Exploring Spanish Linguistics

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Plan and organise your learning through self-management;
• Work effectively alone and in collaboration with others to solve problems and/or carry out a task;
• Set and monitor goals, reflecting on your own learning, and learning from feedback;
• Understand the relationship between theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence;
• Adhere to guidelines and deadlines;

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Provide a syntactic analysis of simple structures in Spanish
• Isolate and recognise sounds in Spanish
• Analyse language data from a range of perspectives.

Cognitive Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Learn linguistic tools for data analysis
• Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding in common linguistic theory and practice

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Apply knowledge, understanding and analysis critically to different topics
• Identify concepts and data relevant to the task in hand;
• Define, present and exemplify concepts;

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• The main characteristics of formal Spanish linguistics
• The structures, registers and varieties of the target language(s), and of the methods required to analyse it/them

The module introduces you to relevant issues of contemporary Spanish linguistics and establishes the basis for future application of linguistic principles. Building on general linguistic knowledge gained in LING 1001 this module covers areas of the sound system of Spanish and its theoretical basis; Spanish morphology, such as verbal morphology and word formation; relevant issues of Spanish syntax, such as word order variation, subject positions and clitic pronouns. In the last part of the module, the effects of the contact of languages on the structure of Spanish will be introduced. Connections between Spanish and English and Portuguese will be drawn when appropriate

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include

• 1 lecture
• 1 seminar per week

The lectures serve to introduce, analyse and investigate key aspects of Spanish linguistics (e.g. phonology, morphology, syntax, and structural properties of language change in the Spanish-speaking world) whereas the seminars provide you with preliminary general guidance to apply that knowledge to the analysis of real Spanish data in the form of exercises.

Learning activities include

• A specific short assignment to be carried out (i.e. phonetic transcription and analysis.) which will be assessed.
• An oral presentation of a relevant topic of Spanish linguistics of your choice, which will be assessed.

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

Module site on Blackboard. Reserve collection of readings in the library.

Textbooks

Zagona, Karen (2002). The Syntax of Spanish. Cambridge University Press.

Fromkin, Victoria, Rodman, Robert, and Hyamsn, Nina (2006). An Introduction to Language. Thomson Wadsworth.

Azevedo, Milton (2005). Introducción a la lingüística española. Prentice Hall.

Teschner, Richard (1999). Camino oral: Fonética, fonología y práctica de los sonidos del español. McGraw- Hill.

Teschner, Richard and Castro-Paniagua, Francisco (1993). Lo esencial de la lingüística española. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc..

Hualde, José Ignacio, Antxon Olarrea and Anna María Escobar (2001). Introducción a la lingüística hispánica. Cambridge University Press.

Assessment strategy

The formal assessment tasks provide evidence of your ability to think critically about the structures learnt and the methods used to investigate each of the studied linguistic areas of Spanish. One short written assignment task will help consolidate both your knowledge and analytical skills as you are asked to interpret and analyse phonetics data using the linguistic tools introduced in this module. In an oral presentation of a relevant aspect of Spanish linguistics, you have the opportunity to independently explore a particular topic, allowing you to both gain a more in-depth knowledge of that area and share your findings with the rest of the class. A final timed assignment verifies that you have understood certain notions and concepts which are fundamental for this module.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External