Module Identifier |
IT20410 |
Module Title |
HISTORY OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE |
Academic Year |
2005/2006 |
Semester |
Intended for use in future years |
Next year offered |
N/A |
Next semester offered |
N/A |
Pre-Requisite |
(Normally) Eligibility for entry to Level 2 Italian. |
Course delivery |
Lecture | (11 x 1-hour lectures) |
|
Seminars / Tutorials | (2 x 2-hour seminars) |
Assessment |
Assessment Type | Assessment Length/Details | Proportion |
Semester Exam | 2 Hours written examination | 70% |
Semester Assessment | Continuous Assessment: Essay 1,500-2,000 words. | 30% |
|
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
At the end of this course, students should
-
have an insight into the development of the Italian language from its origins to the present day;
-
be aware of the main aspects of the process of development from Latin into Italian;
-
be aware of the main debates on the Italian 'language question'.
Brief description
This module will provide a survey of the development of the Italian language from its origins to the present day. The course will examine the position of Italian within the Indo-European family of languages, the main developments in the transformation from Latin to "Italian", the recurrence of debates on what should constitute the Italian language (questione della lingua) across several centuries, and the influence of writers like Dante Alighieri and Alessandro Manzoni on the making of the language.
Finally, the course will touch briefly on the consequences of all this in the present linguistic make-up of Italy.
Reading Lists
Books
** Recommended Text
A. L. Lepschy and G. Lepschy (1991) The Italian Language Today
Routledge
Martin Maiden (1995) A Linguistic History of Italy
Longman
** Reference Text
B. Migliorini (1995) Storia della lingua italiana
Mondadori
B. Migliorini (1984) The Italian Language, tr. T.G. Griffith
Faber
B. Migliorini - I Baldelli (1979 or 84) Breve storia della lingua italiana
Sansoni
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5