Programme

The course focuses on the relationship between language and narrative from a cognitive and evolutionary point of view. In contrast to the theories considering the sentence as the essence of language, the course suggests an interpretative hypothesis based on the priority of discourse over sentence; specifically, it is suggested that the ability to tell stories is the distinctive trait both of language and human nature.
The course includes experimental activities aimed at supporting the theoretical model proposed.

Core Documentation

Mandatory books:
- Corballis M. (2020, in stampa), La verità sul linguaggio, Carocci, Roma (in uscita ad aprile 2020)
- Scott-Phillips (2017) Dì quello che hai in mente. Le origini della comunicazione umana, Carocci, Roma
- Caruana F., Borghi A. (2016) Il cervello in azione, Il Mulino, Bologna

Type of evaluation

Oral exam