Communicative competence in English language level B2

- For admission to the examination (including 'parziali' written tests), it is mandatory to have already passed the Lingua e traduzione inglese I examination

The Cognitive English Grammar course aims to deepen students' awareness of the perceptual and cognitive system underlying the English language and to acquire the metalanguage necessary for its description and analysis. As a complement to the teaching, the supplementary lessons held by the mother-tongue language instructor aim to consolidate and develop the four language skills up to level B2+, with particular emphasis on productive skills (written and oral).

Cognitive English Grammar

Cognitive Grammar sees the structure of language not as a set of rules to be applied 'top-down', but as a 'bottom-up' cognitive-perceptual system that determines the choice of linguistic forms. Understanding the cognitive system underlying the English language allows the student not only to understand the 'worldview' encoded in linguistic forms, but also to appreciate how language use is made up of choices rather than rules. Such choices communicate important nuances and knowing how to identify and interpret them refines students' interpretive and productive skills.

Detailed programme

1. The perceptual system

- Mental spaces, metaphor and metonymy;

- Perception: point of view, focusing on details, objectivity/subjectivity;

- From perception to syntax: things and their relations.

2. Nouns

- Distinguishing objects from substances: boundedness, internal composition, numerability;

- Perceiving quantity and transforming it into linguistic expression (use of articles and determiners);

- Modifying the meaning of nouns: adjectives, the genitive, prepositional phrases; relative clauses;

- Designating permanent and/or temporary characteristics: the form and syntactic position of adjectives.

3. Verbs

- The interaction between chronological and linguistic time;

- Aktionsart: a classification of actions and states;

- Aspect (progressive, non-progressive, perfect) and its compatibility with certain types of action/state;

- Epistemic and deontic modality

During the course of the lectures, many terms belonging to the metalanguage of linguistics will be introduced; the student will have to familiarise themself with these terms, which are fundamental for the correct and detailed analysis and description of languages. This metalanguage includes

- the names of all verb tenses and aspects (e.g. 'past progressive'; 'present perfect passive'; 'modal perfect')

- the names of the parts of speech (e.g. 'mass noun'; 'intransitive verb'; 'prepositional phrase');

- the names of syntactic components (e.g. 'subject', 'indirect object', 'time adverbial').

English language lessons ('lettorato') held by dott.ssa Iris Black are an integral part of the course. The course contents, set texts and timetable of the lessons will be indicated at the beginning of the academic year on dott.ssa Black's webpage.

Texts adopted (obligatory reading)

1. René DIRVEN & Gunter RADDEN (2007) 'Cognitive English Grammar'. Amsterdam: John Benjamins - Chapters 1-10 (pp. 1-265)

2. George ORWELL (1945) 'Fifty Orwell Essays'. Available online at Project Gutenberg Australia http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0300011h.html - one essay of your choice from those listed in 'Other information'.

Teaching is conducted almost exclusively (95%) in English.

1. Supplementary teaching by the mother-tongue language instructor involves weekly meetings throughout the two semesters. The final examination for the language component ("prova di accertamento linguistico") consists of a written test (summary + essay) that accounts for 30% of the final course grade.

2. A 'sample test' of the Cognitive English Grammar written test and a set of supplementary handouts will be posted on the lecturer's online environment - the link will be provided on this webpage as soon as it is available.

The written tests are scheduled in the official examination sessions, with a total of 3 examination opportunities during the year (May, September, January).

3. For the oral examination (10-15 minutes), the student should choose one of the following essays by Orwell:

- Confessions of a Book Reviewer;

- Notes on Nationalism;

- Pleasure Spots;

- Politics and the English Language;

- The Decline of the English Murder;

- The Prevention of Literature;

- You and the Atomic Bomb

The student must orally summarise (in English) the topic covered in the essay and then engage in a free discussion of the issues raised.

Detailed assessment parameters for level B2 can be found at the URL https://www.eaquals.org/wp-content/uploads/Checklist-of-Descriptors_EN_2000PortfolioLanguageBiography.pdf

4. Students are free to complete each of the 3 partes of the exam in the order they prefer so long as all 3 components are passed within a 12-month window.

• The Cognitive English Grammar course consistes of face-to-face lectures in which theoretical notions will be outlined. The theoretical content will be enriched through practical demonstrations, analysis of short texts, and test practice. Students are invited to actively participate in discussions, contributing their own ideas, observations and interpretations.

  Teaching is conducted almost entirely (95%) in English.

  The English language lessons (with dott.ssa Black) include working groups, classroom exercises and seminar activities.

• Assessment of leaning outcomes will be conducted in three separate stages

  
  

  • 30% language test ("prova di accertamento linguistico") level B2+ (3h) set by the mother-tongue language instructor: Reading Comprehension/ Use of English ('summary') and Writing ('essay')
  • 40% written test of Cognitive English Grammar (2h): comprehension and analysis of three short texts in English, with multiple-choice and short open-ended questions. *This is an open-book test: the student can freely consult a monolingual dictionary, the book and their course notes*. The test assesses comprehension/analysis skills and the application of Cognitive Grammar concepts acquired during the course.
  • 30% oral test (15min): discussion in English of an essay by Orwell (see 'Other information'). The student must summarise the topic of the essay (25%), and discuss the ideas in English at B2+ level (75%).

  The three tests can be sat in any order, in one or more exam session, provided that all parts are passed in a 12-month period.

Teaching is conducted almost exclusively (95%) in English; all components of the exam are to be conducted in English

English