Admission requirements
A bachelor in Linguistics.
A study programme that includes at least one of these courses: Italian Linguistics, History of Italian, Sociolinguistics of Italian. The course must be taken successfully for at least 5 EC before the enrollment.
A proficiency in spoken Italian at CEFR level B2-C1, other skills in Italian at level C1.
A proficiency in oral English at CEFR level C1.
Description
This course offers a critical and up-to-date exploration of the sociolinguistic landscape of contemporary Italy. It examines the dynamic interplay between language, society, and identity, providing students with both theoretical frameworks and research methods to analyze linguistic variation across different social contexts.
Through lectures, discussions, and applied activities, students will delve into:
The social evolution of the Italian language from the unification of Italy to the present day, highlighting key sociopolitical influences.
Core sociolinguistic concepts such as language vs. dialect, linguistic repertoires, diglossia, minority languages and language variation.
The spectrum of Italian language varieties—including standard, regional, popular, and neo-standard forms—and their social significance.
The relationship between language and social identities, considering factors like gender, age, geographic origin, education level, and migration background.
Urban sociolinguistics and the processes of Italianization in multilingual settings.
The social implications of linguistic issues, including language discrimination, symbolic domination, and the erosion of minority varieties.
Students will engage in individual and/ or collaborative study, case analyses, and linguistic autobiographies to develop metalinguistic awareness, analytical skills, and independent learning abilities.
By the end of the course, students will have a nuanced understanding of how Italian functions as a living language, reflecting and shaping the diverse identities and social dynamics of contemporary Italy.
Course objectives
By the end of the course, students will have acquired:
Knowledge of key concepts and debates in Italian sociolinguistics, including linguistic variation, identity, multilingualism, and language ideologies in contemporary Italy.
Insight into the relationship between language and society, with a focus on how linguistic practices reflect and shape social structures, cultural belonging, and power dynamics.
Research skills through the critical interpretation of sociolinguistic data, including statistics, interviews, and autobiographical narratives.
Analytical and digital skills by engaging with corpora, and digital linguistic resources.
Interpersonal and communication skills through group work, classroom discussions, presentations, and collaborative project development.
Oral and written communication skills via the preparation of the final paper.
Societal awareness, particularly in relation to linguistic diversity, migration, and inclusion in the Italian context.
Intrapersonal development through critical reflection on one's own linguistic experiences and attitudes, fostering independent learning and metalinguistic awareness.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Research
Assessment method
Assessment
- Essay, paper
Weighing
To pass the course, the grade must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
Students who are unable to submit the final paper by the original deadline will have the opportunity to resubmit during the resit period.
The resit consists of the same final paper, revised or newly written, based on the course requirements.
Students must inform the lecturer if they intend to make use of the resit option.
Please note: the resit is available only once. Late submissions beyond the resit deadline will not be accepted unless special circumstances are communicated in advance and officially approved.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
Textbook: Mari D’Agostino, Sociolinguistica dell’Italia contemporanea. Bologna, il Mulino, last edition.
Selected materials will be taken from Gaetano Berruto – Massimo Cerruti, Manuale di sociolinguistica. Torino, Utet, last edition.
The textbook is available on digital platforms, and a copy is also available at the university library. Any additional materials will be communicated and provided by the instructor during the course.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Registration Contract teaching and Exchange
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of Contract teaching (with taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Reuvensplaats
Remarks
The course is taught in Italian, but English may be used when necessary to support students’ understanding and participation.