1. Words Are Born Every Day

Transcription

1 1. Words Are Born Every Day Level: C1 Duration: 30 hours/ semester. One or two semesters can be completed. Time and venue: Wednesday , JCJ, ul. Krupnicza 2, room 316 Tutor: Bernadeta Raczkiewicz Course description: The course focuses on English words and expressions so students can expand their active vocabulary and use more up-to-date English in their writing and in everyday life. Topics include: teen language, colloquial words, elements of slang, common abbreviations and classified ads, the language of media and advertising, ambiguous words, homophones and homonyms, British versus American words, idioms, overused words (buzzwords) and other topics. Attention is also given to the interpretation of meaning the course looks at irony, sarcasm, aphorisms, euphemisms, metaphors, wordplay and funny examples of verbal errors. The course is based on textbooks as well as on authentic materials from British and American media. It is addressed to students of any field who share an interest in contemporary English Course objectives The course aims to: 1. develop vocabulary through listening, reading and speaking. 2. develop students awareness of how words and expressions are used (rhetorical devices, irony and sarcasm, overused expressions, appropriacy in particular contexts, etc) 3. create opportunities for learning vocabulary through discussion, commenting on the use of words and expressions and sharing past learning experiences 4. involve students in shaping the content of the course by suggesting areas of interest Learning outcomes Having completed the course, a student can: 1. follow conversations, talks and lectures in which the student can notice interesting or striking examples of vocabulary use. 2. research a topic of academic interest and apply it to a lexical area (analyze an academic text for theories concerning vocabulary). 3. select interesting examples of vocabulary use, based on real-life sources, such as the Internet, cinema, newspapers and other materials, prepare a presentation about a vocabulary area, lead a short discussion and/or an activity for group work. 4. recognize context-dependent lexis and special vocabulary use (irony, euphemism, etc). 5. use lexis effectively and appropriately in academic contexts (classes). Course topics The focus of the course is lexis, i.e. words and expressions and their proper usage in context (sentence or text). As students are actively involved in shaping the content of the course, topics can vary. In previous course editions the topics discussed were as follows. 1. Wordplay, i.e. a. limericks (short, 5-line poems rhyming a-a-b-b-a, usually with a funny ending, e.g. there was an old lady who swallowed a fly / perhaps she will die, etc.) b. rhyming pairs (higgledy-piggledy, humpty-dumpty, etc.) c. oxymorons (bitter-sweet, plastic glasses, etc.) d. similes (as sober as a judge, as right as rain, etc.) e. binomials (give or take, now and again, etc.) f. homophones and homonyms (rose flower and rose past simple of rise ; tire car wheel, tire fatigue, etc.)

2 2. Whose language is it anyway? English as a lingua franca and implications if this fact for learners of English 3. Word origin, i.e. a. Borrowings (kindergarten, menu, etc.) b. Clippings (advertisement ad, situational comedy - sitcom, etc.) c. Adding prefixes and suffixes (under-, over-, multi-, -ful, -less, etc.) d. coinage, or inventing new words for new concepts in the language e. blending (chofa chair + sofa, brunch breakfast + lunch, etc.) f. brand names (Kleenex, Hoover, etc.) g. acquiring new meanings (wireless, cool, etc) 4. Formal versus colloquial words a. Formal language uses, vocabulary (offspring, apprehend, etc.) b. The uses of like - teen language and other special uses of language c. elements of slang (wicked, doughnuts, super cola, etc.) 5. Precise and imprecise meaning of words a. Euphemism and dysphemism in the English language (be economical with the truth, etc) b. Death the language of obituaries, euphemisms (pass away, deceased, etc) c. Vague language approximations (kind of, a dash of, a smattering, etc) 6. Literal versus figurative meaning a. Metaphors types and functions of metaphors, concepts and domains (illness as war to fight a disease, intelligence as light a bright student, etc) b. Proverbs and sayings functions of proverbs (all that glitters is not gold, etc) c. Aphorisms statements as comments or puzzles authored by famous people (e.g. I am a slow walker, but I never walk back, Abraham Lincoln) d. idiomatic meaning (an awkward customer, a slave driver, etc) 7. Abbreviations a. Abbreviations versus acronyms (AIDS, PIN number, etc.) b. Common abbreviations (pp., lb. e.g., etc) c. Clippings as examples of abbreviations (vet veterinary surgeon, flu- influenza, etc) d. classified ads (own ckng facilities, Gent s, etc) e. text messages (ty. Cu l8. Cnt w8, etc) 8. The language of media and advertising a. Newspaper headlines (HOTEL BLAST KILLS 8, PM ANNOUNNCES MARCH POLL, etc) b. Media vocabulary and jargon (circulation, tabloid, agony aunt, etc) c. Language of persuasion ( try our tantalisingly tempting new line of lipsticks, state-ofthe-art, etc) 9. British versus American words, differences in usage (coach class v business class, etc) 10. Exploring meaning a. Types of meaning - Basic meaning (fair hair, etc), polysemy (fair- honest and fair light), synonymy (light hair blonde hair), antonymy (smooth rough) collocation (colorless liquid), connotations (Who is the fairest of them all?), register (apparel, to wind up), homonyms, homophones and homographs (bow bough) b. New meaning - Neologisms (senior moment, furkid, etc) and buzzwords (textual harassment, movieoke, etc), overused words 11. Exploring hidden meanings a. Irony versus sarcasm (Fascinating! How charming!, etc) b. Intonation in comments and exclamations 12. Exploring humour - funny examples of verbal errors a. Words often confused (lately v finally, conduct v orchestrate, etc) b. Accidental humour in translated expressions ( No trespassing without written permission, etc)

