AJ1207 Functional Linguistics

Faculty of Education
Autumn 2018
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Olga Dontcheva-Navrátilová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Olga Dontcheva-Navrátilová, Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jana Popelková
Supplier department: Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Prerequisites
syntax A, synatx B
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to practice the communicative appproach in the study of English syntax using two strategies: a. the study of grammatical structures at sentence level with regards to their function as statements, questions, directives and exclamatives, b. the study of meaning in connected discourse (utterance level) - linking signals and constructions, word order and emphasis, functional sentence perspective etc.
Throughout the semester students are encouraged to link theory in the classroom to practice at schools via practical tasks.
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to use relevant syntactic terminology, to analyse the structure of English sentences, to use a variety of syntactical structures in different communicative situations and to apply this knowledge and skills for pedagogical purposes.
Syllabus
  • 1. Communicative syntax vs. normative syntax. Language in context.
  • 2. Analysing language structures - giving information and expressing opinion. Functions of language.
  • 3. Analysing language structures - expressing a point of view. Clauses with hypothetical meaning.
  • 4. Analysing language structures - expressing mood and emotion. Discourse functions of sentences.
  • 5. Analysing language structures - modality. Speech acts. The co-operative primciple and the principle of politeness.
  • 6. Analysing language structures - linking signals and constructions.
  • 7. Analysing language structures - referring expressions. Grammatical cohesion.
  • 8. Presenting and focussing information. Spoken vs. written language.
  • 9. Order and emphasis. Fronting.
  • 10. Order and emphasis. Postponement.
  • 11. Register variation - formal vs. informal, polite vs, familiar.
  • 12. Dialect variation.
  • 13. Discussion of approaches and activities for teaching functional syntax observed during teaching practice.
Literature
    required literature
  • QUIRK, Randolph and Sidney GREENBAUM. A Student s Grammar of the English Language. 1. vyd. London: Longman, 1990, 490 s. ISBN 0-582-07569-6. info
  • DONTCHEVA-NAVRATILOVA, Olga. Grammatical structures in English : meaning in context. 3. vydání. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2012, 169 stran. ISBN 9788021057623. info
  • SVARTVIK, Jan and Geoffrey N. LEECH. A communicative grammar of English. 2nd ed. London: Longman, 1994, xiv, 423. ISBN 058208573X. info
    recommended literature
  • TÁRNYIKOVÁ, Jarmila. Chapters from modern English syntax : (a communicative approach). Olomouc: Univerzita Palackého, 1993, 105 s. ISBN 8070672684. info
  • VACHEK, Josef. A functional syntax of modern English. Vydání 1. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 1994, 50 stran. ISBN 8021008636. info
Teaching methods
A two-period seminar (90 mins). Home assignments + home reading.
A mid-term test + a credit test (practical analysis of authentic texts and their functional interpretation) + oral exam.
More than two absences are not tolerated.
Teaching methods: classroom discussions, lectures, students' presentations, home assignments, home projects. Tasks for teaching practice.
Assessment methods
Teaching methods: classroom discussions, lectures, students' presentations, home assignments, home projects.
Continuous assessment based on presence and participation at seminars. Credit test (passmark 65%) + oral exam.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
Note related to how often the course is taught: kombinované studium: výuka v blocích.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: kombinované studium: výuka v blocích.
Teacher's information
http://moodlinka.ped.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=143 (denní studium); http://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=2323 (dálkové studium)
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019, autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2018, recent)
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