ITA2230

Italian language and society

M Cicioni

8 points - 3 hours per week - First semester - Clayton

Objectives At the end of the course, students should be able to understand historical variation in Italy (the developments of dialects and the social factors that led to the choice of Tuscan as 'standard Italian', regional varieties (dialects) and specialised written varieties 'linguaggi settoriali'. The teaching and communication medium is Italian.

Synopsis This subject examines the Italian linguistic situation, with some historical background on pre-unification Italy, but with a focus on developments in the twentieth century. The most important features of the three main dialect areas (North, Centre and South) are analysed, and the language-dialect continuum in the Italy of the 1990s is discussed. The subject also looks at the most important varieties of written standard Italian, such as the language of sports reports, of advertising, and of bureaucracy.

Assessment Examinations (2 hours): 35% - Assignments: 45% - Seminar participation: 20%

Prescribed texts

Dardano M Manualetto di linguistica italiana 2nd edn, Zanichelli, 1996

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