3 13. Christmas classics in modern versions (looking at old and modern texts and excerpts from films as a special class before Christmas) Grammar & Lexis Attention is devoted to grammatical accuracy students improper use of grammar is corrected in speech and writing. An attempt is made to eliminate students recurrent grammatical mistakes, if any, as well as to revise or introduce, when needed, relevant grammar features. 1. Relative clauses and pronouns (who, which, that, whose, etc.), e.g. It is a word, the meaning of which can often be confusing. 2. Passive voice in all forms, e.g. In the past the word had been used to denote 3. Modal verbs for present, future and past meanings, e.g. Up till now we have not been able to define this concept, so a term for has been coined. 4. Reported speech including expressions such as It is believed that the author of this aphorism was Abraham Lincoln. 5. Emphatic structures e.g. it is/it was... that..., What is...,the thing that..., The reason why..., the place where..., e.g. The reason why this word was borrowed from a different language was that there was no word for this concept in English 6. Word-forming capacity of the verb including prefixes forming antonyms, such as un-, dis-, over-, mis-, under- and suffixes such as -ify, -en, -ise 7. Word-forming capacity of the noun including prefixes forming antonyms, such as un-, dis-, in-, im-, ir-, re-, ex-, mis-, under-, over- and suffixes such as -ment, -ation, -ion, -al, -ness, - ity, -ence, -ance, -ce, -y, -ship, -hood 8. Word-forming capacity of the adjective including prefixes forming antonyms, such as un-, dis-, in-, im-, ir-, re-, ex-, mis-, under-, over- and suffixes such as -ful, -less, -able, -ible 9. Word-forming capacity of the adverb including prefixes forming antonyms 10. Linking expressions, e.g. for signposting in both formal and informal speech, for adding points - as a result, therefore, consequently / as a consequence, so, so / such... that, but, although / even, though, in spite of / despite, however, while / whereas, yet / still, nevertheless, on the other hand Functions 1. Expressing opinions e.g. To me, this word seems to have only positive connotations. 2. Agreeing, disagreeing, partially agreeing, conceding a point, e.g. I take your point. / It certainly true that... That may be true but... / asking for clarification, e.g. Could you clarify what you mean by Expressing probability and certainty, e.g. It s highly likely that There s no doubt about the fact that... I suppose that could be an option. 4. Comparing & contrasting, e.g. This word means X, whereas the second one has quite a different meaning. 5. Describing reactions, such as interest, indifference, disbelief, etc., e.g. I don t mind, one way or the other. I am not so positive about that 6. Critical evaluation and reviewing e.g. It s an excellent summary, but I think it could be improved by a deeper consideration of... Well, I had the impression that Cause & effect, e.g. Supposing we substitute this word with a different one, how does it affect the meaning of the sentence? 8. Presenting one s viewpoint and defending it, e.g, It s frequently argued that, however... There are several reasons for this: one..., two..., and finally Using cautious language (hedging), softening the message, e.g. Am I right to think that this word means, I m just not so sure

4 10. Reporting what others say, e.g. As X has mentioned, this word is used to denote Using emphasis, e.g. The main point I d like to emphasise here is Using appropriate linkers, e.g. Whereas in the UK this word means X, in the USA it denotes / Whereas this is the case here, in other countries Using approximations, e.g. or something like that. Using X, or a similar expression. 14. Recognising register in spoken and written texts Academic component 1. finding and processing information 2. preparing and making short presentations 3. making notes based on lectures and texts 4. developing autonomy and strategy of independent study Assessment Students will be assessed on the basis of: 1. completing one individual assignment in a semester 20 points semester one - delivering a presentation about a chosen linguistic or vocabulary area, semester two - adapting an academic article for class discussion 2. exit test each semester - 30 points 3. regular attendance and completing homework assignments 10 points 4. active participation in class - 10 points Marking scheme No. of points Grade 0-41 unsatisfactory (2.0) fair (3.0) fair plus (3.5) good (4.0) good plus (4.5) very good (5.0) Resources 1. MAtasek, M. Słownictwo Angielskie dla Zaawansowanych, Handybooks, Poznań, Redman, M. English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate&intermediate, Cambridge University Press, McCarthy, M., F. O Dell, English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate, Cambridge University Press, McCarthy, M., F. O Dell, English Vocabulary in Use Advanced, Cambridge University Press, Bryson, B. The Mother Tongue, Penguin Books, Oxenden, C. C.Latham-Koenig, New English File Upper-intermediate, Oxford University Press, Dellar, H. Innovations Advanced Coursebook, Thomson, Clare, A. JJ Wilson. Speakout Advanced, Pearson Education Limited, Cunningham, G., J. Bell. Face2Face Advanced, Cambridge University Press, Dellar, H. A. Walkley. Outcomes Advanced. Heinle Cengage Learning, Newbrook, J., J. Wilson, R. Acklam. FCE Gold Plus Pearson Longman Cotton, D. D. Falvey, S. Kent. Language Leader Advanced, Pearson Longman 2010

5 13. Oxenden, C. C. Latham-Koenig. New English File Advanced, Oxford University Press Thomas, B.J. Vocabulary Upper Intermediate, Longman Group Limited, Rob Kyff s weekly column published online: Death Be Not Ungrammatical, This Column Is Just Dessert, Using the Correct Word, Test Your HQ, Cue Up a Queue of Tricky Phrases, Let s Put the You in Usage, Dubbya Words Can Troubya, Can you Ace R Little Quiz 16. Macmillan Online Conference 2011, talk by Malcolm Mann: Metaphorically Speaking 17. Google: Macmillan s buzz words 18.