Oriental languages and civilizations

The course aims at enabling students to develop a basic knowledge of Japanese philology, particularly the phases of the language comprised into the late-old and medieval Japanese. The main goal is to enable the students to read, understand and translate classical texts in both prose and poetry directly from the originals. In order to achieve these goals, the course will comprise a series of classes planned to introduce the student to the fundamentals of classical Japanese grammar and syntax, with reading and exercising sections specifically designed to tackle the main issues of interpreting ancient texts in which students are expected to actively participate and engage in the discussion. The course will also deal with the fundamentals of the history of the Japanese language, particularly the history of the writing systems, and aims at developing a basic knowledge of Japanese palaeography, so as to enable students to examine and interpret original excerpts directly from the original cursive writing exempla, and will include an outline of the archaeology of the book in Japan dealing with kinds and format of books, writing materials and techniques, and a presentation of the main features of the manuscript and old printed editions. Specific goals: By the end of the course, students will be able to read and interpret texts written in classical Japanese, in both prose and verses and in a variety of genres. Students will also have a knowledge of the history of the Japanese writing systems from the beginning up to the modern era, and will be able to examine and transcribe documents in cursive handwriting and to locate and classify the main features of ancient manuscripts and old-printed editions.