English 3

This course is addressed to third-year BA (LT) students, and represents the fulfillment of compulsory English Language studies. It consists of lectures (Corso monografico), usually taught by a tenured professor, and practical language classes (Esercitazioni), held by language experts. Lectures (Corso monografico) aim at introducing students to a variety of text types used in popularizing many different topics and disciplines. Rhetorical strategies within the individual text (intratextual), rhetorical and linguistic variation across texts (intertextual), as well as the linguistic features making rhetorical strategies effective and efficient in different communicative contexts will be investigated in detail. The notion of discourse will also be introduced, with specific reference to the notions of register(s) and speech communities. The discussion will also include web/online genres and texts, along with (more) traditional sources (monographs, newspaper article). Practical classes (Esercitazioni) aim at developing language skills in English at an advanced level (Common European Framework, Level C1). In particular, practical classes include listening comprehension and note taking, summary and essay writing, oral presentation and discussion skills.

Knowledge and understanding: the fundamental notions of text and text varieties, register/s, genre/s, and discourse applied to popularizing texts and the popularization of knowledge; the complex relationship between register/s, text/s, genre/s in the perspective of variation (dimensions of variation and embedded registers); the interaction between text/s and register/s within the wider perspective of encoding/decoding discourse; text, register, genre variation used in different communicative situations, for different functions, in oral/written interaction; the rhetorical strategies which may determine the selection of lexical and morpho-syntactic features in the construction/reception of text/s and discourse. Applying knowledge and understanding: students will be able to a. identify the main multi dimensional features which define text types, registers, and genres; b. apply the specific tools of linguistic analysis to unfold the situational analytical and communicative framework; c. select the basic and useful linguistic items which frame text analysis, that is to say the linguistic features to investigate; d. provide quantitative data (pervasive linguistic features) and qualitative issues (relevance of pervasive linguistic features); e. interpret data and their functional, situational, communicative, textual and discursive relevance.