The course aims to provide students with knowledge of the world's main varieties of English and of their phonetic, morpho-syntactic and lexical traits.
At the end of the course, students should be able to discuss such topics at a B2 level.
Linguistic competence in English of at least B1 level.
Please note that, according to propaedeutic rules, before taking the 2nd-year English Language exam students must have completed the 1st-year English Language exam.
The course is taught in English.
The course will be based on lectures, which will also include some individual and group workshop activities. Special attention will be given to debate, as students are encouraged to suggest topics for further analysis.
Students who are unable to attend regularly are expected to study the contents of the reference book(s) with great accuracy.
The 54-hour module does not comprise practice sessions for the computer-based test; however, students are strongly advised to attend both the activities planned by the CCL for their level of competence and any tutoring activities on offer throughout the year; more details are available here.
The exam consists of two parts: computer-based test and oral exam. In order to access the oral exam, students will have to pass (with at least 60% of correct answers) the computer-based test.
The computer-based test assesses listening, reading and translation skills, together with lexical and morpho-syntactic competence at a B2 level. An example is available on the e-learning pages. The test is valid for 18 months. Students who already have a B2 or higher EFL language certificate validated by the Students Office are exonerated from the computer-based test. For information: https://dllcs.unibg.it/it/studiare/corsi-studio/certificazioni-linguistiche.
The oral exam consists in a discussion in English of the course topics.
The assessment will be based on knowledge of course contents, but will also take into account the candidate’s linguistic competence as far as lexis, grammar, phonology and pragmatics are concerned.
Starting from an introduction to the history of the English language, the course illustrates “World Englishes”, by investigating the historical development and the distinctive features of the world's main geographical varieties of English. Besides their sociolinguistic features, it will illustrate differences on the phonetic, morpho-syntactic and lexical level.
Mandatory reading list:
Additional recommended texts:
Mandatory reading list:
Additional recommended texts:
