2020/2021

English for Specific Purposes. General Linguistics - 2

Type: Optional course

Delivered by: School of Foreign Languages

When: 3, 4 module

Instructors: Sonia Durneva, Inna Grigorian, Ksenia Pospelova, Anna Viklova, Anastasia Sergeyevna Vyrenkova

Language: English

ECTS credits: 5

Contact hours: 88

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The discipline refers to the variable educational tracks offered to students of the curricula for bachelor's and master's degree at choice while mastering the optional course of English in accordance with the Concept of developing English-speaking communicative competence of students of Higher School of Economics — National Research University https://www.hse.ru/docs/381549301.html «English for Specific Purposes. Linguistics-2» course for 1st-year students includes, on the one hand, familiarizing students with the format and requirements of the final 1st-year examination in English together with revision of the grammar and vocabulary means necessary for the success in this examination, and, on the other hand, detailed analysis of several works (journal papers, chapters from academic books and course books, conference presentations and lectures) written or read by English-speaking linguists. The focus in the latter direction in the course is on linguistic notions and terminology presented to the students in their linguistic courses of the 2nd semester of their 1st year studies in the Fundamental and Computer Linguistics Bachelor Programme, and also on the basic features of academic English and principles of preparing an academic written and oral production. The prerequisite to the course is attendance of either «English for General Communication Purposes. Advanced level» or «English for Academic Purposes. Advanced level», and students’ knowledge of English is expected to have reached B2-C1 CEFR level.

Learning Objectives

• The course is aimed at developing BA Theoretical and Computational Linguistics students’ professional intercultural communicative competence (PICC) that is referred to as the “integrative ability of solving professional tasks with the help of foreign language” . Development of the PICC, as an integrative goal of this course, ensures plunging students as active participants into the process of solving a variety of professionally-oriented tasks with the help of the English language that model a broad diverse social and (quasi-) professional context of their future career paths.
• provides an opportunity to discover various genres, formats, strategies, purposes and means of learning and narrating about the Theoretical and Computational Linguistics, as well as describing and interpreting art works of different styles and periods, creating and presenting linguistic projects in English using Information and Communications technology (ICT);
• gives a chance to work with different sources and types of information for finding new solutions to the existing problems and designing innovative creative and personally meaningful research, educational and professional projects related to their future professional field;
• practices analytical and critical thinking skills;
• practices analytical and critical thinking skills;
• enables to reflect on their own and their team work and experience;
• develops problem solving skills and creativity.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Extracting, organizing and completing the information according to the given task using the strategies of predicting, prioritizing, identifying the general and specific (detailed), key and additional info, recognizing relevant/irrelevant, major and supporting facts, opinions, arguments etc., differentiating between narration, description and reasoning;
• To work with ideas and concepts related to the field of linguistics individually and in a team using the brainstorming, formulating, refining, adapting, arguing, debating, supporting, transforming etc. strategies;
• to integrate smartly the learned theories, concepts, terms and definitions from the professional context into the speech.
• to formulate and express the ideas based on the analysis of the facts / concepts / ideas / opinions etc. about linguistics in oral and written form;
• to integrate smartly the learned theories, concepts, terms and definitions from the professional context into the speech
• to work with sources and different types of information about linguistics: - searching and finding relevant info; - identifying, analyzing and evaluating the sources (including e-sources);
• xtracting, organizing and completing the information according to the given task using the strategies of predicting, prioritizing, identifying the general and specific (detailed), key and additional info, recognizing relevant/irrelevant, major and supporting facts, opinions, arguments etc., differentiating between narration, description and reasoning;

Course Contents

• The Big To-Do-List: Identifying Challenges for 21st Century Linguistics
  The topic is based on the list of the greatest linguistic discoveries to date and the cutting-edge issues in contemporary linguistics, according to Martin Hilpert. It also discusses how linguistics could collaborate with other sciences to solve the most challenging issues that humanity is currently facing.
• Building Complex Knowledge with Language and Imagination
  The topic discusses how speakers of different languages conceptualize time relative to space, and how our perception of time may be distorted due to brain impairment affecting the way we process space. It also addresses the concept of metaphor and shows how linguistic metaphors have psychological weight affecting our behaviour, as well as defines language as a powerful tool that helps us conceive of an infinite number of new ideas, recycling our past experiences.
• Basic concepts of language
  The topic contributes to a popular conception of human language acquisition and some general basic concepts of human language development. It also covers some topics from psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics as well as some items from applied linguistics connected, for instance, with teaching languages.
• How Language Shapes the Way We Think
  The topic discusses the talk given by a cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky where argues that language has a profound impact on the way we perceive the world and illustrates her point with linguistic data from across the globe.
• Experimental linguistics
  The topic discusses three experiments that linguists have carried out to investigate how language works in the human mind.
• Is linguistics a science?
  The topic discusses three parallels between linguistics and natural sciences such as biology and physics, also highlighting three aspects in which linguistics is different from these disciplines.
• What is language? Human language vs. animal communication systems
  This introductory lecture by Prof. Dr. Martin Hilpert of University of Berkley provides substantial and profound information on what human language is and how it differs from other forms of communication, specifically, animal communication systems by giving comprehensive details on each feature mentioned.
• Encounters with language
  The topic presents professional experiences of one of the most prominent contemporary linguists, the founder and director of ICSI's FrameNet Project, Charles Fillmore. Reading:

Assessment Elements

• Written assessment
• Oral assessment
• Independent work assessment
• Final assessment

Interim Assessment

• Interim assessment (4 module)
  0.3 * Final assessment + 0.25 * Independent work assessment + 0.2 * Oral assessment + 0.25 * Written assessment

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Barón Birchenall, L. (2016). Animal Communication and Human Language: An overview.
• Boroditsky, L. (2019). Language and the brain. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz6490
• James McGilvray. (2014). Chomsky : Language, Mind and Politics: Vol. Second edition. Polity.
• Noam Chomsky. (2007). Of Minds and Language.

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Alison Edgley. (2015). Noam Chomsky. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Barnes, H. (2017). Linguistics : Past, Present and Future Perspectives. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1530916
• Christelle Gillioz, & Sandrine Zufferey. (2020). Introduction to Experimental Linguistics. Wiley-ISTE.
• Hendricks, R. K., Demjén, Z., Semino, E., & Boroditsky, L. (2019). Emotional Implications of Metaphor:Consequences of Metaphor Framing for Mindset about Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926488.2018.1549835
• Pullum, G. K. (2018). Linguistics : Why It Matters. Cambridge, UK: Polity. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1910481