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Short Papers by Francesco Forlizzi

The aspects exposed here are an oversimplification of highly debated issues in the two fields. Th... more The aspects exposed here are an oversimplification of highly debated issues in the two fields. The controversies take place not only between the two frameworks, but also within them. This extremely brief presentation is meant to show only the general characters and the main premises of the two parts involved in the long standing discussion.

Papers, Essays by Francesco Forlizzi

Phases are one of the latest theoretical and technical innovations in the generative-minimalist e... more Phases are one of the latest theoretical and technical innovations in the generative-minimalist enterprise. Considered as one of the most fundamental properties of Narrow Syntax, their importance has spread to the domains of the interfaces as well. This paper presents some of the basic issues regarding the status of phases as such, their internal structure, which phrase categories are phases and which could be, how to diagnose their "phasehood" , whether the transfer to the interfaces can be non-simultaneous between LF and PF. Also, how phases interact with the conceptual system, as well as some observations on the role of Case in driving phases.

The present paper reviews some of the main theories attempting to assign the locus of Syntactic S... more The present paper reviews some of the main theories attempting to assign the locus of Syntactic SLI to certain specific modules of cognition, also discussing how to better connect minimalist theory with mental architecture. It shows that approaches which assign the deficit to phonological processing, or either to the core computational system of UG, fail to fully explain the data observed by the literature. It argues that since the impairments found in SLI children are extremely constrained, not targeting the whole set of principle of the Language Faculty, then the defi cit itself must be limited to some small mechanism. In particular, Merge, or recursion, the core property of UG, cannot be the locus of the impairment because it would otherwise yield many other diffculties in the overall architecture of language, not to mention issues with hierarchical processing in other cognitive faculties as well. The paper concludes that a potential locus of the defi cit could be the derivational burden imposed on the interface with working memory, as proposed by Jakubowicz. Relationships with other types of SLI, such as PragSLI, and how they can be kept apart, and issues of research design are also explored and discussed.

This essay presents a brief overview of the current research regarding the relationship between l... more This essay presents a brief overview of the current research regarding the relationship between language and thought developed within the linguistic relativity framework, with particular reference to the investigations on bilinguals.

The aim of this essay is to explore the employment of the thought experiment, with reference to P... more The aim of this essay is to explore the employment of the thought experiment, with reference to Plato's model, in the Renaissance utopian literature, both as a means of philosophical inquiry and as a literary device. Starting with the analysis of the structure and the literary configuration of Plato's thought experiments in the Republic, we will show the peculiarities of this fundamental element of the Renaissance utopian genre. Through the analysis of Francis Bacon's New Atlantis and Tommaso Campanella's The City of the Sun, the main objective of this research is to understand how the model of the thought experiment established by Plato was elaborated in the early modern age. In particular it will be demonstrated how the construction of imagined ideal cities can constitute a remarkable case of interface between literature and philosophy of science. In this way it will be possible to evaluate if the utopian worlds described could be interpreted as a distinctive “research program” or a smart rhetorical and literary device within the overall contemporary intellectual and theoretical ideology.

The aim of this essay is to give an account of the nature and impact of the third-person narrator... more The aim of this essay is to give an account of the nature and impact of the third-person narrator as in Nineteenth-Century English literature. Through the analysis of Jane Austen's 'Persuasion' (1818) and Elizabeth Gaskell's 'North and South' (1855) it will be examined how an intelligent manipulation of this narrative technique can lead to new experimental forms of expression in novels. Taking advantage of Seymour Chatman's approach in 'Story and Discourse' (1978) the essay examines the structural features of the third-person narrator in the two texts, and how those features merge with other textual elements to communicate something new. While in 'Persuasion' the female heroine struggles between the analysis of social issues and, at the same time, the aim towards romantic-poetic forms of imagination, in 'North and South' there is a study of the causal relationships between the characters' psyches and their social ideologies. The essay ultimately addresses some major theoretical implications about this type of narratological analysis.

This short essay, written for a first-year undergraduate Modern History class, attempts to questi... more This short essay, written for a first-year undergraduate Modern History class, attempts to question the origin of the artistic phenomena under Stalinism, focusing in particular on cinema.

La presente ricerca si pone come obiettivo di esaminare il concetto di 'realismo', a partire dagl... more La presente ricerca si pone come obiettivo di esaminare il concetto di 'realismo', a partire dagli studi di Auerbach, all'interno dell'opera dantesca e, quindi, procedere con il sostenere la tesi secondo cui l'intera opera può essere considerata, prendendo in prestito un concetto dalla filologia classica, una enciclopedia tribale della società medievale: una fonte sui codici culturali e sociali della civiltà e del momento storico
in cui l'opera è stata prodotta.

Class Presentations by Francesco Forlizzi

The presentation deals with the interaction between two different semantic features, indefinitene... more The presentation deals with the interaction between two different semantic features, indefiniteness and specificity, how specificity can be treated as a sublcass of indefiniteness, and how it can be triggered by the presence of a relative clause. Then it focuses on whether the difference between indefinite-specific and indefinite-non specific could constitute a form of variation in the conceptual system.

This presentation aims at giving some insights and suggestions about the process of second langua... more This presentation aims at giving some insights and suggestions about the process of second language acquisition/learning to people who do not have any previous knowledge of language sciences and language teaching. Both cognitive and cultural aspects of language learning and teaching are explored. The presentation concludes with a list of suggestions about some factors that are commonly ignored by unaware learners.

