13275 - Latin Language (1) (A-C)

Learning outcomes

Knowledge to be obtained by the end of the course 1) the student knows elements of phonetics of the Latin language 2) he knows morphology, syntax and basic vocabulary of the Latin language 3) he knows some basic elements of the history of the Latin language aimed to provide a full understanding of the main morphological structures. Skills to be obtained by the end of the course: 1) the student can pronounce the Latin language correctly 2) he can recognize and describe the main morphosyntatic structures 3) he can decline nouns, pronouns, adjectives and conjugate verbs correctly 4) he can translate and analyze previously seen texts.

Course contents

I. SPECIAL FOCUS COURSE

Medea’s metamorphosis. Readings from Ovid, Metamorphosisi VII, 1-159 (Medea and Jason), 160-296 (Eone’s rejuvenation). The incipit of the poem (met. I 1-4) will also be read.

II. CORE COURSE
Latin Language: phonetics, morphology, vocabulary, syntax.

III. AUTHORS
Reading of Cornelius Nepos, De viris illustribus (Praefatio and Vita Attici).

IV. CRITICAL ESSAYS
See Bibliography

Non-attending students are required to study M. Fruyt, Word-Formation in Classical Latin, in A companion to the Latin language, edited by James Clackson, Maiden (MA)-Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2011 (= 2005), pp. 157-175 (available on Virtuale, among the teaching materials).

NB: If you choose the course as a single exam or outside the choices in the course syllabus, please contact the teacher BEFORE making your choice final.

 

Students with SLDs or temporary or permanent disabilities: it is recommended that you contact the relevant university office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ) and your teacher to discuss the most effective strategies for following the course and/or preparing for the exam.

The course will start on February 11, 2025.

 

SEMINARS

First semester:

- Basic-level seminars (mandatory for OFA students). For information concerning OFA see the following link

 

Second semester:

- Basic Latin Morphology and Syntax: online seminar held by  Dr. Chiara Valenzano, on Tuesday from 1PM to 2:30PM; the seminar begins on Tuesday, 18 February (5 lessons in total).

- Cornelius Nepos' De viris illustribus: online seminar held by Dr. Michele Castaldo, on Thursday from 5PM to 6:30PM; the seminar begins on Thursday, 20 February (5 lessons in total).

The virtual classroom for both seminars can be accessed here

Readings/Bibliography

I. SPECIAL FOCUS COURSE

Texts: Ovidio, Metamorfosi, volume IV, Libri VII-IX, a cura di E.J. Kenney, trad. di G. Chiarini, Milano, Fondazione Valla-Mondadori, 2011, pp. 8-31 (text); pp. 209-254 (commentary).

 

II. CORE COURSE

I. Dionigi – E. Riganti – L. Morisi, Il latino, Bari, Laterza 2011, or Verba et res. Morfosintassi e lessico del latino, 2 voll., Bari, Laterza, 1999

A. Traina – G. Bernardi Perini, Propedeutica al latino universitario, Bologna, Pàtron, 1995, capp. I-VI (on peculiar aspects of phonetics, morphology and syntax).

As an alternative for English students, Allen and Greenough's New Latin grammar, Ginn & Company, Boston-NY-Chicago, 1903 (both for syntax and morphology).

 

III. AUTHORS

Cornelius Nepos, De viris illustribus: as for Praefatio and Vita Attici are concerned, a translation into Italian, with commentary on grammar will be available among the teaching material.

 

IV. CRITICAL ESSAYS

Students must study one critical essay chosen from the following (other essays will be added later):

• A. Barchiesi, Per una lettura delle Metamorfosi di Ovidio, in Citti, Pasetti, Pellacani, Metamorfosi tra scienza e letteratura, Firenze 2014, pp. 123-135.
• A. Chahoud, I vizi di Ovidio: Variabili morfosintattiche ed effetti stilistici, in L. Nicolini, A. Bonandini (a cura di), Omnia mutantur. Nuove letture sul lessico e lo stile di Ovidio, Atti del convegno (Genova, 29-30 maggio 2017), Genova 2019, pp. 17-34.
• D. Curley, Mutatas dicere formas. The transformation of tragedy, in Id., Tragedy in Ovid. Theater, Metatheater, and the Transformation of a Genre, Cambridge 2013, pp. 1-18.
• E.J. Kenney, Ovid's Language and Style, in B. Weiden Boyd (ed.), Brill's Companion to Ovid, Leiden-Boston 2002, pp. 27-89.
• C.E. Newlands, The metamorphosis of Ovid's Medea, in J.J. Clauss, S. Iles Johnston, Medea: essays on Medea in myth, literature, philosophy and art, Princeton 1997, pp. 178-208.
• G. Pucci, Medea nella letteratura latina, in M. Bettini, G. Pucci, Il mito di Medea. Immagini e racconti dalla Grecia a oggi, Milano 2017, pp. 99-126.
• C. Segal, L'arte narrativa delle Metamorfosi, in Id., Ovidio e la poesia del mito. Saggi sulle Metamorfosi, tr. it. Venezia 1991, pp. 38-49

Teaching methods

For the special focus course, lectures by the teacher with reading, morphological and syntactical analysis and commentary on the text.
For seminars, interactive lessons with exercising and tests for the students.

Assessment methods

The assessment methods, in particular the written test, may modified if requested by the Covid emergency

The exam has two parts:

• a written multiple choice Latin test, performed on the computer, concerning morphology and elemets of syntax. The test consists of 25 questions which are to be taken in a time of 30 minutes. Each question is worth 1 point; there is no difference between no answer and a wrong answer.
  

NB: The written test is compulsory and must be overcome before the oral exam of Lingua Latina. A negative mark prevents from accessing to the viva voce examination. The test is passed with 15/25 and it remains valid for 6 months.

• viva voce examination: the students will be tested in Latin phonetics, morphology and syntax through the reading and translation of the Latin texts dealt with in class and listed in the program.

NB: It is possible to split the exam into separate sessions: you must take the institutional part first; if you pass it, you can take the monograph part in the same session or within two sessions (e.g. if you take the institutional in January, you can skip the immediately following session, but you will have to finish the monograph part in the next session). If the test expires after you have passed the institutional, you do not need to repeat it to take the monograph.

Assessment guidelines:

- failing grades: lack of basic linguistic knowledge (phonetics, morphology, basic syntax) and inability to produce a correct translation and a correct interpretation of the texts.

- passing grades: proficiency in the basic linguistic skills; translation and interpretation of texts mostly correct, but inaccurate and lacking in autonomy.

- positive grades: language proficiency at an intermediate level; translation and interpretation of the texts fully correct, but not always accurate and autonomous.

- excellent grades: language proficiency at an upper-mid level; translation and interpretation of the texts not only correct but performed with autonomy and precision.

Students with LDSs or a temporary or permanent disability: it is advisable to contact the relevant university office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it) in good time: it will be their task to propose any adjustments to the students concerned, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the teacher for approval; the teacher will assess their appropriateness in relation to the teaching objectives

Teaching tools

1. Online teaching materials (e.g. slides).
2. Seminars (see course content) introducing to the bases of the Latin language (phonetics, morphology and syntax) and to the texts that are part of the programme.
3. Video-lessons of Latin: https://virtuale.unibo.it/course/view.php?id=34645

Office hours

See the website of Elisa Dal Chiele