Linguistics

This course provides an overview of the evolution of the English language from its origins to the 15th century. Topics include: the emergence of English; appearance of Old English varieties; Old English spelling, sounds, and grammar; resurgence of a new English; lexical influx in the late Middle Ages-- innovations and change; English texts from the early Middle Ages; consolidation of English.

Pre-requisites: The student must have a basic knowledge of the main linguistic concepts and a level of general skills suitable for reading and interpreting articles, analyzing data or extracting and communicating relevant conclusions. 

This course discusses how languages are related to one another and how they change over time. It provides familiarization with reconstruction and the comparison method, as well as the importance of analogy in the shaping of language histories. The course gives an introduction to descriptive and theoretical aspects of historical linguistics, covering phonetic, phonological, morphological and syntactic change with data from European and non-European languages.

This course is an introduction to three main areas of linguistics: (1) language variation and change, (2) multilingualism, bilingualism and second language acquisition/learning, and (3) speech and language processing, from the perspectives of the human and machine. The first area explores how languages vary in different social and geographic contexts and how language can change over time. The second illustrates the difference between individual and social multilingualism and discusses patterns of language learning in monolinguals, bi/multilinguals, and heritage language learners. The third focuses on speech and language processing, by human and machine.

This phonetics course is divided into two main parts: voice analysis and voice synthesis. In the first part, it offers an introduction to the acoustic analysis of sound signals using computer software. It analyzes the segmental and suprasegmental properties of speech sounds, the relationships linking the acoustic component to the articulatory and perceptual components, and examines the complex relationships between the phonic continuum and the perception of meaning. The second section examines the various models and procedures applied to voice synthesis for both theoretical and practical purposes.

This course is intended primarily for students majoring in Korean Language and Literature, therefore full fluency in Korean is required as the course focuses on structural and analytical understanding rather than pronunciation practice.  

This course introduces the study of Korean speech sounds, covering the phonetic characteristics of Korean using scientific methods, including acoustic analysis with Praat. Students analyze and explore how these sounds differ from those in other languages, especially English. Students also identify and describe the articulatory and acoustic properties of Korean vowels and consonants. Students gain both practical analysis skills and insights into cross-linguistic sound patterns.  

This course introduces the basics of text-generative AI, including what is a large language model, how chatbots like ChatGPT work, what ethical questions are raised by the new technologies, and what people use AI tools for. It also introduces the field of sociolinguistics, the study of social worlds through language. It considers the central theoretical concepts and methods in this field and how can they be used to study how AI is transforming language, text and social worlds in contemporary society. The course is based on the AI-UNI research project, which explores how generative language technologies are used as part of academic practices. Using this research project as a starting point, the course explores how AI tools are changing the sociolinguistic landscape in various societal domains. The emphasis is on language use in educational settings and research, but it also looks at the role of AI in other contexts – from intercultural communication in healthcare settings to text production in translation companies.

This course offers a general perspective of the basic concepts of pragmatics and discourse studies, and their application to the analysis of discourse in English. It examines samples of naturally occurring discourse and text. This course also discusses a wide variety of current issues and topics within the field.

This course discusses language in classical and contemporary sociological theory. It also provides a preliminary understanding of how language is studied in fields outside of sociology, including linguistics, sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, and history. It covers the role of language in social life, challenging its traditional marginalization within sociology. While language is often treated as a reflection of race, class, and gender, the course examines how it actively constructs these and other social and symbolic boundaries. It also explores why language has been largely left to fields such as linguistics and linguistic anthropology, and argues for sociology’s distinct contribution to its study. Drawing on interdisciplinary readings and recent sociological research, the course analyzes language as a key force in shaping social relations and social change. Students design a research project on an original case of their own choosing.

The course provides an introduction to Linguistics, the scientific study of language, with the objective to allow student to better understand the dynamics involved in verbal communication. In particular, students acquire basic knowledge about speech sounds and their mental representation, words' morphological structure, word-formation processes, semantic relations, and the composition of the lexicon, with examples relating primarily, but not exclusively, to English and Italian. In addition, students are given the tools needed to recognize and classify linguistic variation, and to identify the main factors involved in transmitting and decoding non-literal meanings. Finally, some essential linguistic profiles are drafted, and in doing so students learn to recognize salient linguistic features and learn methodologies useful to critically analyze texts. 

With the emergence of AI, there are endless translation tools that you can use online. Chat GPT, DeepL, Google Translate, Papago, are among many tools that are available to us today. We explore critical questions about why and how translation studies and practice can still benefit us, such as: Why study translation theory when these tools are readily available? How can we most effectively utilize these tools? What can literary scholars contribute to the development of translation tools? How can we apply our theoretical knowledge to enhance existing tools or develop new ones? We study translation theories from the 19th-21st century and practice various types of translation. 

Through this course, each student develops their own translation strategies while gaining a deeper understanding of diverse translation strategies and styles. We translate for different kinds of readership, learning to utilize methods accordingly. This course provides an overview of fundamental translation theories and methods, as well as hands-on experience in translating literary works.  

We read a wide variety of essays, statements, and criticisms on translation methods and philosophy, and apply these ideas to our own translations. Together, we examine translation’s role in world literature and how various translation modes affect readers’ understanding and experience of texts. Students develop both practical translation skills and the ability to appreciate translated literature from a reader’s perspective. Regular in-class workshops provide opportunities for students to produce and share their translations with fellow classmates. 

Note: Students should have proficiency in a source language other than English.