OVERVIEW

The course introduces the concepts of descriptive grammar of the Polish language, aiming to provide students with a theoretical and practical linguistic and cultural foundation that, in terms of communication skills, reaches the A2/B1 level.
The course curriculum covers elements of phonetics, nominal morphological categories (case, number, gender, degree), and verbal categories (tense, person, mood, aspect), as well as some elements of syntax.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at a linguistic preparation which, in relation to communicative competence, reaches the A2 level, in order to allow the student: a) to have a more confident command of the language in a wide range of situations; b) to discuss interactively on practical matters expressing the personal point of view, their agreement or disagreement; c) to describe lived experiences and events as well as future projects, motivating the reasons succinctly; d) to produce a simple text concerning the family environment or the sphere of particular interests.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the course, students are expected to have mastered most of the skills outlined in the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) at the A2 level and some at the B1 level. Students will develop the ability to participate in and interact during conversations, as well as to understand and produce short texts on various topics of daily life (e.g., describing family and other people, living conditions, educational background, and work); they will also be able to find specific and predictable information in everyday materials, such as advertisements, schedules, menus, or timetables. In addition, students will acquire transferable skills such as presentation skills, active listening, action orientation, and teamwork.

From a broader perspective, the course aims to develop the following general objectives: 1) provide quality, equitable, and inclusive education and learning opportunities for everyone; 2) achieve gender equality and empower all women; 3) reduce inequality within and among nations.

PREREQUISITES

The course is primarily intended for students (Italian and/ or foreign) of the II year of Modern Languages ​​and Cultures, who have passed the Polish Language I exam (of the first year). However, it can also be used for other students (e.g. Polish native speakers). Study regulations permitting, the course can also be included in the Study Plan as a 3rd language (free choice or other activities) of 6 CFU.
Other interested students should contact dr Kowalcze to agree on a possible program adapted to their educational needs.

TEACHING METHODS

Theoretical Module: 30 hours of theoretical lectures (I semester) - it is provided for students who choose the course for 9 credits
 

Lecture: 80 hours of language exercises (40 in the first semester and 40 in the second semester) - it is provided for students who choose the course for 6 or 9 credits

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course presents the notions of descriptive grammar most useful in the study of Polish at the A2/B1 level, there including elements of phonetics, phonology, nominal (case, number, gender, degree) and verbal (person, time, aspect, mode) morphological categories, as well as the basics of syntax.

The Lectureship program is balanced between the study of new grammatical topics and the development of lexical and communicative competence. All new grammar topics are placed in the communicative context of the lecture. Due to the use of the communicative and action-oriented approach from the beginning of the course special attention is paid to interaction in the Polish language in everyday life situations at the A2 level. In addition, course participants will be asked to make small oral presentations and regularly write various texts whose themes correspond to the syllabus.

During the lessons of the Theoretical Module, some topics of Polish descriptive grammar drawn from the Lectureship program will be addressed in detail. Specifically, we will focus on the following topics:

1) In the area of nominal inflection:

• the comparison between the forms of nouns and adjectives at: nominative, instrumental, accusative, genitive, locative (singular and plural);
• the comparison of simple prepositions holding: the locative, instrumental, accusative and genitive;
• the personal pronouns al: nominative, instrumental, accusative, genitive and locative;
• the deverbal nouns

2) In the context of verbal inflection:

• Comparing sentences with the verbs lubić and podobać się: function and usage, translation.
• The verbal aspect: usage, function, creation of aspect pairs.
• The feminine and masculine paradigm of the verb mieć powinność
• The past tense of imperfective, perfective and modal verbs
• The future tense of imperfective, perfective and modal verbs
• The imperative mode
• The conditional mode

3) The cardinal numerals from 0 to 10 000 

4) The ordinal numerals

5) The gradation of adjectives

6) The gradation of adverbs

7) Main information about the Polish language and its history based on a bibliography provided by the lecturer at the beginning of the course.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

• M.Foland-Kugler, Grammatica essenziale della lingua polacca, Warszawa 2006.
• L. Gebert, La lingua polacca: storia e particolarità, In: “Quaderni del premio letterario Giuseppe Acerbi. Letteratura polacca”, Verona, Edizioni Fiorini, 2011, pp. 49-56.
• J. Machowska, Gramatyka? Ależ tak!, Universitas, Kraków 2010.
• M. Małolepsza, A. Szymkiewicz, Hurra! Po polsku 2, Prolog, Kraków 2017.
• L. Marinelli, A. Stryjecka, Corso di lingua polacca, Hoepli, Milano 2018.
• I. Stempek, A.Szymkiewicz, Polski krok po kroku 2, Glossa, Kraków 2008.

Additional teaching material (grammar sheets, exercises, various texts, videos, songs, etc.) will be provided by the teacher during the lessons and will be available to students during the lessons through the Aulaweb platform.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

I SEMESTER
The class schedule will be available on the EasyAcademy portal of the University of Genoa.

Class schedule

POLISH LANGUAGE II

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination consists of a written exam for the theoretical module (for the 9 CFU course only) and a written exam and an oral exam for the language exercises. There is one written and two oral examinations in each of the three examination sessions.

The written test for the language exercises consists of dictation and/or various listening exercises, a short composition in Polish and a grammar test, organised in a series of different exercises, on the topics covered during the year. Passing the written test is a prerequisite for admission to the oral test.

The oral test on the language exercises consists of a short conversation in Polish on the topics covered during the year and is designed to test the grammatical and communicative skills acquired by the students throughout the year.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

During the academic year there are 3-4 intermediate tests (prove 'in itinere') written with the aim of providing adequate preparation for the final exam. The final exam is aimed at verifying the effective acquisition of the four language skills at the level required by the educational objectives of the course, as well as the metalinguistic and translation skills developed by the student during the lessons.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Attendance is highly recommended. Non-attending students can take the final exam of the course, but are invited to contact the teacher at the beginning of the academic year to agree on a possible program adapted to their training requirement and language skills in Polish.

Students who have duly filed a certification of disability, DSA or other special educational needs are advised to contact both the Prof. Sara Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it) and the lecturer at the beginning of the course, in order to agree on teaching and examination methods that, while respecting the teaching objectives, take into account individual learning methods and provide suitable compensatory tools.