SE1411: Sound, Structure and Meaning
| School | Language and Communication |
| Department Code | ENCAP |
| Module Code | SE1411 |
| External Subject Code | 100318 |
| Number of Credits | 20 |
| Level | L6 |
| Language of Delivery | English |
| Module Leader | Professor Thomas Bartlett |
| Semester | Autumn Semester |
| Academic Year | 2013/4 |
Outline Description of Module
This module equips students with the necessary terminology and practical skills for the linguistic description and analysis of text that is the basis of applied and topic-specific language studies. The module will cover the basics of phonology, grammatical structure and lexical and clause semantics from a theory-neutral perspective.
On completion of the module a student should be able to
- Understand the meaningful phonemic distinctions in English
- Understand the manner and place of articulation of English consonants
- Understand the classification of English vowels
- Recognise and label the main word classes in English
- Undertake basic morphological analysis of words
- Divide and label a clause in terms of its constituent parts at various ranks
- Identify and label conjunctive relations between clauses
- Identify and discuss the chief semantic relations between lexemes
How the module will be delivered
Timetabled sessions include two lectures and one seminar per week. During seminars you will be expected to complete practical tasks based on the preceding lectures. Lectures are usually accompanied by PowerPoint slides and handouts summarising content at a reasonable level of detail. These are usually made available on Learning Central prior to or immediately after each seminar. Audio and video may be used in this module. Transcripts are provided where the audio or visual texts are analysed in detail or are a core element of the seminar.
Skills that will be practised and developed
The module practices and develops a range of transferable analytical skills:
- Analysis and description of the sound, structure and meaning of English clauses
- Solving of abstract analytical tasks
- Presentation of detailed and accurate work in a systematic fashion
- Independent and small-group work in problem-solving
- the module is also relevant to all the employability pathways
How the module will be assessed
|
Type of assessment |
% |
Title |
Duration (exam) / Word length (essay) |
Approx. date of assessment |
|
Coursework |
50% |
Analytical tasks |
1600 words |
|
|
Exam |
50% |
|
2 hours |
|
The module is assessed according to the Assessment Criteria set out in the English Language and Communication Course Guide. Otherwise, there are no academic or competence standards which limit the availability of adjustments or alternative assessments for students with disabilities.
Assessment Breakdown
| Type | % | Title | Duration(hrs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Assessment | 50 | Coursework - Analytical Tasks | N/A |
| Exam - Autumn Semester | 50 | Sound, Structure And Meaning | 2 |
Syllabus content
The consonant and vowel system of English
Phonemes: Minimum units of meaning
Basic syntax of the English clause
Elements of the nominal group
Derivational and inflectional morphology
Conjunctive relations
Semantic relations between words
Essential Reading and Resource List
Collins, B & I Mees. Practical Phonetics and Phonology. Second Edition. London:Routledge.
Downing, Angela and Philip Locke. 2006 (2nd Edition). English Grammar: A University
Course. London and New York: Routledge.
Quirk, Randolph and Sidney Greenbaum. 1973. A University Grammar of English. Harlow:
Longman.
Thomas, L. 1993. Beginning Syntax. Oxford: Blackwell
van Gelderen, E. 2002. An Introduction to the Grammar of English: syntactic arguments and socio-historical background. Amsterdam: John Benjamin’s Publishing Company