78674 - Spanish Linguistics 1 (LM)

Learning outcomes

The global aim of this course – which includes lectures and language classes - is to provide students with an expert knowledge of a number of aspects of Spanish linguistics, enabling them not only to communicate effectively in Spanish, but also to think critically about and describe the metalinguistic factors at play in language use. This aim will be achieved by providing students with theoretical knowledge related to one or more of the following areas of Spanish linguistics: phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicology, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, stylistics and corpus linguistics. The focus of the course will be on real language use, with authentic texts (written and/ or spoken, belonging to different registers) and electronic language corpora used as examples. Language classes aim to improve students’ linguistic competence; over the two year period students’ knowledge of English should reach an equivalent level to C2 in accordance with the European framework in all four abilities. These classes will work in connection with the lectures to improve students’ writing skills in particular.

Course contents

Linguistics - Course objectives (Prof. Ana Pano Alamán)
The objective of the course is to provide a number of fundamental concepts in Linguistics and Discourse Analysis in Spanish. Considering the principal varieties of the contemporary Spanish as well as the concepts of variation, pluricentric norm, spoken Spanish, language for specific purposes, and computer-mediated discourse, we will see the principal levels of language analysis (phonetics, morphology, lexicon, semantics, pragmatics). Theoretical explanations will be accompanied by linguistic analysis of written and oral corpora.

Language lessons/Lettorato (Dott. Pilar Asarta)
The goal of this course (Lettorato or Esercitazioni) is to let students obtanin a C1 level in Spanish (written expression and oral expression).
Further information will be provided at the beginning of the course and in this website: https://sites.google.com/site/linguaspagnolafacli/home/laurea-magistrale/lettorato-di-linguistica-spagnola-1

Readings/Bibliography

• De Bustos Tovar, J.J. (2000): 'Gramática y discurso', en Alvar, M. (coord.), Introducción a la Lingüística española, Barcelona, Ariel.
• López Alonso, C. (2014): 'El discurso oral', 'El discurso escrito', 'El discurso digital', en Análisis del discurso, Madrid, Síntesis.
• AAVV (2017): 'Semántica y pragmática. Del significado al uso del lenguaje', 'Variación: diversidad lingüística y dialectal en el mundo hispanohablante', en Muñoz-Basols, J. et al., Introducción a la lingüística hispánica actual, Abingdon, Routledge.

These texts will be available at the Library of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. Further references will be provided at the beginning of the course.

Readings for the language lessons course/lettorato will be contained in a specific “dossier”, available at the copy centers in via Cartoleria as well as online at the beginning of the course.

Teaching methods

a) Lectures (multimedia presentations)

b) Class discussions

c) Student presentations

d) written participation in the class blog 

Assessment methods

Spanish Linguistics/Lezioni frontali (A. Pano Alaman)

There will be two oral exams within each session.

The exam consists of an oral discussion (starting level C1), which will focus on the content of the course (compulsory readings, class notes and slides).

Language lessons/Lettorato (P. Asarta)

Exam (starting level C1):

• WRITTEN EXAM: essay of approx. 40 lines in 1 hour 30 minutes, about a specific subject of the linguistics course;
• ORAL EXAM: morphosyntactic and lexical analysis of a text concerning a specific subject of the linguistics course.

N.B. The final grade of the course is the sum obtained for 1/3 of the result achieved in the language lessons (lettorato) exam (34 hours) and for 2/3 of the result achieved in the linguistics (lezioni frontali) exam (60 hours).

N.B. Students are allowed to take the linguistics exam (lezioni frontali) only after having passed both written and oral exams related to the language lessons (lettorato).

Teaching tools

Besides the texts indicated in the Bibliography, students will be provided with complementary resources. These materials will be available in the copy centers (via Cartoleria) and in the “Materiale didattico” webpage as well.

Texts for practicing language

• Álvarez Martínez (2012) Fórmulas y formas de expresión escrita. Anaya
• Castro, F. (2006). Uso de la gramática española. Madrid: Edelsa
• Carrera Díaz, M. (1997). Grammatica spagnola. Bari: Laterza
• Instituto Cervantes VV.AA. (2006). Saber escribir. Aguilar
• RAE Ortografía de la lengua española. (2010) Madrid: Espasa Calpe.

Dictionaries

Monolingual
CLAVE. Diccionario de uso del español actual. Madrid: Ediciones SM.

DRAE. (2002).Diccionario de la Lengua Española., Madrid: Espasa Calpe.
Moliner, M. (1999). Diccionario de uso del español, Madrid, Gredos.

Bilingual
Tam, L. (2004).Grande Dizionario italiano-spagnolo, spagnolo-italiano. Milán: Hoepli.

Office hours

See the website of Ana Pano Alaman