INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE A: COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE

N.B. Students cannot attend classes or take exams if they are not officially enrolled in this course. For any information about the SIE Italian language courses for exchange students, please visit this webpage: https://www.unive.it/pag/9945/ .

Compared to SIE 070B, this course is suitable for beginners or those more interested in the cultural aspects of Italian.

The course consists of two modules: one is a metalinguistic reflection on the Italian language (General Language module), the second is dedicated to language practice according to the students’ language level. The present syllabus is only for the first module. The objective of this module is to learn the basic notions of Italian linguistics and to develop skills in metalinguistic and metatextual analysis. We will examine both external and internal linguistic factors, and in particular, will consider the following areas: cultural and semiotic aspects of the Italian language; sociolinguistic and pragmatic characteristics; spelling and phonology; morphosyntax; the lexicon; textuality.

At the end of the course, students will be able to contextualize the main aspects of Italian linguistics: the history and diffusion of the Italian language and the primary levels of linguistic analysis, from pragmatics to phonetics. Knowledge of external linguistics will increase the level of motivation that students have towards the study of Italian; knowledge of internal linguistic factors will facilitate the development of students' linguistic and metalinguistic skills.

No previous knowledge is required.

- Italian in the global space, with reference to its attractiveness and the processes by which it has spread in the past and in the present (e.g. emigration, colonization, cultural diffusion;
- links between language and culture, with attention to the most representative aspects of Italian culture and regions (arts, sport, gastronomy) and to the semiotic system of gestures;
- grammatical foundations of Italian referring to the contents of the corresponding level of language practice classes (in particular the notion of inflection and fundamentals of the graphic and phonetic systems);
- linguistic structures of storytelling;
- notion of register, in relation to linguistic and semiotic variables typical of the beginner level: allocutive pronouns, adjunct forms, gestures;
- word acquisition within the common fields of experience (university, home, restaurant, city, etc.).

All materials will be made available on Moodle.

The exam consists of a written test with multiple choice and open questions, based on the topics covered during the course; the result of the test will account for 30% of the final grade (30% General language module + 70% Language practice).

Lessons are interactive and are defined by active participation. The General Language module will mostly follow the lecture format, during which explanations relating to the various topics will be provided. Teaching tools include written and oral texts, videos, songs and other materials where relevant. Students will also be asked to carry out exercises and assignments.

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