L00951 - LANGUAGE AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION

courses

ID:

L00951

Duration (hours):

36

CFU:

SSD:

GLOTTOLOGIA E LINGUISTICA

Located in:

PESCARA

Url:

Course Details:

LINGUISTIC MEDIATION AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION/CORSO GENERICO Year: 2

Course Details:

LINGUISTIC MEDIATION AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION/CORSO GENERICO Year: 3

Year:

2025

Course Catalogue:

https://unich.coursecatalogue.cineca.it/af/2025?co...

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (01/10/2025 - 15/01/2026)

Course Objectives

The course aims at presenting the main issues related to the use of language as a communication tool, with particular reference to the Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC). Students will learn the main theoretical tools for the study of languages as diasystems and will be able to apply them to the analysis of the different language varieties that can be found on the Web. Furthermore, they will be aware of the potential of using textual data from the Web to investigate linguistic phenomena at the different levels of linguistic analysis.

Course Prerequisites

Having already followed the course in General Linguistics and passed the exam would be preferable.

Teaching Methods

Lectures.
Some lessons may be reserved for the presentation of thematic in-depth studies by students.

Assessment Methods

Oral exam.
The oral exam assesses the notions acquired, the ability to link them together, competences, capacity for argumentation, relevance and completeness of answers, language property, and the correct use of the technical language of the discipline. The student is also asked to carry out a brief individual study of one of the topics covered during the course through the study of a work chosen from among those recommended (to be previously discussed with the teacher).

Texts

Giuliana Fiorentino, Variabilità linguistica. Temi e metodi della ricerca, Roma: Carocci, 2018.
Elena Pistolesi, L’italiano del web: social network, blog & co., Firenze: Franco Cesati Editore, 2022.
Materials available on the e-learning platform.
Further readings will be communicated during the course.

The course will be divided into three parts. In the first, introductory part, the relationship between human language and communication and languages as instruments of communication will be briefly discussed. To this purpose, some general notions of semiotics will be provided, and a classification of the different types of signs, with a special focus on the linguistic sign, and the main models of the communicative act will be presented. The second part of the course will be devoted to linguistic variation and the study of languages as diasystems: some central issues in sociolinguistic investigation will be addressed, such as the study of the dimensions of linguistic variation, the interaction between language change and variation, and the dynamics of language contact, with a special focus on the categories of analysis helpful for the study of new language varieties related to the most recent means of communication. Finally, the third part of the course will be dedicated to the relationship between linguistic analysis and digital communication, with particular (though not exclusive) reference to the Italian situation. We will analyse the problems related to the placement of digital varieties within the linguistic diasystems and the role of the Web as a source of linguistic data and a privileged field of investigation on the phenomena of ongoing language change.

Course Language

Italian

More information

Attendance is strongly recommended. Although the program is the same for both attending and non-attending students, non-attending students are encouraged to contact the teacher.