Module LANG40230: LANGUAGE FOR TEACHING

Department: English Language Centre

LANG40230: LANGUAGE FOR TEACHING

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• The student will:
• be able to critically understand concepts and categories of theoretical frameworks in syntax, morphology and phonology;
• know of the aims and methods of enquiry in language analysis;
• be able to analyse language data;
• apply scientific reasoning to problems in language analysis;
• demonstrate self direction and independence in tackling and solving problems in language analysis.

Content

• This course provides the foundation for the core areas in language description and basic ideas in language acquisition. Within language description, the course will cover syntax, morphology and phonology within the context of language teaching. The topics covered include: articulatory phonetics, the International Phonetic Alphabet, phonemic analysis, distinctive feature theory; word classes, constituent structure, diagnostic tests for constituency, an introduction to transformational rules; morphemes and allomorphs, morphological analysis, levels of morphology. The data are from English and other languages.

Learning Outcomes

• Understanding of the concepts in current syntactic, morphological and phonological theory.
• Mastery of metalanguage appropriate to the description of language in a pedagogical context.
• Understanding of current approaches to language from a historical perspective.
• Knowledge of the variety of approaches currently taken in linguistic description and their appropriateness for language pedagogy.
• Knowledge of categories in modern syntactic, morphological and phonological theory.

• Mastery of the analytical skills used in modern syntactic, morphological and phonological theory.
• Ability to analyse language data in English and crosslinguistically.

• Ability to read and understand primary texts in language description and analysis.
• Ability to apply scientific reasoning to language data.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures and seminars will discuss the issues raised in the reading such that the student will have a good command of relevant theoretical background and be able to apply this knowledge to actual or envisaged teaching practice. The student will demonstrate an ability to research and organise complex material to sustain a logical argument. These arguments will be supported by a clarity of style and purpose that follows the expected conventions of academic writing.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Problem solving exercises prepared in advance by the student and discussed during the weekly seminars.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University