English Linguistics

Code:

LA020

Acronym:

LINING

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Linguistics - English

Instance: 2014/2015 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Anglo-American Studies
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Applied Languages

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
LA	15	LA - Study Plan	2	-	6	52	162
LLC	51	Plano Oficial do ano letivo 2013_2014	3	-	6	52	162

Teaching language

English

Objectives

The course aims to provide students with:

1. A practical working knowledge of a variety of concordancing tools which will enable them to make informed choices about the use of lexical items and their collocates.

2. Knowledge of how to break down a sentence into its constituent components and indentify syntactic structures and sentence patterns.

3. The ability to use this knowledge to restructure sentences and thus develop linguistic competence in writing and speaking.

4. Some knowledge of the origins and development of the English language and its current varieties.

Learning outcomes and competences

By the end of this course it is hoped that successful students will have:

1. learned how to use reference resources for the study of English linguistics - grammars, dictionaries, thesauri, electronic corpora and related software, and on-line reference material;

2. acquired a working knowledge of the general theory of systemic-functional linguistics;

3. used the tools of corpus linguistics for autonomous study and research into language;

4. improved their formal knowledge of morphological, syntactic and textual aspects of the English language;

5. acquired an understanding of some of the key aspects of English phonology;

6. acquired some knowledge of the origins and development of the English language and its current varieties;

7. acquired a better knowledge of those areas of the English language that present particular problems for Portuguese native speakers.

Working method

Presencial

Program

The course syllabus is based to a great extent on the book The Frameworks of English (3rd Edição) by Kim Ballard. The components of the syllabus are as follows:
1. Introduction
a. Presentation of reference material including grammars, dictionaries and thesauri;
b. An introduction to electronic corpora and software for text and general language analysis;
c. An introduction to on-line reference material;
2. The Lexicon 
a. A general view of lexical theory;
b. A brief overview of the key aspects of English morphology;
c. analysing using corpora;
3. The Sentence 
a. Sentence structure;
b. Syntactic and semantic aspects of phrases (the Noun Phrase, Verb Phrase, Prepositional Phrase, Adjective Phrase);
c. Clause constituents;
d. The function of Adverbials (Adjuncts, Conjuncts and Disjuncts) in context; (e) Analysis using corpora;
4. Phonetics and Phonology 
a. phonemes of English (vowels and consonants) including place and manner of articulation;
b. a brief overview of some key aspects of segmental phonology;
5. The Text 
a. Theme, focus and information processing at sentence and text level b. The use of cohesive devices in texts; 
c. The analysis of real sentences in context;
d. Analysis using corpora;
6. Brief overview of the origins and development of the English language and its current position as a global lingua franca.

Mandatory literature

Ballard, Kim; The Frameworks of English - 3rd Edition, Palgrove, Macmillan, 2013. ISBN: 0230392423
Yule, George; The Study of Language (5th Edition), Cambridge University Press, 2014. ISBN: 1107658179

Complementary Bibliography

Bloor, Thomas & Bloor, Meriel; The Functional Analysis of English - 3rd Edition, Routledge, 2013. ISBN: 978-1444156652
Biber, Douglas; Conrad, Susan & Leech, Geoffrey; Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English, Longman, 2002. ISBN: 0582237262
Downing, Angela & Locke, Philip; English Grammar - A University Course (2nd Edition), Routledge, 2006. ISBN: 0415287871
McEnery, Tony & Wilson, Andrew; Corpus Linguistics - 2nd Edition, Edinburgh University Press, 2001. ISBN: 0748611657
Hunston, Susan & Francis, Gill; Pattern Grammar- a corpus-driven approach to the lexical grammar of English, John Benjamins, 2000. ISBN: 1556193998

Teaching methods and learning activities

1.  In-Class explanations & instructions;
2. Written exercises (both in class and for homework), often involving an inductive approach to learning;
3. [Depending on class size] group-based activities, some student-centred mini-presentations of linguistic components, deductive and inductive exercises such as comparing sentences, filling in gaps and rewriting sentences, question/answer sessions, grammar games, etc. 4. Use of a coursebook (The Frameworks of English 3^rd edition) with extra practice exercises
5. A student support text, explaining the above points and incorporating appropriate exercises.
6. Revision and summary of the content, at the end of the course.
7. Two written tests

Software

Linguateca corpora
British National Corpus

keywords

Humanities > language sciences > Linguistics

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	60,00
Participação presencial	0,00
Teste	40,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	82,00
Frequência das aulas	54,00
Trabalho de investigação	26,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Students are required to attend 75 % of classes, with exceptions according to FLUP regulations. Working students are not required to attend lessons.

Calculation formula of final grade

40% - test done during the semester (November); 60% - final exam done in January.

Classification improvement

In February, there will be a 'retake' exam worth 100% of the total. This can be taken by anyone, as a means to raise their original grade.