86686 - Portughese and Brasilian Language and Culture I

Academic Year 2024/2025

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures

Learning outcomes

The course should lead the student to a knowledge of the basic grammatical and lexical structures of the Portuguese language and to an elementary oral and written linguistic competence capable of interacting in a limited number of everyday communicative situations, as well as a basic familiarity with Portuguese and Brazilian cultures.

Course contents

This is an optional 40-hour semester course, which will take place twice a week in the first semester,  with compulsory 70% attendance, and a final assessment.


The final assessment of the course will take the form of a written and oral examination, which will include both programmes, i.e., the Portuguese language programme and the literature course.


During the course the student will learn the grammatical and lexical differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese.


Through the reading of selected passages and other related activities, the student will learn about and be able to express him/herself on the following specific topics:


- Personal presentation;


- Form of courtesy and greeting;


- Description of one's family environment and city;


- The personal daily routine;


- The division of time: the day, the days of the week, the months, the seasons of the year and the hours;


- Personal nutrition;


- Work: types and environments.





By means of practical written and oral exercises, the grammatical structures to be studied will be the following:


- The determinative and indeterminative articles;


- the gender and number of nouns and adjectives;


- the formation of the feminine;


- the regular and irregular plural rule;


- cardinal and ordinal numbers;


- interrogative pronouns;


- possessive pronouns;


- variable and invariable demonstrative pronouns and adjectives;


- prepositions of time, place and motion;


- subject and reflexive personal pronouns;


- the Indicative Mode of verbs (Presente and Pretérito Perfeito Simples);


- reflexive pronominal conjugation;


- periphrastic verbal constructions



Readings/Bibliography

Compulsory texts for study




- Oliveira, Diana, Português Já!, Gramática e Vocabulário Iniciação, Porto Editora, latest ed.




- Coimbra, Olga Matos e Leite, Isabel Coimbra, Gramática Ativa I - 3ªed., Lidel, Lisboa, latest ed.




- Branco,Laura e Vidal Soares, Lúcia, O Mistério de um Sol e Oito Janelas, LIDEL, last ed.




- Small bilingual dictionary, e.g. ed. Zanichelli, Bologna.




Bibliography for individual practice:




- Malcata, Hermínia, Guia Prático de Fonética, Acentuação e Pontuação, ed. Lidel, 2008, with CD.




- Monolingual dictionary: Dicionário Porto Editora




- Costa da Silva Ferreira, Anabela Cristina, Compact Portuguese, Dizionario Portoghese-Italiano / Italiano-Portoghese, Zanichelli,2017




Other recommended texts for further study




- Lanciani, Giulia e Tavani, Giuseppe, Grammatica Portoghese, CEA, Milano, 1993




- Abreu, Maria Helena and Murteira, Rita Benamor, Grammatica del Portoghese Moderno, Zanichelli, Bologna, 1994.




- Cunha, Celso e Cintra, Lindley, Gramática do Português Contemporâneo, ed. Sá da Costa, Lisboa, 1985




- Ventura, Helena- Caseiro, Manuela, Guia prático de verbos com preposições, ed. Lidel, Lisboa.




- Ferreira Anabela, Portugal, between land and sea, Urogallo,2017




- Scribedit, a cura di, Parole per viaggiare Portoghese e Brasiliano, Bologna, ed. Zanichelli, 2012




At the Ruffilli Library in Forlì you can find for consultation the following important Portuguese publications of which the library is a subscriber:




- JORNAL DE LETRAS ARTES E IDEIAS




- LER : LIVROS & LEITORES




- PALAVRAS (revista da APP)

Teaching methods

Lectures, various exercises in the classroom and at home.

Assessment methods

The assessment of learning takes place through a final written test lasting 90 minutes and a subsequent oral test lasting an average of 15 minutes, both subject to prior registration in the online lists provided by the secretariat.
The written test aims to ascertain the skills acquired in the context of the topics covered during the course, and will consist of a passage with 4/5 comprehension questions, various grammar exercises of completion, multiple choice or transformation on the topics covered during the course, and which are indicated in the programme, and a composition theme of your choice with a minimum of 70 words.


The use of books, notebooks, notes, dictionaries and/or computer media is not permitted.


Evaluation grid for the written test


30-28: thorough knowledge of grammar, precision and clarity in answers. In addition to the above requirements, the award of distinction presupposes completeness in the answers, a clear and elegant presentation of the task, original reworking in completing the answers, and a personal contribution to the subject by exceeding the minimum number of words.


27-26: Thorough but less precise knowledge of grammar content, accuracy and clarity in answers. Less elegant presentation of the task, and less reworking in the completion of responses and personal contribution in the essay.


25-24: fair knowledge of grammar, accuracy and clarity in responses. Overall correct language, although some inaccuracies, distractions and errors.


23-21: sufficient knowledge of grammar and not entirely correct language. Presence of several errors in answers, answers left blank, topic slightly larger than the minimum required.


20-18: overall knowledge of grammar is little more than adequate, although sometimes lacking, with language that is not entirely correct and inconsistent. Unsatisfactory presentation of the task, lack of certainty in the answers, theme not very original and/or personal.


Unsuccessful test: Serious gaps in the preparation of the grammatical content, with linguistic interference, typos, some parts left unfinished, essay with too many errors and confused, incorrect and inadequate language.


The written test is assessed by a mark that must be at least 18 points positive to allow access to the oral test. The aim of this test is to check the acquisition of the linguistic knowledge of oral expression required by the course programme, and it consists of looking at the written task and checking the errors made, and a short interview with the teacher in which the student is asked to give a personal presentation in order to assess his or her language skills. This test is awarded between 0 and 2 points.


The final mark, expressed in thirtieths, is calculated from the overall assessment of the written test and the oral test.


The results of the written examination are published on the school's website before the date of the oral examination. The results of the oral examination and the final grades are communicated immediately after the oral examination to the student.


Students have one week in which to view their assignment and to accept or reject, once only, the mark.


Students can take the oral examination at one of the three scheduled calls for each session, i.e. June, September and February.


During the first and the last lesson all information about the exam will be given, as well as a mock exam during the last lesson.
*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***

Teaching tools

Textbooks


Grammars


Bilingual and monolingual dictionaries


Cd roms


Dvd


Films/video films

Office hours

See the website of Rute Maria Paulo Cadete