29942 - History of the Ancient Greek Language (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

Upon a successful completion of the course, the students acquire specific skills in the analysis and interpretation of texts selected from the archaic age to the formation of the so-called 'common language' that then developed into Modern Greek. They improve: a) their ability to recognise the proper historical setting of a Greek text or document; b) their methodological skills to analyse a text from a historical and linguistic point of view and to establish its relations with other texts and cultural products.

Course contents

1) Through the reading of different passages from the archaic epic, the so-called 'lyric', tragedy, comedy, prose and κοινή, a diachronic study of the lexicon of the sacred in the ancient world will be undertaken, which will allow the analysis of different social practices and different spaces typical of Greek religion.

2) After a review of the main Greek dialects, the different literary languages will be studied (Homeric language, language of the lyricists, tragedy, comedy, Ionic prose and κοινή).

Readings/Bibliography

In addition to the notes and materials provided in lectures, it will be required:

1) concerning the sacred and the different social practices connected to it, the reading of L. Gernet, Le génie grec dans la religion, Paris 1970 (1932¹), 163-195 and 221-231 and of W. Burkert, La religione greca, Milano 2003, 145-249;

2) concerning the history of literary languages, the reading of A. Meillet, Lineamenti di storia della lingua greca, trad. it. Turin 20033, 151-407.

Also useful are O. Hoffmann, A. Debrunner, A. Scherer, Storia della lingua greca, it. transl. Napoli 1969, L.R. Palmer, Greek Language, London 1980 and A.C. Cassio (ed.), Storia delle lingue letterarie greche, Firenze 2016².

For morphology, see P. Chantraine, Morphologie historique de la langue grecque, Paris 1961².

Teaching methods

The lectures will be mainly face-to-face, especially the institutional part of the course on the main characteristics of the literary languages of ancient Greece. More seminar-like will be the section involving the annotated reading of passages related to the sacred.

The materials indicated in the course of the lectures will be made accessible and downloadable on the web (Virtuale).

The course participates in the University's teaching experimentation project.

Assessment methods

The examination will consist of an interview in which, on the one hand, the ability to translate and comment on the passages covered in class will be assessed and, on the other hand, knowledge of the characteristics of the literary languages of ancient Greece will be tested.

The maximum marks require precise and complete answers: the evaluation for excellent theoretical knowledge and ability to translate and comment texts will be 30L; very good 30-29; very good 28-27; good 26-25; fair 24-22; more than sufficient 21-20; sufficient 19-18.

 

Students with DSA or disabilities are recommended to contact the responsible University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/per-studenti): any adjustments must be submitted, at least 15 days in advance, to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness also in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

PC, photocopies, IOL, Power point

Office hours

See the website of Stefano Caciagli