Thesis Chapters by Francesco Forlizzi

Politics & Economics (Non Academic) by Francesco Forlizzi

The aspects exposed here are an oversimplification of highly debated issues in the two fields. Th... more The aspects exposed here are an oversimplification of highly debated issues in the two fields. The controversies take place not only between the two frameworks, but also within them. This extremely brief presentation is meant to show only the general characters and the main premises of the two parts involved in the long standing discussion.

Phases are one of the latest theoretical and technical innovations in the generative-minimalist e... more Phases are one of the latest theoretical and technical innovations in the generative-minimalist enterprise. Considered as one of the most fundamental properties of Narrow Syntax, their importance has spread to the domains of the interfaces as well. This paper presents some of the basic issues regarding the status of phases as such, their internal structure, which phrase categories are phases and which could be, how to diagnose their "phasehood" , whether the transfer to the interfaces can be non-simultaneous between LF and PF. Also, how phases interact with the conceptual system, as well as some observations on the role of Case in driving phases.

The present paper reviews some of the main theories attempting to assign the locus of Syntactic S... more The present paper reviews some of the main theories attempting to assign the locus of Syntactic SLI to certain specific modules of cognition, also discussing how to better connect minimalist theory with mental architecture. It shows that approaches which assign the deficit to phonological processing, or either to the core computational system of UG, fail to fully explain the data observed by the literature. It argues that since the impairments found in SLI children are extremely constrained, not targeting the whole set of principle of the Language Faculty, then the defi cit itself must be limited to some small mechanism. In particular, Merge, or recursion, the core property of UG, cannot be the locus of the impairment because it would otherwise yield many other diffculties in the overall architecture of language, not to mention issues with hierarchical processing in other cognitive faculties as well. The paper concludes that a potential locus of the defi cit could be the derivational burden imposed on the interface with working memory, as proposed by Jakubowicz. Relationships with other types of SLI, such as PragSLI, and how they can be kept apart, and issues of research design are also explored and discussed.

This essay presents a brief overview of the current research regarding the relationship between l... more This essay presents a brief overview of the current research regarding the relationship between language and thought developed within the linguistic relativity framework, with particular reference to the investigations on bilinguals.

The aim of this essay is to explore the employment of the thought experiment, with reference to P... more The aim of this essay is to explore the employment of the thought experiment, with reference to Plato's model, in the Renaissance utopian literature, both as a means of philosophical inquiry and as a literary device. Starting with the analysis of the structure and the literary configuration of Plato's thought experiments in the Republic, we will show the peculiarities of this fundamental element of the Renaissance utopian genre. Through the analysis of Francis Bacon's New Atlantis and Tommaso Campanella's The City of the Sun, the main objective of this research is to understand how the model of the thought experiment established by Plato was elaborated in the early modern age. In particular it will be demonstrated how the construction of imagined ideal cities can constitute a remarkable case of interface between literature and philosophy of science. In this way it will be possible to evaluate if the utopian worlds described could be interpreted as a distinctive “research program” or a smart rhetorical and literary device within the overall contemporary intellectual and theoretical ideology.

The aim of this essay is to give an account of the nature and impact of the third-person narrator... more The aim of this essay is to give an account of the nature and impact of the third-person narrator as in Nineteenth-Century English literature. Through the analysis of Jane Austen's 'Persuasion' (1818) and Elizabeth Gaskell's 'North and South' (1855) it will be examined how an intelligent manipulation of this narrative technique can lead to new experimental forms of expression in novels. Taking advantage of Seymour Chatman's approach in 'Story and Discourse' (1978) the essay examines the structural features of the third-person narrator in the two texts, and how those features merge with other textual elements to communicate something new. While in 'Persuasion' the female heroine struggles between the analysis of social issues and, at the same time, the aim towards romantic-poetic forms of imagination, in 'North and South' there is a study of the causal relationships between the characters' psyches and their social ideologies. The essay ultimately addresses some major theoretical implications about this type of narratological analysis.

This short essay, written for a first-year undergraduate Modern History class, attempts to questi... more This short essay, written for a first-year undergraduate Modern History class, attempts to question the origin of the artistic phenomena under Stalinism, focusing in particular on cinema.

La presente ricerca si pone come obiettivo di esaminare il concetto di 'realismo', a partire dagl... more La presente ricerca si pone come obiettivo di esaminare il concetto di 'realismo', a partire dagli studi di Auerbach, all'interno dell'opera dantesca e, quindi, procedere con il sostenere la tesi secondo cui l'intera opera può essere considerata, prendendo in prestito un concetto dalla filologia classica, una enciclopedia tribale della società medievale: una fonte sui codici culturali e sociali della civiltà e del momento storico
in cui l'opera è stata prodotta.

The presentation deals with the interaction between two different semantic features, indefinitene... more The presentation deals with the interaction between two different semantic features, indefiniteness and specificity, how specificity can be treated as a sublcass of indefiniteness, and how it can be triggered by the presence of a relative clause. Then it focuses on whether the difference between indefinite-specific and indefinite-non specific could constitute a form of variation in the conceptual system.

This presentation aims at giving some insights and suggestions about the process of second langua... more This presentation aims at giving some insights and suggestions about the process of second language acquisition/learning to people who do not have any previous knowledge of language sciences and language teaching. Both cognitive and cultural aspects of language learning and teaching are explored. The presentation concludes with a list of suggestions about some factors that are commonly ignored by unaware learners.