67175 - LINGUISTICA STORICA E COMPARATIVA (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will have acquired an in-depth knowledge of the principles governing linguistic change over time, as well as of the theories and methodologies of historical linguistics, from its origins to the present day. They will develop a thorough understanding of the mechanisms of linguistic borrowing, both in synchrony and diachrony, and will be able to provide a visual representation of the evolution of linguistic borrowings across different languages.

Course contents

This course aims to offer students an introduction to historical and comparative linguistics. In the first part, historical-comparative linguistics is presented as a discipline, outlining the development of its theories and methods up to the present day. In the second part, the course focuses on the phenomenon of linguistic borrowing, with particular attention to its diachronic dimension, not only within a single language but also in the transmission of borrowings across different languages.

The course assumes a basic knowledge of linguistics, typically acquired through the General Linguistics course.

The lectures will cover the following topics (the list is not exhaustive): the emergence of historical linguistics and the comparative method, theories and methods of analysing linguistic change in diachrony, language contact, types of borrowing, lexical borrowing, morphological borrowing, syntactic borrowing, the graphical representation of the history of borrowings.

Readings/Bibliography

Gardani, Francesco - Peter, Arkadiev - Amiridze, Nino (2015). Borrowed morphology. Berlino: Mouton de Gruyter (chapters 2 and 3: Sarah G. ThomasonWhen is the diffusion of inflectional morphology not dispreferred? and Yaron MatrasWhy is the borrowing of inflectional morphology dispreferred?).

Haspelmath, Martin - Tadmor, Uri (2009, ed.). Loanwords in the World's Languages: A Comparative Handbook. Berlino/Boston: De Gruyter Mouton (il capitolo 2 della sezione generale e un capitolo a scelta tra quelli della seconda parte).

Magni, Elisabetta (2014), Linguistica storica. Bologna: Pàtron editore (ristampa 2015).

Per gli studenti che hanno già seguito il corso di Linguistica Storica della Laurea Triennale, si consiglia:

Fanciullo, Franco (2022). Introduzione alla linguistica storica. 4. ed. Bologna: il Mulino,

or:

Campbell, Lyle (2013). Historical linguistics: an introduction. 3. ed. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Letture facoltative consigliate:

Baglioni, Daniele (2016), L'etimologia. Roma: Carocci.

(per gli specialisti di anglistica) Durkin, Philip (2014), Borrowed words: a history of loanwords in English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

(per gli specialisti di francesistica) Treps, Marie (2003). Les mots voyageurs: petite histoire du francais venu d’ailleurs. Paris : Editions du Seuil.

Additional texts may be suggested based on the student’s specialisation.
Attendance is strongly recommended but not compulsory. No additional readings are required for non-attending students.

Teaching methods

The course is primarily based on traditional lectures supported by slide presentations. Students will also be required to prepare and present a short project aimed at illustrating the history of one or more borrowings in different languages.

Assessment methods

The assessment of the knowledge and skills acquired by the student will take place through an oral exam consisting of an interview aimed at evaluating their understanding of the topics covered during the course, as well as their ability to analyse, reflect, and compare materials and examples. The oral presentation in class will be taken into account in the overall evaluation.

An excellent grade requires in-depth knowledge, terminological mastery, and the ability to analyse and make connections. Accurate knowledge but with some uncertainties leads to a fair evaluation, while learning that is mainly based on memorisation with analytical difficulties corresponds to a pass. Serious gaps and inadequate language will result in a fail.

Teaching tools

Computer, projector, materials available online.

Office hours

See the website of Francesca Dell'Oro