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LING353 The English Language

Updated: 31 October 2011
Credit Points 6
Offering
Responsible Campus Teaching Period Mode of Study
Armidale Trimester 2 On line
Armidale Trimester 2 On Campus
Intensive School(s) None
Supervised Exam There is no UNE Supervised Examination.
Pre-requisites LING100 or LING102
Co-requisites None
Restrictions LING240 or LING340 or LING453 or LING553
Notes None
Combined Units LING553 - The English Language
Coordinator(s) Nicholas J Reid (nreid@une.edu.au)
Unit Description

This unit covers the major areas of English grammar, such as sentence structure, word classes, word structure, sentence types, and verb and noun phrases. It further looks beyond the sentence to consider information packaging and discourse strategies. The unit pays close attention to variation in English, with an eye on regional variants (such as Indian English), occupational variants (such as the language of Personal Ads), and the differences between speech and writing. Finally, it covers the emergence of English as a global language and asks questions about the future of Standard English.
Materials Text information will be published prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Disclaimer Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Assessment Assessment information will be published prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Learning Outcomes (LO) Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. demonstrate familiarity with the major facts about contemporary English grammar, including: the sounds of English, the ways in which words are constructed, how words behave in different ways, how sentences are structured, different types of clause, kinds of complex sentence, and how information is packaged into sentences;
  2. outline the historical development from Old English through Middle English to Modern English, including: how the sounds of English have changed over time, how English words have changed their shapes and meanings over time, how English sentence structure has changed over time;
  3. explain the significance of variation in English. 'English' has always been a label applied to many varying varieties of speech, and 'New Englishes' continue to develop in many different parts of the world. We challenge simplistic beliefs that some varieties of English are 'wrong', while exploring the fascinating fact that many people are strongly attracted to thinking in these terms; and
  4. demonstrate appreciation of English's role as a global lingua franca.

Graduate Attributes (GA)
Attribute Taught Assessed Practised
1 Knowledge of a Discipline
Students will deepen their knowledge of linguistics and become familiar with the major facts about contemporary English grammar. This knowledge will be assessed in all assessment tasks. 		True True True
2 Communication Skills
Students' involvement in online discussions in this unit will foster their ability to communicate effectively; encourage them to find, organise and present information effectively; and to construct coherent and well reasoned arguments. This will be assessed via the essay and participation in online discussions. 		True True True
3 Global Perspectives
This unit examines the variation in forms of English spoken throughout the world, the role of English as a global language, and the likely fate of Englishes as second languages. This will be assessed in the essay. 		True True True
4 Information Literacy
Online components of this unit provide opportunities for students to practise their information literacy skills. This will be assessed in all assessment tasks. 		True True True
5 Life-Long Learning
This unit provides the opportunity for students to identify, evaluate and implement personal learning strategies and study skills that will be valuable throughout your life. 		True
6 Problem Solving
In this unit you will be required to apply critical thinking to linguistic issues, and to solve data based problems critically and intelligently. Problem-solving skills will be assessed in the online tests and in the essay. 		True True True
7 Social Responsibility
This unit will develop students' awareness of the interplay between linguistic variation and social judgements. We hope that the ability to make connections between language use and wider socio-political issues makes students more socially responsible. 		True
8 Team Work
Participation in online discussions requires engagement and interactivity with other students in developing collaborative skills and building group knowledge. This will be assessed via the online discussions. 		True True True
   

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