Corso di laurea magistrale in
Culture moderne comparate

The course aims at providing the conceptual tools required by the analysis of the grammatical structures of German and of its varieties as they developed under the influence of language contact, paying particular attention to the diachronic processes of grammaticalization. Furthermore, the course intends to foster the students' concrete work on German and on its varieties as minority languages in Italy.

The students will be required to provide a characterization of the phenomena of language contact concerning German and his varieties, considering the contact-induced processes of grammaticalization, especially in the cases in which German is a minority language. Moreover, the students will be required to outline the main questions and issues relating to German and to its varieties as minority languages in Italy.

Lessons (36 hrs. –  6 CFU) taught in classroom with the support of electronic technologies (slides and further materials) stimulating the students’ direct participation. Furthermore, during the course the students are expected to prepare an oral presentation on a particular subject.

Knowledge and skills will be verified by means of an oral examination based on questions. The preparation will be considered adequate (with a vote expressed in a scale from 18 to 30), if the students will demonstrate to express themselves in an appropriate way using the necessary terminology; if they will show familiarity with the various topics and problems discussed during the course in an autonomous way – i.e., without depending in a pedestrian way on the presentation of the topics offered by the texts; if – among these – they will be able to point out relations and interdependencies; if they will be able to consider them at their respective level of analysis, domain and conceptual relevance. At any rate, in order to be admitted to the examination, it will be necessary to pass the test for the language certification (test of lectorate).

The annual course of lectorate is conceived as a support for preparing the written test for the language certification which has to be passed before the oral examination. For information please contact Georg Maag (georg.maag@unito.it).

Language contact and its influence on the diachronic development of German. Contact-induced processes of grammaticalization, especially in the cases in which German is a minority language. German-speaking minorities in Italy.

The following texts will be used:

C. M. Riehl, Sprachkontaktforschung. Eine Einführung, Tübingen: Narr, 2013.

R. Szczepaniak, Grammatikalisierung im Deutschen. Eine Einführung, Tübingen: Narr, 2011.

M. Pfister, "Italienisch und Rätoromanisch/Deutsch", in Werner Besch, Anne Betten, Oskar Reichmann, Stefan Sonderegger (eds.), Sprachgeschichte. Ein Handbuch zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und ihrer Erforschung, 2nd ed., 2004, vol. 4, pp. 3203-3218.

During the course, the parts of these texts will be specified which have to be prepared for the examination. Further references will be indicated at the beginning of the course and made accessible at my personal website. The materials downloadable at my personal website, and in particular the slides presented in the classroom, are also part of the examination program.

The course is open to all students.

The students are required to display a basic knowledge of German (level B2 of the European reference frame).

Students who take this course as Further Language Skills (TAF E-F) must prepare only the test for the language certification.

For any information the students are kindly requested to consult my personal website.