Applied Linguistics: Theoretical Principles and Applications to the Italian Language



This course offers an introduction to linguistics across multiple fields of application, with a specific focus on the Italian language. Students explore foundational concepts in functional linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and language acquisition, developing both theoretical understanding and the ability to apply these frameworks critically to real linguistic phenomena.

Topics covered across the six weeks are organized into four thematic areas. The course opens with the foundations of linguistics and applied linguistics, exploring structuralism, generativism, functional linguistics, and psycholinguistic theories of language development. It then moves into language acquisition, examining the neurolinguistic model, the concept of bimodality, the distinction between L1, L2, LS, and the bilingual brain. The third area addresses language education and glottology, including the concept of grammar, learning sequences, and interlanguage. Finally, the course covers operational models of second language learning, with attention to teaching approaches and methods, communicative competence, and the role of linguistic input.

The course combines daily theoretical-methodological sessions with practical application. Students engage in individual, pair, and group work, with active participation in class and on Canvas through collaborative tools. Assessment includes online discussions (20%), an individual reflection (10%), weekly checkpoints (15%), a pair/group presentation (30%), and a final individual or paired presentation (25%).