 206-240.
Frequency
The frequency is not mandatory, but highly recommended.
Exam mode
The final examination is held in the oral format. Each student is asked to discuss topics from those considered in the lessons and covered by the relevant manual. A correct phonetic transcription is a mandatory requirement.
Bibliography
(1) Maurice Leroy, Profilo storico della linguistica moderna, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2011.
Lesson mode
The course will be conducted in a traditional format with face-to-face lectures.
  • Lesson code1031851
  • Academic year2024/2025
  • CourseClassics
  • CurriculumSingle curriculum
  • Year1st year
  • Semester2nd semester
  • SSDL-LIN/01
  • CFU6
  • Subject areaFilologia, linguistica generale e applicata