Learning objectives

On completion of this course, students: – will have acquired contents of Spanish linguistics, in particular variational, in a synchronic and diachronic perspective; – will be able to recognize and apply the treated aspects to the analysis of written texts or oral productions; - will be familiar with the main resources of the Hispanic variational linguistics, including digital ones. Furthermore, C2 language level of competence in Spanish (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is also required.

Prerequisites and basic notions

Knowledge and skills related to Spanish language and linguistics acquired during the BA.
Spanish proficiency level C2 is a prerequisite for sitting the final exam; it corresponds to 3 out of 9 CFU awarded by this course. Proficiency level validation is based on certificates issued by the Centro Linguistico di Ateneo (CLA) or by Instituto Cervantes (the DELE certificate must be validated by CLA and published in the appropriate platform) and it is a requirement for the exam with the lecturer for “Lengua y Lingüística españolas”. C2 certificates obtained at the CLA after 1st October 2024 are valid for three years.

Program

This course is dedicated to the diatopic variation of Spanish, with particular reference to its Hispano-American varieties.
The approaches of dialectology and linguistic geography will be presented and applied to the analysis of texts and case studies. Moreover, during the course students will learn to know and use the tools —including digital ones— specific to these disciplines.
Topics:
1)
– Linguistic variation in its diatopic dimension: epistemological foundations and origins of its study.
– Dialectology and linguistic geography as fields of research in the Hispanic context: an overview.
– Tools: corpora; differential dictionaries and dictionaries of varieties; linguistic atlases.
– Varieties of Spanish in Spain and in African and Asian areas.
2)
– Spanish in/of America: classification theories.
– Characterisation of the main American varieties and linguistic commentary of texts.
In addition to the contents taught during the course, there will be practical analysis of written and oral documents that allow students to understand and apply the concepts taught in class.

Didactic methods

Lessons with theoretical and practical content and individual and/or group work.
N.B.: there is one syllabus for attending students (min. 75% attendance) and one for non-attending students.
Methods of teaching support:
Guidelines and teaching materials will be uploaded in the Moodle platform of the module. In addition, the lecturer is available during his office hours for support, which can also be arranged via ZOOM if necessary.
Finally, specific support and tutoring activities are available for inclusion and accessibility, with particular regard to the Language and Literature courses in the French, English, Russian, Spanish and German areas. More information will be available on the Department's webpage.

Learning assessment procedures

For students who attend classes regularly, there will be an intermediate written test, an in-progress assessment, and a final oral discussion in Spanish to be taken during the examination dates. Examination topics: theoretical and practical questions covered during the lectures; bibliography for attending students; teaching materials and texts used during the lectures.

For non-attending students, the examination consists of a 90-minute written test in Spanish, to be taken during the examination dates. The test will consist of open questions. Examination topics: bibliography for non-attending students.

All students, and in particular non-attending students, are invited to submit their doubts to the lecturer during his office hours.

All the published information also applies to Erasmus students, who are in any case invited to contact the lecturer at the beginning of the course.

Evaluation criteria

Breadth of knowledge and skills acquired; clarity and precision of answers; linguistic and terminological accuracy, effectiveness of the expression.
Answers must be formulated in Spanish, with a level of language use appropriate to a master's degree program.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The final mark in thirtieths will be obtained from the arithmetic mean between the mark in the written test, which must in any case be equal to or higher than 18/30, and the language proficiency mark (converted into thirtieths according to the indications in the "Vademecum for students of Foreign Languages and Literature").
The results will be communicated to those enrolled in the test via the ESSE3 platform.

Exam language

Spagnolo