Programme

Syntactic comprehension in monolingual and bilingual contexts.

In this seminar we will discuss case studies illustrating some key aspects of syntactic processing in monolingual and bilingual contexts. Building on the fundamental distinction between linguistic competence vs. linguistic performance we will consider how the language user builds a syntactic analysis during sentence comprehension in real time and how this process may differ in the context of bilingualism. We will consider different factors affecting syntactic performance in the bilingual situation such as age of acquisition and proficiency level and will touch on important issues in contemporary bilingualism and second language research such as the issue of ultimate attainment and the repertoire of syntactic strategies deployed for the purpose of syntactic comprehension.

Prof. Artur Stepanov

Introduction to Syntactic Microvariation.

This course will introduce the study of syntactic microvariation (or ‘microcomparative syntax’) and its implication to understand the architecture of the human faculty of language with Universal Grammar as a theory about possible human languages (and how they can be acquired). We will account for microvariation in syntax by applying the formal theoretical concepts of generative grammar to the ‘small’, differences between closely related language variants as they are typically found in dialectal data. The discussion will lead us to propose a classification of dialects focusing on the range and (limits) of variation between varieties: the features found in the dialectal variation and the configuration of features that never appears in microvariation. We will present data mainly linked on the variation of agreement (lack or doubling) morphology in the nominal and in the verbal domains mainly in romance languages which show rich agreement morphology. We will also compare the variation in related languages to the variation found in the acquisition of language (L1 speaker): we will support the idea that some stages in the process of acquisition of a language are similar to dialectal variation. The students will be introduced to different approaches to microvariation either the ones which emphasize the role of Syntax (Kayne 2000) or the one which are based on lexical parametrization (Manzini & Wexler 1988, Manzini & Savoia 2007, 2011).

Dr. Paolo Lorusso, Dr. Angelo Variano

Sociolinguistics and Multilingualism.

In this course, attention will be focused on the concept of variation in sociolinguistics. In particular, certain variational characteristics relating to language in relation to society will be observed. When we refer to society, we are talking about a community that in many perspectives (age, gender, cultural background) is made up of different people, who nonetheless share a language. Although that language is not used in the same way. This does not only concern people living within the same nation, but also in the same city or in border areas between one nation and another. Our aim is to show a general view of this variation and then focus our reflection on the different relationships that members of a community establish with their own language or with several languages at the same time. We will start with general information on language and society, on the sociolinguistic characteristics of a society and then show particular Italian and German case studies of linguistic variation between the language considered standard and its different varieties in different contexts of multilingualism.

Dr. Angelo Variano, Dr. Paolo Lorusso

Pragmatic aspects in multilingual communication: what experimental research tells us.

This course will discuss how communicating in two or more languages might impact multiple cognitive domains and how this can have an effect on pragmatic abilities. We will move from studies in the field of Experimental Pragmatics, discussing the most recent theories in the field and examining the apparently discordant empirical data. We will discuss the pragmatic advantages and disadvantages of bilinguals and we will analyze the different methodological choices that we must consider when designing a study with this population. Is it enough to speak about “bilinguals”? Does proficiency play a role? How to test L2 proficiency? We will answer these kinds of questions and we will discuss potential future directions in the field. At the end of the course you will understand that there are many aspects yet to be defined and studied on the topic of bilingualism and pragmatics, a topic that is becoming more and more important in this multicultural and multilingual world we live in.

Dr. Greta Mazzaggio

Implications for semantic universals from cross-linguistic variation.

Quantifier meanings are standardly analysed as having the status of semantic universals. Recent findings, however, suggest the existence of cross-linguistic variation both in the lexical meanings of quantifiers and in the way their interpretations are pragmatically enriched. This seminar focuses on the impact of L1 on semantic and pragmatic processing of L2 in the case of the closed class of quantifiers. We will address the question of negative transfer in acquisition, and will evaluate the impact of grammar complexity on the cases of transfer. Negative transfer will also be explored in the domain of numerocity. More specifically, we will discuss language differences in the interpretation of plural morphology and the role of second language proficiency as a factor in recovering from transferring semantic properties of L1 into L2.

Prof. Penka Stateva

Prosody and Discourse Structure in native and second language: Hands on Research using Praat.

This course focuses on the interplay between the speech sciences and the cognitive sciences, addressing the processing and acquisition of prosodic contours in Second Language (L2) Learning.

We will introduce the theoretical framework of Autosegmental Metric Theory of Intonation and ToBI annotation, and we will cover the key notions of signal processing and speech analysis with a hands-on-research practical session, adopting the open-source software PRAAT.

Furthermore, we will present studies targeting the cross-linguistic production of prosodic contours, focusing on the production of native speakers and L2 learners.

Finally, we will address the behavioral and neurophysiological cognitive studies on the auditory processing of prosodic contours, targeting native speakers and L2 learners, and targeting the linguistic and paralinguistic function of pitch in speech. It is suggested to have a laptop and headphones, and to download the software PRAAT at one of the following links:

windows: http://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/download_win.html

macintosh: http://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/download_mac.html

linux: http://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/download_linux.html

Dr. Alessandra Zappoli

Researching Multilingualism: Sociolinguistic and Ethnographic Perspectives

In this session, the focus will be on multilingualism in Latvia. I will first provide an overview of the general situation of languages in Latvia in the context of the Baltic states, i.e. also Estonia and Lithuania. Then, I will introduce the audience to my latest research (methodologies and data). The topics will include language policies at the state level, in educational and in individual families. In this context, the seminar will discuss oppositions between ideologies on languages and multilingual realities in Latvia, as well as become familiar with societal discourses on language use in different domains, e.g., at schools and with regard to public signs (linguistic landscapes).

Prof. Sanita Martena