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2022/2023

Spanish Semantics and Pragmatics

Code: 106370 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2504211 Spanish Language and Literature OB 3 2

Contact

Name:
Yolanda Rodríguez Sellés
Email:
yolanda.rodriguez@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
spanish (spa)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
Yes

Prerequisites

By obtaining the minimum of credits in basic training subjects, students have demonstrated to have acquired the basic competences and they will be able to express themselves orally and in writing. For this reason, any spelling and expression errors that may be committed by the student in the performance of the evaluation activities planned during the subject will lead to a score decrease in the final grade. Activities, practical sessions and papers submitted in the course must be original and under no circumstances will the total or partial plagiarism of third-party materials published on any medium be admitted. Any submission of non-original material without properly indicating its origin will automatically result in a failure
rating (0).


Objectives and Contextualisation

Spanish Semantics and Pragmatics course is part of the 30 compulsory credits of the subject Spanish language: synchrony. This course has two primary goals. The first one is to introduce the main topics of the study of denotative meaning to the student. The second one is to make the student become familiar with those aspects of the meaning related to the usage of language. At the end of the course, the student must be able to:

  • Know the basic reference works on Semantics and Pragmatics
  • Identify which aspects of the study of meaning belong to Semantics and which ones to Pragmatics
  • Know the existing links between Semantics, Pragmatics and other subjects, including linguistic ones (Syntax, Lexicology and Morphology), and non-linguistic (Philosophy, Logics, Psychology and Sociology).
  • Master the basic concepts and tools that enable analysis and argumentationin Semantics and Pragmatics.

 

 

Competences

  • Analyse the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic properties of the Spanish language, its evolution throughout history and its current structure.
  • Develop arguments applicable to the fields of Hispanic literature, literary theory, Spanish language and linguistics, and evaluate their academic relevance.
  • Introduce changes in the methods and processes of the field of knowledge to provide innovative responses to the needs and demands of society.
  • Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Acquire in-depth phonetic knowledge so that it can be applied to other interdisciplinary fields.
  2. Characterise linguistic phenomena taking into account the different levels of analysis.
  3. Describe the phonological system of Spanish on the basis of the distribution, relationships and articulatory and acoustic properties of its elements.
  4. Identify and describe the syntactic constructions of Spanish.
  5. Identify the constituents of a word and the levels at which they operate.
  6. Justify by means of appropriate terminology the analysis of data from a linguistic point of view.
  7. Make linguistic predictions and inferences about the content of a text.
  8. Propose new ways of measuring success or failure in the implementation of proposals or innovative ideas.
  9. Recognise acoustically and articulately the sounds and prosody of Spanish.
  10. Recognise the links between compositional semantics and other disciplines, both linguistic (syntax, lexicology, pragmatics) and non-linguistic (philosophy, logic, mathematics).
  11. Use digital tools to obtain, classify, interpret and analyse relevant data related to the study of Spanish language and literature.
  12. Use the appropriate terminology in the construction of an academic text and in the transmission of their knowledge.
  13. Use traditional sources to obtain, classify, interpret and analyse relevant data related to the study of Spanish language and literature.

Content

1. Introduction to Semantics. 

2. The semantic information of simple sentences.

3. The semantic structure of simple sentences.

4. Introduction to Pragmatics.

5. Meaning and communicative intention.

6. Meaning and interpretation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Methodology

The learning of this subject by the students is distributed as follows:
Directed activities (35%). These activities are divided into master classes and classroom practices led by the teacher, in which theoretical explanation is combined with solution of exercises and discussion of
all types of texts.
Supervised activities (10%). These tutorials are programmed by the teacher, dedicated to correcting and commenting on problems related to different levels of linguistic analysis.
Autonomous activities (50%). These activities include both time devoted to individual study and production of reviews, papers and analytical comments written, as well as oral presentations.
Assessment activities (5%). The evaluation of the subject will be describe in Assessment section.



Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Master classes 26.25 1.05
To solve exercices 26.25 1.05
Type: Supervised      
Review readings 6 0.24
Type: Autonomous      
Exercices preparation 42.75 1.71
Readings of references 18.5 0.74
Self-assessment exercices 18.5 0.74

Assessment

1. Criteria for the grading the course

In order to pass the course, after completing the three evaluable activities mentioned above and after applying the percentages indicated above, the student must get a final grade equal or greater than 5. If the final grade is

  • Less than 3.5, the student will get a failing grade.
  • Between 3.5 and 5, the student will be able eligible for re-evaluation.
  • The student will get the grade of non-evaluable when their evaluable evidence equals a maximum of a quarter of the course.

In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.

 

2. Re-evaluation criteria

Students who get a final grade between 3.5 and 5 and who have carried out the three assessable activities mentioned above will be eligible for re-evaluation of the course on the date set by the Faculty. If the re-evaluation test is passed, the final grade for the subject will be 5, regardless of the grades obtained before. Students who have passed the course will not be allowed to re-evaluate to increase their grade.

3. Evaluation criteria

In order to pass the exam, mastery of the normative is considered essential; therefore, when evaluating the activities mentioned above, spelling errors, incorrect use of punctuation, lexical errors and morphosyntactic errors will be penalized.

4. Review procedure for evaluable evidence

After the publication of the grading of the evaluable activities mentioned above, the teacher will inform the students through Moodle of the day and time for the review of such activities. 

5. Misconduct in assessment activities

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

 

 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Participation in class 10% 3.75 0.15
Test about Pragmatics 45% 4 0.16 1, 2, 3, 7, 12, 5, 4, 6, 9, 10
Test about Semantics 45% 4 0.16 1, 2, 3, 7, 12, 11, 13, 5, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10

Bibliography

Hurford, J. R. & Heasley, B. (1983): Curso de Semántica, Madrid: Visor.

Escandell, Mª. V.(1996): Introducción a la pragmática. Barcelona: Ariel.

Escandell, Mª. V. (2004): Fundamentos de semántica composicional. Barcelona: Ariel.

Portolés, J.  (2004): Pragmática para hispanistas. Madrid: Síntesis.

Software

There are no requirements.