Course Co-ordinator

Pre-requisites

Linked Courses

C40TQ2

Excluded Courses

Aims

Second Language Acquisition

• To introduce students to an understanding of second language acquisition and its relationships to language teaching and linguistics.
• To foster awareness of the nature of language knowledge.
• To acquaint students with recent trends in the field.

Discourse Analysis

• To raise students’ awareness of language usage beyond the sentence and of language in context
• To categorise text types and appreciate role of genre in language teaching
• To develop students’ understanding of a wide range of methods and critical approaches to text analysis; and apply to specific discourse cases.
• To increase awareness of differences between form and meaning through study of pragmatics, and draw implications for second language pedagogy.

Advanced Grammar and Phonology

• To introduce concepts and terminology of advanced grammatical description
• To further develop understanding of concepts in the description of phonetics and phonology.

Syllabus

Second Language Acquisition

Second language acquisition and applied linguistics.  The concept of the native speaker.  First and second language acquisition compared.  Behaviourist and cognitive perspectives.  Interlanguage.  Developmental sequences. What is proficiency?  Crosslinguistic influence: changing perspectives.  Input hypothesis: role of conscious knowledge of language.  Acquisition of phonology. Universal grammar in second language acquisition. Positive and negative evidence.  Focus-on Form studies.

Discourse Analysis

Genre, text type, register; information structure in discourse; pragmatics; critical discourse analysis; literary stylistics; analysis of specific discourses (advertising, media, computer mediated communication).

Advanced Grammar and Phonology

Generative and functional systemic grammar.  Intonation, rhythm and phonotactics.  Analysis of two specific areas of English structure (intonation and the grammar of the verb) from the perspective of how they contribute to meaning in production, and how they can be presented pedagogically.

Learning Outcomes

Subject Mastery

• Demonstrate knowledge that covers and integrates most of the principal areas, features, boundaries, terminology and conventions relating to Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition.
• Demonstrate critical understanding of the main theories, concepts and principles relating to Applied Linguistics and SLA.
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the ways in which studies in Applied Linguistics and SLA have developed, including a range of established research methodologies.
• Develop a critical understanding of intercultural and interlingual issues.

Personal Abilities

• Critically identify, define, conceptualise, and analyse complex/professional level problems and issues.
• Offer professional level insights, interpretations and solutions to problems and issues.
• Make judgements where data/information is limited or comes from a range of sources.
• Make formal presentations (written and oral) about specialised topics to informed audiences.
• Use a range of software to support and enhance work at this level.

Assessment Methods

Method

Duration of Exam
(if applicable)

Weighting (%)

Continuous Assessment

-

100%

Supporting Information and Downloads

Course Co-ordinator

Pre-requisites

Linked Courses

C40TP1

Excluded Courses

Aims

Second Language Acquisition

• To introduce students to an understanding of second language acquisition and its relationships to language teaching and linguistics.
• To foster awareness of the nature of language knowledge.
• To acquaint students with recent trends in the field.

Discourse Analysis

• To raise students’ awareness of language usage beyond the sentence and language in context
• To categorise text types and appreciate role of genre in language teaching
• To develop further students’ understanding of a wide range of methods and critical approaches to text analysis; and apply to specific discourse cases.
• To increase awareness of differences between form and meaning through study of pragmatics, and draw implications for second language pedagogy.

Analysing Learner Language   

• To foster awareness of the regularities arising in language learner performance.  
• To provide students with experience in analysing and interpreting patterns in learner language with special reference to how different language systems interact in the learner’s mind.

Syllabus

Second Language Acquisition

Second language acquisition and applied linguistics.  The concept of the native speaker.  First and second language acquisition compared.  Behaviourist and cognitive perspectives.  Interlanguage.  Developmental sequences. What is proficiency?  Crosslinguistic influence: changing perspectives.  Input hypothesis: role of conscious knowledge of language.  Acquisition of phonology. Universal grammar in second language acquisition. Positive and negative evidence.  Focus-on Form studies.

Discourse

Pragmatics; conversation analysis; approaches to the analysis of spoken interaction; analysis of specific discourses (conversation, transactional talk, monologue and spoken narrative).

Learner Language

Different views on the nature of a language learner error. Different views about pedagogical intervention. Errors and the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. Knowledge errors versus processing errors. The analysis of language learner performance. The role of the researcher and the teacher.

How languages interact inside the learner.  Pedagogical responses to interference with respect to different aspect of the target language.

Learning Outcomes

Subject Mastery

• Demonstrate knowledge that covers and integrates most of the principal areas, features, boundaries, terminology and conventions relating to Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition.
• Demonstrate critical understanding of the main theories, concepts and principles relating to Applied Linguistics and SLA.
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the ways in which studies in Applied Linguistics and SLA have developed, including a range of established research methodologies.
• Develop a critical understanding of intercultural and interlingual issues.

Personal Abilities

• Critically identify, define, conceptualise, and analyse complex/professional level problems and issues.
• Offer professional level insights, interpretations and solutions to problems and issues.
• Make judgements where data/information is limited or comes from a range of sources.
• Make formal presentations (written and oral) about specialised topics to informed audiences.
• Use a range of software to support and enhance work at this level.

Assessment Methods

Method

Duration of Exam
(if applicable)

Weighting (%)

Continuous Assessment

-

70%

Examination

3hours

30%

Supporting Information and Downloads