ITAL 4430 - History of the Italian Language through Literature

This course will explore the development of the modern Italian language from spoken Latin and the cultural debates around linguistic issues that have shaped Italian language and culture from the Middle Ages to the present day. Through the linguistic analysis of literary and non-literary texts, students will examine the following: the relationship of the Italian language with Latin and with the numerous regional languages (dialetti) spoken in Italy; the linguistic influence of the Tuscan dialect; the interplay between written and spoken varieties of Italian; the political dimensions of language use in Italy; and how gender, age, socioeconomic status influence the modern spoken and written Italian today.

Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ITAL 2002 or placement by the Department of Modern Languages

Hours:
3