Course syllabus

 

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SEMESTER 1, 2019

15 points

 
Course  Lecturers: 

Michael Barlow

Email: mi.barlow@auckland.ac.nz

Office hours, 2-3, Tuesday, Room 207-319

Maria Treadaway

Email: m.treadaway@auckland.ac.nz

Office hours: 2.45 -3.45 Monday, Building CLL, Room 207-201A​ 

 

Course delivery format:

One two-hour class per week on Mondays, 4-6 pm

 Course Description:              

Whatever approach that language teachers adopt in teaching their classes, it is essential for them to have a good knowledge of the structural system of the language they are teaching, even when they are not formally engaged in giving lessons on grammar or vocabulary or pronunciation. This knowledge is very useful in analysing the kind of errors that learners make and in giving them feedback that will help them to improve their language usage. Native-speaking teachers in particular have often not studied formal grammar as part of their own schooling, so it is important for them to complement their implicit knowledge and intuitions with an explicit framework for analysing linguistic structures.

LANGTCHG 740 is not simply an introductory linguistics course. Although obviously it draws on concepts and classification systems taken from descriptive linguistics, it adopts a pedagogical perspective which gives attention to the kinds of errors that learners make and to aspects of the language system that are often difficult for learners to master.

The course is divided into two modules. Half of the course is devoted to vocabulary and the sound system, and the other half deals with grammar and language in use. For the course assessment, each module has its own assignment and in-class test. 

 Course outcomes:

At the end of the course you should be able to:

• analyse the key elements and structures of language systems
• describe how function and usage relate to language structure
• identify the difficulties that learners may have with particular structural aspects of English

 

 Assessment Summary:

Assignment 1 (Vocabulary)  25%

Class test (Sound system)  25%

Assignment 2 (Grammar+)  25%

Class test (Grammar+)  25%

 

Provisional Syllabus: Weekly Topics:

Date	Module	Reading	Topic
March 4	Sounds of English	Kennedy, Intro. Chap 1 pp 1-29	Introduction. Sound symbols and speech production
March 11	Sounds of English	Kennedy, Chap 1 pp 30-55	Beyond individual sounds
March 18	Vocabulary	Kennedy, Chap 2 pp. 57-63; 84-106.	Types of words.
March 25	Vocabulary	Kennedy, Chap 2 pp. 63-72	Word meaning and semantic relations.
April 1	Vocabulary	Kennedy, Chap 2pp. 72-84	Word structure and combination
April 8	In-class test
April 29	Grammar	Kennedy, Chapter 3 (pp. 107 -137)	Simple sentence parts, structures and functions
May 6	Grammar	Kennedy, Chapters 4 and 5v(pp. 138 - 228)	Nouns and noun phrases. Verbs and verb phrases
May 13	Grammar	Kennedy, Chapter 7 (pp. 258-307)	Beyond the simple sentence
May 20	Grammar +	Kennedy, Chapter 8 (pp. 308 -343)	Language in Use
May 27	In-class test
June 3	Queen's Birthday

 

Course Text:

Kennedy, G. (2003). Structure and meaning in English: A guide for teachers. Harlow, UK: Pearson Longman.

 

Recommended Texts:

Berry, R. (2018) English Grammar : A Resource Book For Students, 2nd ed. Routledge.

 

 Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.