OVERVIEW

English language and linguistics is a 60 hour General English (level B2) course + 40 hour Theoretical module course meant to support students in the study of the English language by focussing on expanding their knowledge of syntax and vocabulary, their ability to read and understand written texts at the level B2.1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages as well as their communicative skills at the same level.  

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at supporting students in consolidating their knowledge of the English syntaxt and vocabulary, in addition to their ability to read, understand and discuss written and spoken texts at level B2. Students' knowledge and skills will therefore be assessed and students will be supported, both through a practictal and a theoretical module, in expanding and consolidating them until all four abilities (reading, writing, listening and speaking) reach a B2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

- To consolidate students' knowledge of the English syntax

- To expand students' vocabulary

- To help students improve their ability to read and understand written texts at the level B2.1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

- To help students develop their understanding of the communicative strategies in English, thereby helping them develop their own communicative skills. 

PREREQUISITES

Knowledge of English at Level B1 and, for those who chose to attend the 53394 course, a registered mark confirming that exam has been taken and passed. 

TEACHING METHODS

Weekly lectures.

First semester: 

4 General English hours at week.

Second semester:

2 General English hours at week + 4 Theory hours at week

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Theoretical module:

Introduction to pragmatics, discourse analysis, ESP, EAP, terminology. 

General English course:

Morpho-syntactic aspects and vocabulary within the B2.1 level such as: adjectives and adverbs, future, mixed conditionals, modals – can’t have, needn’t have, modals of deduction and speculation, narrative tenses, passives, past perfect, past perfect continuous, phrasal verbs, relative clauses, reported speech, will and going to, for prediction, wish, would expressing habits, in the past

The detailed syllabus can be found on the Aulaweb page of the course. 

Those students who cannot attend classes will not be required to integrate the syllabus in any way: they will need to study the same syllabus as those students who can attend. 

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

General English course

• Murphy R., English Grammar in Use, Cambridge, CUP, 4th edition. 

Theoretical module:

Primary sources:

• Al-Hindawi F.H., 2017, “Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis”, Journal of Education and Practice 8:19, 93-107.
• Ballard K., 2013, “Beyond Sentences”, in The Frameworks of English, London: Palgrave Macmillan, 183-212
• Belcher D., 2009, “What ESP is and can be”, in Belcher D. (ed), English for Specific Purpose in Theory and Practice, Michigan ELT, 1-20.  

Secondary sources (one of the following sources must be selected for discussion during the oral exam):

• Ballard K., 2013, “Word Classes”, in The Frameworks of English, London: Palgrave Macmillan, 15-48
• Ballard K., 2013, “Word Formation”, in The Frameworks of English, London: Palgrave Macmillan, 49-72
• Corbett J., 1993, “Appropriating Arguments: Academic Reading and Writing”, TESL CANADA JOURNAL, 10:2, 91-99
• Cruse A., 2011, “Deixis”, Meaning in Language, OUP: Oxford, 401-407
• Cruse A., 2011, “The Politeness Principle”, Meaning in Language, OUP: Oxford, 426-432
• Douthawaite, J., 2000, “The dimensions of lexical meaning”, Towards a Linguistic Theory of Foregrounding, Edizioni Dell’Orso, 58-65  
• Faber, P., 2009, “The cognitive shift in terminology and specialized translation”, MonTI 1
• Fox R., 2008, English In Tourism: A Sociolinguistic Perspective, Tourism and Hospitality Management 14: 1, 13-22.
• Grice H. P., 1975, “Logic and Conversation”, In Syntax and Semantics, Vol. 3, Speech Acts, P. Cole & J. L. Morgan, Academic Press : NY; pp. 45–47, 49;
• Hyland K, Shaw P., 2016, “Introduction”, in The Routledge Handbook of English for Academic Purposes, Routledge: London, 1-6
•  Maci S., Sala M. and Godnič Vičič Š., “The Language Of Tourism: An Introduction To The Topical Issue”, Scripta Manent 12 (2018), 1-5
• Moncini R., 2013, “The Promotional Functionality Of Evaluative Language In Tourism Discourse”, Lingue e Linguaggi 9, 157-172
• Padilla Cruz M., “Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis”, in Chapelle C. A., The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics, Wiley, 1-6
• Swales J., Feak C, 2012, “An Approach to Academic Writing”, in “Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills. A Course for Nonnative Speakers of English”, 1-54.

Additional material will be uploaded to the Aulaweb page during the course to be downloaded by students. 

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ELISABETTA ZURRU (President)

MICHELA GRONCHI

MARCO BAGLI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

First Semester:

Lettorato: Monday, September 30, 2024

Second Semester:

Lettorato: first week of first semester 

Modulo Teorico: first week of first semester 

Class schedule

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The General English exam is computer-based; the Theoretical module exam is oral. 

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For the general English part, students will be required to complete test which comprises a range of exercises focussing on syntax, vocabulary and reading and comprehension, based on the syllabus. The exam will be computer-based and take place on the "exams" section of the University's Aulaweb platform. Students will be required to complete a range of exercises ranging from cloze tests, open-ended questions, T/F, multiple choice and reading and comprehension. Only if students pass this test can they take the exam for the theoretical module. For the theory part, students will be required to take an oral exam, in English (level B2), to discuss the primary and secondary sources the theoritical module will be based on. The oral exam will consist of a 15-20 minute discussion on all primary sources and a secondary source that each student will have to select among those listed in the reading list, which they can either comment on and discuss during the oral exam, or which they can use as a stepping stone to present an original text (e.g. a slideshow presentation, an abstract, etc.) that they have produced. Students will not need to email their original texts beforehand, they just need to have them handy on the day of the exam. 

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students will need their UNIGEPASS credentials to access both the Aulaweb page for this course and the computer-based exams. Students will need to show their university badge and list of recorded exams - to make sure that the B1 test was registered or that a B1 test for another language is included - before they will be allowed to take the exam. 

If students are in possession of a B2 certificate (or above) from Cambridge, Oxford, TOEFL, or IELTS, these can be used in substitution of the computer-based exam (hence, students will still need to take the oral exam for the theorical part), if:

- the certificate was not obtained earlier than 2 years from the date of the exam

- the certificate was not used already in the course of students' academic career (e.g. in the first year to be excused from the CLAT Assessment test, or to have "crediti altri" registered).  

For further information, including office hours, please visit the Aulaweb page for this course.  

Erasmus students are invited to contact the lecturer during her office hours as soon as they arrive. 

Students with disabilities and/or special needs are invited to get in touch with the lecturer during her office hours at the beginning of the course, so that their specific needs can be addressed both in terms of classes and assessment.