COMPARATIVE HISTORY OF THE GERMANIC LANGUAGES MOD. 1

Germanic Philology 1 is one of the main courses for the degree in Language Sciences; it contributes to the in-depth study of the various Germanic linguistic and textual traditions in historical perspective. The overall objective of Module 1 is to provide the basic notions for understanding the main phenomena of language change as applied to the Germanic languages, through the examination of texts and practice exercises. The course is taught entirely in English.

Student Learning Objectives (SLO):
- to acquire knowledge and understanding in the main topics of language change in the Germanic language family, as well as cultural and literary studies, by being exposed to both the current theoretical debate and its applications in the field of Germanic Philology. This knowledge and understanding will be founded upon and will extend that typically associated with the first cycle; it will also provide a basis for originality in developing and/or applying ideas, often within a research context;
- to apply their knowledge and understanding, and problem solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within broader contexts related to Germanic Philology (e.g. textual criticism and literary reading skills applied to Germanic medieval texts);
- to have the ability to integrate knowledge and handle complexity, and formulate judgments with incomplete or limited information about their object of study (this is a typical situation in the philological field). The ability to formulate judgements will include reflecting on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge (e.g. the educational and social impact of philological studies);
- to be able to communicate their conclusions, and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these, to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously, using the appropriate language register;
- to be able to represent course content organically and critically consult reference texts;
- to acquire the learning skills that should allow them to continue to study in a manner that may be largely self-directed or autonomous (e.g. through individual independent reading on philological issues, as well as practice exercises on linguistic theories, models and forms).

No specific prerequisites are required, even though it is advisable to have some basic knowledge of Germanic Philology (BA level). The theoretical notions necessary to tackle the main topics listed in the content section (see below) will be provided by the lecturer at the beginning of the course.

The course consists of a series of lectures on the language change phenomena within the Germanic languages (with a focus on English), examined through texts relevant to the Germanic tradition, and practice exercises.
- Indo-European languages and Old and Modern Germanic languages;
- Main language change phenomena characterizing the Germanic languages;
- West Germanic languages and related literary traditions;
- Manuscript culture and medieval scripts;
- Readings from Old High German and Old Saxon;
- Old English
- Readings from Old English
- Middle English

van Gelderen, Elly. 2014. A History of the English Language. Revised edition. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: Benjamins (in particular: Chapters 1-6).
Materials uploaded in the Moodle platform.
Students who are not able to attend classes are kindly asked to contact the lecturer in order to receive further bibliographic indications about supplementary materials.

The written exam consists in four (4) open questions and lasts 90 minutes. Each question/exercise is assigned a specific score for a total of 30/30 (L).
More specifically, content questions will examine the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, while practice questions will assess the application of knowledge and understanding. Methdological questions will assess critical thinking and ability of making judgements. Open questions moreover allow checking communication and learning skills (i.e. whether students communicate their conclusions clearly and unambiguously, and are able to motivate critically their own conclusions).

Lectures, lecturer-led discussions and practice exercises.

English

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development