Course Conducted in English.

Course Requirements: Advanced reading knowledge of Italian; graduate standing or permission of instructor.

In this course we shall trace the development of the Italian language as it is reflected in written documents from the country’s various regions and historical periods. Our main discussion topics will include the linguistic fragmentation of Italy, the emergence of regional literary traditions, the debates concerning the national language, and the complex linguistic practices of modern Italian society. The course will give the students an historical perspective on the Italian grammar, expose them to the basics of philological analysis, survey a wide variety of texts, and, ultimately, promote a deeper understanding and appreciation for the richness and diversity of Italy’s linguistic and literary heritage.

Readings: Representative texts ranging from the earliest attestations of Italian vernaculars to examples of contemporary fiction with a substantial amount of regional features; excerpts from works by major Italian grammarians and participants of the “questione della lingua” debate, such as Alberti, Bembo, Castiglione, Machiavelli, Manzoni; scholarly articles on various topics in Italian linguistics by Ascoli, de Mauro, Migliorini, Rohlfs, and other scholars.

No textbook or reader purchase required for this course. All readings will be made available electronically through bCourses.

 Course requirements: brief in-class presentations, written linguistic exercises, take-home midterm, final paper.