First year undergraduate courses in Language and Linguistics Louise Mullany School of English Studies University of Nottingham 29th October 2004 Subject Centre for Languages Linguistics and Area Studies, CILT

First year courses in the School of English Studies WHY? Modern English Language section One first year core course Runs across both semesters Compulsory for SH and JH English Studies Students Language as discourse: linguistic description conducted in conjunction with analysis of social and cultural contexts Structure of language is taught through practical examples of linguistic analysis of authentic written and spoken discourse Language and Context

Overall aims of Language and Context Provide students with the essential foundational skills required to be able to succeed in all other Modern English Language modules throughout the rest of their degree Provide students with core terminology Introduce them to key areas of linguistic study Introduce them to all MEL staff and their research interests: research-led teaching

Course overview Essential Course book: Carter et al. (2001) Working With Texts: A Core Introduction to Language Analysis. London: Routledge. First semester: predominantly a focus on vocabulary, drawing on a variety of different linguistic sub-disciplines to illustrate the usefulness of being able to conduct linguistic analyses. Second semester: First half focuses on grammar and syntax. Second half: introduces students to the other areas of language and linguistic study that they will encounter later in their studies: phonetics and phonology, semantics and pragmatics, psycholinguistics Other resources: Crystals (2004) Rediscover Grammar. Second Edition. RELI: Jackson, H. (2002) Grammar and Vocabulary. Intertext series Extensive secondary reading list

Course outline I: Autumn Semester Weekly schedule: 1. Introduction 2. What is a word? Lexicology/Semantics 3. Words in discourseDiscourse Analysis 4. Language, gender,Sociolinguistics words and viewpoints 5. Formality and informalityDiscourse Analysis 6. Words and computersCorpus Linguistics 7. Metaphor and idiomLiterary Linguistics 8. Words in textsLiterary Linguistics 9. Literary texts: cohesionLiterary Linguistics 10. Revision lecture Fortnightly seminars WebCT: additional seminar notes, quizzes etc.

Course outline II: Spring Semester Weekly Schedule: 1. Grammar and text I 2. Grammar and text II 3. Grammar: clause analysis 4. Grammar and ideology 5. Sounds and textsPhonetics 6. Language, discourse and identitySociolinguistics 7. Language and the mindPsycholinguistics 8. Speech, grammar and discourseDiscourse analysis 9. Meaning in contextSemantics/Pragmatics 10. Applying language in contextApplied Linguistics {(Critical) Discourse Analysis}

Assessment I Autumn semester: 2-hour unseen examination 3 sections: A: Core terms: definitions and examples Define and give an example of an inflectional morpheme Define and give an example of cataphoric reference B: Essay question What is a metaphor? In arriving at your definition you should consider the relationship with simile, analogy, metonymy and be able to give several examples to illustrate your arguments C: Re-writing exercise: Critical commentary on changes to the language (formality/informality, lexical and grammatical cohesion, sexist language etc.) A travel brochure article in the style of an to a friend An extract from Dracula in the style of a travel brochure etc.

Assessment II 3,000 word project Select a written text (no more than 500 words) and conduct an analysis of the language used, paying particular attention to grammatical features. You should then analyse other features of language drawing on any appropriate analytical frameworks which you have learnt during the second half of the course. Newspaper articles, magazines, textbooks, leaflets, brochures, literary texts etc. Developed in close consultation with seminar tutors

Areas of linguistics What? Discourse analysis Sociolinguistics (practical phonetics) Literary Linguistics Applied Linguistics Corpus Linguistics Pragmatics Psycholinguistics

Entry requirements How? School of English Studies Do not currently have A-level English Language as a prerequisite English Literature: only prerequisite Around 10% of our current undergraduates have done A-level English Language: do have mixed abilities, but vast majority have never done any English language study before.