2015/2016

2015/2016

DM270

L-LIN/01 (GLOTTOLOGY AND LINGUISTICS)

DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES

THEORETICAL AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS; LINGUISTICS AND MODERN LANGUAGES

PERCORSO COMUNE

1°

1st semester (21/09/2015 - 23/12/2015)

6

36 lesson hours

Italian. Lectures may be given in English if students not fluent in Italian attend the course.

ORAL TEST

ROMA ELISA (titolare) - 6 ECTS

Students are expected to have basic knowledge of general linguistics (phonology, morphology, syntax) and of comparative Indo-European linguistics. They are also expected to be able to read dedicated literature in English and Italian, although lectures may be given in English if students not fluent in Italian attend the course.

The course grants the basics for the study of ancient and modern Celtic languages. Some internal and external comparison between Celtic languages will be done in a historical vein reading and analysing some brief texts in ancient and medieval Celtic languages. Particular attention will be paid to the linguistic features of the Celtic languages which make them unparallelled among Indo-European languages (initial mutations and VSO word order).

Introduction to Ancient and Modern Celtic languages
In the first part of the course the genetic relationships between all attested Celtic languages, both ancient and modern, still spoken and extinct, will be dealt with, dwelling on their attestations and historical phases. Particular attention will be paid to the relationship between Continental and Insular Celtic languages. A few Continental Celtic texts will be read.
In the second part of the course a basic description of the morphophonology and morphosyntax of Old Irish will be the focus (initial mutations, nominal and verbal inflection, word order), so that in the last part of the course some Old Irish texts (Glosses, Proverbs, Homilies, Epics, Lyrics) will be read, analysed and translated. Part of the translation will be done as a pratical exercise during the lessons, using the Dictionary of the Irish Language online.
If time permits, brief portions of Middle Welsh prose texts will also be commented upon.

Lectures

Lecture Notes: Le lingue celtiche (the Notes will be provided at the beginning of the course on the website Kiro, http://elearning4.unipv.it/umanistici/, and will contain the texts listed below).
D. Willis, "Old and Middle Welsh", in M. J. Ball/ N. Müller (eds.), The Celtic Languages. London, Routledge 2009: 117-160.

Texts (text portions and poems will be chosen during the lessons):

W. Stokes & J. Strachan, Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus. II vols., Cambridge 1901-03 [repr. Dublin, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies].
K. Meyer, The Triads of Ireland, London, Hodges Figgis 1906 (online edition, CELT 2008, http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T103006/index.html).
G. Murphy, Early Irish Lyrics. Oxford University Press 1956 [paperback reprint, Dublin, Four Courts Press 1998].
W. Stokes, Félire Óengusso Céli Dé. The Martyrology of Oengus the Culdee. London, Henry Bradshaw Society 1905 [repr. Dublin, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies 1984].
T. Charles-Edwards & F. Kelly, Bechbretha. An Old Irish Law-tract on bee-keeping. Dublin, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies 1983.
R. Thurneysen, Scéla Mucce Meic Dathó. Dublin, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies 1935 (online edition CELT 2001, 2010,
http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G301016/index.html).
C. O'Rahilly, Táin Bó Cúailnge from the Book of Leinster. Dublin, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies 1967.
I. Williams, Pedeir Keinc y Mabinogi, Cardiff, Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru 1930 (online edition, Titus 2005, http://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/celt/mcymr/pkm/pkm.htm).

a) For students in Classical Studies:

J. Eska, "The emergence of the Celtic languages", in M. J. Ball/ N. Müller (eds.), The Celtic Languages. London, Routledge 2009: 22-27.
J. Eska/ D. Ellis Evans, "Continental Celtic", in M. J. Ball/ N. Müller (eds.), The Celtic Languages. London, Routledge 2009: 28-54.
K. McCone, "L'irlandese antico e la sua preistoria". Alessandria, Dell'Orso 2005 [it. translation of An tSean-Ghaeilge agus a Réamhstair, in K. McCone? et alii (eds.), Stair na Gaeilge, Maynooth 1994: 61-219] : Fonologia [pp. 27-77], La composizione verbale [pp. 240-258], Pronomi e marche relative [pp. 258-285].

b) For students in Modern Studies:

J. Fife, "Typological aspects of the Celtic languages", in M. J. Ball/ N. Müller eds.), The Celtic Languages. London, Routledge 2009: 3-21.
One of the following chapters: "Irish", "Scottish Gaelic", "Welsh" or "Breton", chosen from the second or third part of M. J. Ball/ N. Müller (eds.), The Celtic Languages. London, Routledge 2009.
One chapter from the fourth part of M. J. Ball/ N. Müller (eds.), The Celtic Languages (London, Routledge 2009), which deals with the sociolinguistics of the language the chapter chosen by the student describes.

Students who cannot attend lessons should be able to translate some text portions on their own and are therefore requested to contact the lecturer (also by e-mail).

Oral examination. Candidates should be able to discuss at least one descriptive-theoretical topic and to translate and analyse from a linguistic point of view some brief text portions. Examinations may be in Italian or English according to the student's wish.

Oral examination. Candidates should be able to discuss at least one descriptive-theoretical topic and to translate and analyse from a linguistic point of view some brief text portions. Examinations may be in Italian or English according to the student's wish.