Module Code - Title:
LI5931
-
LANGUAGE SYSTEMS 1
Year Last Offered:
2023/4
Hours Per Week:
Grading Type:
N
Prerequisite Modules:
Rationale and Purpose of the Module:
To examine historical and contemporary approaches to the description of the systems of the English language.
To familiarise students with the basic syntactic, semantic and phonological concepts of English.
Syllabus:
An introduction to the various approaches to the study of language: structuralism and functionalism, prescriptive and descriptive grammars. Corpus linguistics and the study of language. Basic syntactic concepts: the word, the phrase, the clause, the sentence. Time, tense, aspect, and mood. The English tense system. Articulatory phonetics: speech organs, place and manner of articulation of the English consonant and vowel systems. The International Phonetic Alphabet and transcription of sounds. Suprasegmental aspects of speech: intonation, rhythm, stress.
Learning Outcomes:
Cognitive (Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis)
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
Define and outline in theoretical terms, the various approaches to the study of language
Describe the historical development of these approaches and integrate them into the development of second language acquisition theories
Demonstrate the way in which corpus approaches can be applied to the study of language in context
Illustrate how language can be analysed in terms of variety, register and genre
Identify and analyse language through the application of syntactic categories at the level of word, phrase, sentence and clause
Recognise tense, aspect and mood in English and descibe how these operate as independent and integrated concepts in real language use
Describe and illustrate the articulation of vowel annd consonant sounds in British and Irish English
Identify and produce phonetic and phonemic transcription for the purposes of English Language Teaching
Affective (Attitudes and Values)
Discuss and challenge the place of English as an international language
Acknowledge the place of language varieties and the importance of variable use in context at the level of lexico-grammatical patterning
Psychomotor (Physical Skills)
Demonstrate the necessary computational skills to critically evaluate language in context using corpus-based analytical techniques
How the Module will be Taught and what will be the Learning Experiences of the Students:
Knowledge will be structured in interactive lecture and lab mode where students engage with the social construction of knowledge through individual and group tasks, projects, reviews and presentations. 2 hours per week will be in a language lab and 2 hours in a classroom.
Research Findings Incorporated in to the Syllabus (If Relevant):
Research findings from Farr, Chambers, McCarthy and previous and present UL postgraduate MA and PhD students who have used corpus-based approaches to the study of language.
Prime Texts:
Carter, R. and M. McCarthy (2006)
Cambridge Grammar of Spoken and Written English
, CUP
McEnery, T., R. Xiao, and Y. Tono (2006)
Corpus-based Language Studies
, Routledge
Roach, P. (2000)
English Phonetics and Phonology
, CUP
Other Relevant Texts:
Biber, D. et al (1999)
Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English
, Longman
Quirk, R. et al (1995)
A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language
, Longman
Thornbury, S. (1997)
About Language
, CUP
Hunston, S. (2002)
Corpora in Applied Linguistics
, CUP
Tognini-Bonelli, E. (2001)
Corpus Linguistics at Work
, John Benjamins
Jenkins, J. (1991)
The Phonology of English as an International Language
, OUP
Programme(s) in which this Module is Offered:
Semester - Year to be First Offered:
Autumn
-
09/10
Module Leader:
fiona.farr@ul.ie