English language proficiency level B1+. Gli studenti che hanno ricevuto OFA nella lingua inglese sono invitati a seguire il corso ma potranno sostenere l’esame orale solo dopo aver recuperato i debiti formativi secondo le modalità indicate dal corso di laurea.

The course develops English language skills, leading students to reach a B2 level. Special attention will be paid to basic English syntax, pragmatics, and speaking skills.

The course has the following learning objectives:

• Acquisition of metalanguage (English) for the description of the most common morphosyntactic and pragmatic phenomena

• Acquisition of pragmatic communication skills (oral speech acts and their implementation in dialogic contexts)

• Expansion of English vocabulary (level B2)

• Strengthening of morphosyntactic skills (level B2)

• Strengthening of the four language skills (listening, reading, writing, speaking)

• Strengthening of the ability to identify the speaker's intent

 

By the end of the course, students will also have acquired transversal skills, such as:

– Problem-solving skills (applying what they have learned in a real-world situation)

– Ability to analyse and synthesize information (acquiring, organizing, and reformulating data and knowledge from various sources)

– Ability to make independent judgments (interpreting information critically and making decisions accordingly)

– Ability to communicate effectively (transmitting ideas clearly in written and oral form) and correct, appropriate to the interlocutor)

– ability to learn continuously (knowing one's own gaps and identifying strategies to acquire new knowledge or skills).

Interactive and hands-on lessons, which includes in-class exercises and role-plays. Cloud technologies and artificial intelligence will also be used. If possible, please bring your laptop to class.

The oral exam includes the following parts:

- Portfolio discussion. To prepare for this exam, the student must conduct at least 30 conversations in English with an artificial intelligence bot (e.g., ChatGPT) on topics of their choice. Conversations with the bot mean that the student engages in conversation with the bot as if it were a real person. These conversations, pasted into a Word file, form the portfolio, which must be submitted to the lecturer in PDF format by the exam date.

- Morphosyntactic analysis of a short written passage.

- Role-play in English: the candidate is involved in a dialogue set in a situation similar to those presented in the reference text (the text by Sara Gesuato). During the dialogue, the candidate must demonstrate extensive vocabulary, fluency, grammatical accuracy, clear and correct pronunciation, and the ability to apply the appropriate strategies and pragmatic formulas required for the communicative intent.

 

IMPORTANT: Access to the oral exam is only possible after passing the basic language skills assessment tests.

 

The assessment of basic language skills, equivalent to level B2, will be conducted through two tests:

1. General English Test (GET; passing threshold: 24/30): Multiple-choice, sentence transformation, and/or fill-in-the-gap grammar exercises similar to the exercises that will be completed in class during the course and during classes with Ms. Boyd. The grammatical topics required for the GET will be specified during the course.

2. Dictation Test (passing threshold: 24/30). During the test, the student will transcribe a short text read by the instructor. The dictation topics are aligned with the topics covered during classes with Ms. Boyd. You can sit the dictation test only after passing the GET and compiling a monolingual glossary created in LearnWeb, containing at least 150 concepts.

 

The results of the language proficiency assessment are valid for two calendar years.

 

These assessment methods verify the achievement of the expected learning outcomes listed in the Learning Objectives section.

 

Exam Booking Procedures

Exam bookings must be made exclusively through the VOL system. Students are required to book at least 5 days before the test date and must cancel their booking (on the system or by emailing the lecturer) in the event of a cancellation.

All exam dates will be available on the instructor's noticeboard, on the course page, and will appear on the VOL system approximately one month before each exam session.

The Examination Committee is composed of: Francesca Bianchi (Chair), Julia Boyd (subject expert; member), Elena Manca (member), and Ottavia Carlino (subject expert; member).

Suitable for Erasmus students.

Please see the instructor's online noticeboard and that of Dr. Boyd for last minute announcements and communications.

The course introduces students to the study of morphosyntax (with a semantic approach) and the pragmatics of discourse, presenting basic concepts.

 

The morphosyntactic aspects covered include:

- Semantics: Introduction to words, terms, and phraseology

- English morphology: an introduction

- Syntax: the noun phrase

- Syntax: the subject

- Syntax: the predicate

- Tense, aspect, and meaning

- Modality

- Syntax: the object

- Syntax: subordination and embedding

These are essential linguistic and practical tools for understanding written texts and for independent language study. Metalanguage will also be provided for the description of linguistic phenomena.

 

The pragmatics aspects covered include:

- Face and politeness

- Implicatures

- Grice's maxims of conversation

- Speech act theory (with examples of thanks, complaints, requests, offers, apologies)

The theoretical aspects and possible implementations of these acts will be explored, with reference to the English language and with a focus on intercultural issues.

 

The course is supported by the tutoring of Dr. Julia Boyd. The tutoring will focus on the following activities:

• Grammar exercises

• Listening and dictation exercises

• General vocabulary development

• Exercises to refine English language production

Gesuato, S. 2005. L’inglese nelle contrattazioni private. Antologia di atti linguistici per l’interazione orale. Roma: Aracne (https://www.aracne-editrice.it/index.php/pubblicazione.html?item=9788854803015)

 

M. Swan & C. Walter, Oxford English Grammar Course – Intermediate. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

 

Handouts and other materials provided by the instructor.

 

Learning materials will be provided via the Unisalento Formazioneonline platform (Moodle).

The LearnWeb platform of the L3S research center (Hannover) will be used to create the glossary.

 

Non-attending students are invited to contact the instructor for instructions on how to register for the platform.