Program Overview

HISTORY OF ITALIAN LANGUAGE AND DRAMATIC LITERATURE

Program Overview

The course aims at providing students with a basic knowledge of the history of Italian and, more specifically, an overview of the linguistic history of Italian theatre.

Aims and Content

Learning Outcomes

The course's goals are to familiarize students with the major institutions, documents, and figures in the history of the Italian language; to understand the structures of contemporary Italian and its sociolinguistic variation; to know the major stages of the linguistic history of Italian theater; and to learn how to read and interpret some key texts.

Aims and Learning Outcomes

To learn the key moments in the history of Italian language. To situate historically its texts and main authors. To internalize the basic concepts of Italian sociolinguistics. To define and identify the main traits of neostandard Italian. To illustrate synthetically the key moments in the linguistic history of Italian theatre and peculiar stylistic features of its main authors. To read, understand and interpret a crucial text of the Italian theatrical tradition.

Prerequisites

• Elementary knowledge of the history of Italian literature

Teaching Methods

• Lectures

Syllabus/Content

• Essential history of Italian language
• Sociolinguistic overview of contemporary Italian
• Synthetic overview of the linguistic history of Italian theatre
• Reading of Tasso's Aminta

Recommended Reading/Bibliography

• Lecture notes
• C. Marazzini, La lingua italiana. Profilo storico, Bologna, il Mulino
• C. Giovanardi - P. Trifone, La lingua del teatro, Bologna, il Mulino (first part and four commented texts to choose in the second part)
• T. Tasso, Aminta, a cura di M. Corradini, Milano, BUR-Classici

Teachers and Exam Board

Teacher

• Paolo Zublena

Exam Board

• Paolo Zublena (President)
• Manuela Manfredini

Lessons

Lessons Start

• First semester: September 16, 2025
• Second semester: February 17, 2026

Class Schedule

The timetable for this course is available through the university's scheduling system.

Exams

Exam Description

• Oral examination
• Optional midterm written test on the first semester programme

Assessment Methods

• Oral examination of the skills relating to the linguistic history of Italian and to the traits of neo-standard Italian
• Oral examination of the skills on the linguistic history of Italian theatre
• Reading and commenting on a passage from Tasso's Aminta

Exam Schedule

• December 18, 2025
• January 14, 2026
• February 5, 2026
• June 11, 2026
• June 25, 2026
• July 15, 2026
• September 9, 2026

Further Information

For additional details, please consult the professor.