Program Overview

Program Overview

The Glottologia e Linguistica program at the University of Genoa is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of language and linguistics. The program covers various aspects of linguistics, including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.

Objectives and Contents

The program aims to equip students with theoretical and methodological tools for describing and interpreting linguistic data. The course is divided into two parts: linguistica generale and glottologia. The first part introduces the basics of linguistics, including the properties of language, phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax. The second part focuses on the classification of languages and language change.

Objectives

• Acquire knowledge of the fundamental properties of language and linguistics
• Understand the concepts and terminology necessary for linguistic analysis
• Apply knowledge to analyze linguistic data
• Develop skills in phonetic transcription, morphological analysis, and syntactic analysis

Contents

• Introduction to linguistics: language, linguaggio, and segno linguistico
• Phonetics and phonology: sounds of languages, phonetic transcription, and phonological analysis
• Morphology: word structure, morphemes, and morphological processes
• Syntax: sentence structure and syntactic analysis
• Glottologia: language classification, language change, and linguistic typology

Prerequisites

There are no specific prerequisites for this program.

Teaching Methods

The program includes both lectures and exercises. The lectures introduce the theoretical foundations of linguistics, while the exercises provide practical experience in linguistic analysis.

Program/Content

The program covers the following topics:

• Linguistica generale: introduction to linguistics, phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax
• Glottologia: language classification, language change, and linguistic typology

Texts/Bibliography

• Gaetano Berruto and Massimo Cerruti, La linguistica. Un corso introduttivo (2017)
• Slides and notes from the lectures
• Optional texts for further study:
  • Nicola Grandi, Fondamenti di tipologia linguistica (2014)
  • Nicola Grandi and Francesca Masini (eds.), Tutto ciò che hai sempre voluto sapere sul linguaggio e sulle lingue (2017)
  • Maria Napoli, Linguistica diacronica. La prospettiva tipologica (2019)

Teachers and Commissions

The program is taught by Francesca Strik Lievers, with the support of Chiara Fedriani.

Lessons

The lessons start on September 29, 2025, and take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Exams

The exam consists of a written test with exercises in phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax, as well as questions on linguistic theory and history.

Other Information

Students with disabilities or special educational needs are encouraged to contact the professor at the beginning of the course to discuss accommodations and support.