Italian language and society
M Totaro-Genevois
8 points
* 3 hours per week
* First semester
* Clayton
*
Prerequisites: None
Objectives Students are expected to grasp how the development of Italian language is a process intertwined with ideologies, social events and political trends evolving in time; relate specific aspects of standard Italian language to the social context in which they originated; have a better understanding of the relationship between Italian migrants in Australia and the language of their country of origin. The teaching and communication medium is Italian.
Synopsis This subject examines the various factors which contributed to the identification, consolidation and diffusion of today's national language, after political unification in Italy. It considers progressive changes in the relationship between standard Italian, regional varieties and dialects. The aim of the subject is to look at the development of the Italian language as a reflection of the social, political and cultural history of Italians themselves. Classes will involve the analysis of texts in their historical and cultural context as well as discussions of authentic materials relevant to the topics considered.
Assessment Examinations (2 hours): 40%
* Assignments: 40%
*
Seminar participation: 20%
* Third-year students will be expected to read
more extensively in primary and/or secondary literature and will write essays
requiring more analytical/theoretical discussion.
Recommended texts
De Mauro T Storia linguistica dell'Italia unita Laterza, 1991
Mengaldo P V Storia della lingua Italiana: Il novecento Il Mulino, 1994
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