30965 - Portuguese and Brazilian Language and Linguistics 1

Learning outcomes

At the end of this module, students should be able to reach Level B1 of the language proficiency levels described in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Course contents

The course (Lusophonies 2.0. An Introduction to Portuguese) aims to offer a synthetic but up-to-date overview of Portuguese at the various levels of linguistic and socio-cultural analysis, both synchronic and diachronic. In the first part, the contemporary language in its different varieties will be analysed, not only reconstructing the main stages of their historical evolution, but also the "trend lines" inherent to the prospects of their possible future transformations. The second part, on the other hand, will provide an essential description of the main structures of this specific linguistic system (phonology, morphology, lexicon, syntax), always taking care, however, to highlight the particularly significant aspects of a variational character, such as those that distinguish the two main varieties (European and Brazilian).
The theoretical description of these structural aspects, both in a static and dynamic sense, will be flanked by practical exercises, led by a mother tongue teacher, whose aim will be to develop the students' communicative skills according to the parameters provided for this specific year by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). In order to facilitate this learning process, which is often conditioned by transfer and interference phenomena, contrastive analysis techniques centred on the comparison between Portuguese and Italian will be used, especially in the morphosyntactic area.

 

 

 

Readings/Bibliography

- Roberto Mulinacci, Introduzione alla fonetica e fonologia del portoghese, Canterano (Roma), Aracne Editrice, 2018;

- Alina Villalva, Morfologia do Português, Lisboa, Universidade Aberta, 2008;

- Maria Helena Mira Mateus et alii (orgs.), Gramática da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa, Caminho, 2006.

 

A booklet with some chapters of the portuguese above-mentioned books will be available at the beginning of the course.

Slides of the course will be available through the "Virtuale" platform.

Further bibliographical references will be provided during the lessons.

Teaching methods

The course consists of a series of lectures (30 hours) which will be integrated with Portuguese language classes. The content, texts and timetables of these Portuguese language classes will be indicated at the beginning of the course.

Assessment methods

 

The examination will take place in three distinct stages. Learning of the knowledge related to this specific course will be tested by means of an oral interview, in Italian, with the lecturer responsible for the subject, in which the student will have to demonstrate that he or she has acquired an organic vision of contemporary Portuguese, responding, with synthesis skills and language property, to questions focusing on the geography, phonology, morphology and syntax of this language.

The candidate's ability to illustrate at length and in a pertinent manner the topics dealt with during the course, relating or comparing them and demonstrating the ability to master them with theoretical competence and terminological appropriateness will be assessed with marks of excellence.

A mnemonic knowledge of the subject, together with a limited ability to analyse and, above all, articulated in a correct but not always appropriate language, will lead to discrete evaluations.

Formative deficiencies and/or inappropriate language will lead to grades that do not exceed a pass.

Formative deficiencies, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the materials offered during the course will only lead to negative marks.

This essentially theoretical part of the examination (at the end of which the student will obtain a partial grade in thirtieths) will then be supplemented by a practical assessment of linguistic competence, to be carried out in both written and oral form, with the mother-tongue teacher and concerning the grammatical topics addressed during the language classes. In particular, the written test - which is preparatory to the oral test, which can only be taken if a minimum mark of 18/30 is obtained - will consist of a series of grammar exercises, as well as comprehension and text production exercises, aimed at assessing the student's mastery of the basic tools of the current Portuguese language. Those who have passed the written test inherent to the language practice course will then be admitted to the oral test, which will consist of a dialogue with the teacher in order to demonstrate their level of interaction and communicative skills, in portuguese.
The final mark is an average of the mark of these three components.

 

Teaching tools

Computer based presentations (Power Point) and multimedia resources. The course PowerPoint, updated after each lesson, will be made available to students on the Platform Virtuale (https://virtuale.unibo.it/my/)

Students who require specific services and adaptations to teaching activities due to a disability or specific learning disorders (SLD), must first contact the appropriate office: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students .

Links to further information

http://www.facli.unibo.it

Office hours

See the website of Roberto Mulinacci