PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE II

The course is intended for those enrolled in a three-year degree programme in Literature and History (for those enrolled in Philosophy it belongs to the characterising activities).

The course aims to provide, in particular, the following knowledge, competencies, and skills:

1) Knowledge and understanding

- Knowledge of the discipline’s classical authors and the leading figures in contemporary discourse
- Understanding of key texts in the discipline and key texts in contemporary discourse
- Knowledge and understanding of specialized issues that have shaped the evolution of the philosophy of language

2) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- Development of an independent approach and a critical-constructive attitude toward major philosophical-linguistic issues
- Ability to produce arguments in support of a thesis
- Ability to develop examples and counterexamples
- Ability to distinguish the main theoretical alternatives regarding a specific philosophical-linguistic issue

3) Judgment:
- ability to establish connections between seemingly unrelated issues and positions
- ability to evaluate the consistency and plausibility of a philosophical-linguistic thesis, including through the examination of examples and counterexamples
- ability to grasp and develop the theoretical and practical implications of the various available philosophical options.

There are no mandatory prerequisites, but it is certainly helpful to have taken a Philosophy of Language I course, and/or a Philosophy of Communication one.
In any case, each topic will be introduced from the beginning of the class to ensure full understanding even for those without a background in philosophy.

LANGUAGE AND REALITY

This course aims to present some classic themes in philosophical and scientific reflection on the relationship between language and reality, as well as to explore several case studies from the contemporary debate, with the following objectives:

a) to introduce students to specific topics of intrinsic relevance to today’s philosophical discussion
b) starting from individual cases, to compare different definitions and conceptualizations of “language”
c) to highlight theoretical divergences, both implicit and explicit, regarding how language interfaces with reality (physical and social) and thought (individual and distributed).


Topics covered will include:

- Semantics, pragmatics, and performativity in the philosophy of language
- The problem of slurs and hate speech
- Language and thought: the classic problem of linguistic relativity
- Contemporary reinterpretations of linguistic relativity
- The debate on language and social inclusion

You are required to use the course's Moodle page, where course information, updates, and, most importantly, the exam questions will be posted.

This list is provisional and will be finalized as soon as possible.

[1] BIANCHI, C. (2021). "Hate speech: Il lato oscuro del linguaggio", Laterza (posseduto in BALI-CFZ).
[2] Passi scelti da Humboldt, Whorf, Sapir.
[3] KOERNER E.F.K. (2000). "Towards a full pedigree of the 'Sapir-Whorf hypothesis'". in M. Pütz e M. Verspoor (Edd.), Explorations in Linguistic Relativity (Vol. 199, p. 45). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, pp. 1-24.

[5] EVERETT, C. (2013). "Linguistic Relativity". De Gruyter Mouton (posseduto in BALI-CFZ).
[6] LEE P. (2000). "When is ‘linguistic relativity’ Worf’s linguistic relativity?" In M. Pütz e M. Verspoor (Edd.), Explorations in Linguistic Relativity (Vol. 199, p. 45). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. (parr. 1-3 = pp. 45-55).
[7] ENFIELD, N.J. (2015). "Linguistic Relativity from Reference to Agency". Annual Review of Anthropology, 44(1), 207–224.
[8] SULIS, G., GHENO, V. (2022). “The Debate on Language and Gender in Italy, from the Visibility of Women to Inclusive Language (1980s–2020s)”. The Italianist 42(1), 153-183 (accesso aperto https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366217855_The_Debate_on_Language_and_Gender_in_Italy_from_the_Visibility_of_Women_to_Inclusive_Language_1980s-2020s )
[9] THORNTON, A. (2022). "Genere e igiene verbale: l’uso di forme con ə in italiano", AION-L 22, 11-54 (eccetto par. 7; accesso aperto online http://www.serena.unina.it/index.php/aionlin/article/view/9623/10069 )
[10] ROSOLA, M. (2024). “Which Is the Fairest of Them All? Evaluating Gender-Fair Strategies In Italian”. Phenomenology and Mind, n. 27 - 2024, pp. 84-109 (accesso aperto https://www.rosenbergesellier.it/customized/downloadfile.php?tipo=estratto&formato=pdf&id=2768 )
[11] BATISTI, F. (2024). "La problematica ricezione della relatività linguistica nel dibattito su lingua e rappresentazione sociale in Italia", Rivista Italiana di Filosofia del Linguaggio 18, pp. 99-121 (accesso aperto https://doi.org/10.4396/2024062V02/ )
[12] VASALLO, B. (2023). "Linguaggio inclusivo ed esclusione di classe", Temu.
[13] DI PAOLO, RODRIGUEZ JORDA' (2025). "Linguistic relativity from an enactive perspective". Language Sciences, 108.

The standard format for the exam is oral. The interview is designed to assess students’ knowledge and mastery of the fundamental topics covered in class.

Students may, on a voluntary basis, agree with the instructor on a topic to explore in greater depth in order to give an oral presentation during the final class session. The presentation will last 15–20 minutes and must be accompanied by visual aids such as an MS PowerPoint presentation (or similar software) or printed handouts to be distributed to the audience. In any case, students must take a (shorter) oral exam on the day of the exam session.

Students may, on a voluntary basis, submit a 3,000–4,500-word paper (excluding the bibliography) on a topic agreed upon in advance with the instructor, to be submitted at least 5 days prior to the exam session for which they intend to sit. The paper will in any case be discussed orally on the day of the exam session.

Note: The in-class presentation and the written paper are mutually exclusive as alternatives to the standard purely oral format. In other words, it is possible (but not mandatory) to choose one or the other.

oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

Grade 18–22: adequate knowledge and understanding of the assigned texts and related topics; limited analytical and critical thinking skills; adequate communication skills.

23–26: fair knowledge and understanding of the assigned texts and related topics; fair analytical and critical thinking skills; fair communication skills.

27–30: good or excellent knowledge and understanding of the assigned texts and related topics; good or excellent analytical and critical thinking skills; good or excellent communication skills.

30 with Honors: awarded for excellent knowledge and understanding of the assigned texts and
related topics, accompanied by excellent analytical and critical thinking skills, as well as excellent communication skills.

Lectures; seminars (interactive classroom discussions); occasional student presentations in class.
Students are advised to begin reading the texts in conjunction with the lectures.

Eligible students may contact the Disability and Specific Learning Disorders Office at this email address: disabilita@unive.it
Ca’ Foscari applies Italian law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding the support services and accommodations available to students with disabilities or specific learning disorders. If you have a physical, visual, or hearing disability or other disabilities (Law 17/1999) or a specific learning disability (Law 170/2010) and require support (classroom assistance, assistive technology for exams or individualized exams, materials in accessible formats, note-taking services, specialized tutoring to support your studies, interpreters, or other services), please contact the Disability and Specific Learning Disorders Office at disabilita@unive.it.

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