This module seeks to introduce students to the organization of language above the sentence or clause level. Samples of larger linguistic units, such as written texts from a variety of academic, technical and professional sources, will be studied in detail. Examination of such texts will enable students to familiarize themselves with the linguistic properties and patterns which constitute the diverse styles of discourse.
The central focus of this module is how languages are learned. In the field of language acquisition a distinction is often drawn between the acquisition of a first language (the mother tongue) and the learning of a second language. From the title of the module, Second Language Acquisition, it is clear that more attention will be given to how second languages are learned. However, first language acquisition is not entirely irrelevant here either. In order to gain a fuller appreciation of how the learning of a second language takes place, from time to time we will need to compare it with first language acquisition.
In this module you will learn how to make generalizations across different grammatical categories. For instance, you will see that the apparent differences that exist between noun, verb, adjective, adverb and prepositional phrases are only superficial. Underneath these phrases have more in common than you would expect. These sorts of generalizations will enable you to process the grammar you have learned so far a lot more easily creating room in your brain for new learning.
The course will also focus on the lexical and grammatical changes in the history of English from the earliest times to the present day. The major topics are the synthetic-analytic shift, the history of English pronouns, the evolution of the verb phrase, the role of language contact in the development of the English lexicon, and the emergence of prose-styles in Early Modern English form.
This module is skill-development oriented. It is to help students deal with the academic demands of undergraduate study through the medium of English as a second language. The course aims at the development of language proficiency and skills in reading,helping individuals to develop reading strategies which will enable them to pursue their studies successfully.
This course is about the grammatical system of the English Language. Here you will study the grammatical categories and structures that are instrumental in producing different patterns of sentences. We will start with a description of categories and functions of words. There will be lessons on description of the nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions.
This module offers you an opportunity to look at the organization of spoken discourse in terms of grammatical structure, lexical choice, cohesion, coherence, turn-taking and so on. The aims of the module is to make you familiar with various approaches to discourse analysis, to apply descriptive frameworks to both monologue and dialogues; to deepen your awareness of the importance of cohesive devices in discourse; and to analyze and explain different contextual issues related to spoken texts. In this module, you will learn more about what discourse analysis is, the difference between spoken and written discourse, conversational analysis and various approaches to discourse analysis including a practical approach that you will have as your assignment.
This course is about the sounds and sound system of the English language. You will study how human speech sounds are produced (articulated). You will learn how to describe/classify individual sound segments: consonants and vowels. After that, you will study the syllable and other related phenomena e.g. stress and intonation. You will also learn how to transcribe speech sounds using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). You will also learn about how sounds can affect the way that other neighbouring sounds are pronounced. For example, by the end of the course you will be able to give a principled explanation of why in the final -s on the words cats, dogs and horses is pronounced differently: /s/, /z/ and /iz/ respectively.
This module is designed to equip students with higher order critical thinking skills that enable them to question assumptions that lie behind written texts. The module will further equip them with skills required for analytical thinking. It is important to prepare students to interpret texts independently and reflect in a mature manner on theories and ideologies that underlie academic texts that represent complex schools of thought. It is necessary that students learn to form a balanced and well-informed opinion on issues where a keen sense of reserve and responsibility is required to be cultivated through close and in-depth reading.
The module offers you the opportunity to build your linguistic competence through the study and enjoyment of English poetry with its classic range of style and broad range of figurative language, imagery and symbolism-all devices requiring that you infer an unstated meaning.
The module seeks to provide useful insights for the study of both Written Discourse and English Syntax in semester 2. It may also offer concepts which may be useful in the study of Research Methods and may help you to develop ideas for project work to be carried out during your senior year i.e. level three. Your knowledge of English Grammar in Practice and Introduction to Linguistics will be directly useful to studying this module.
Linguistics, though known as a 'difficult' and 'dry' subject to study, is in fact an interesting subject if we know how to make it interesting. Language is all around us, we speak it, we think in it, we dream in it: it is an integral part of our existence. Imagine a subject that deals with language, that looks at language critically and that analyses language. Linguistics is not something that we should be scared of. I can tell you, it is one of the best subjects to be enjoyed in a lively classroom. It offers many interesting questions about the structures and functions of language and how we learn them.
This module attempts to introduce you to essential skills in research writing in the area of Applied Linguistics. It covers approaches to doing research in Language and Applied Linguistics, as well as types and methods of research, e.g., qualitative, quantitative, grounded research, etc. In particular, it covers ways of data collection, and issues in data description, analysis and interpretation. You will also be trained to follow ethical guidelines for conducting and writing research.
This course is about different aspects of academic writing in English. Here you will develop the skill of academic composition. There will be lessons on sentence construction, academic appropriateness of lexis and style, coherence and cohesion.
The course will discuss the structure of a paragraph and an essay, ways of presenting the main idea and supporting it with supplementary details. There will be classes on summarizing and paraphrasing, note taking and outlining. You should be able to compose your own paragraphs and essay based on the skills taught throughout the semester.