2025
English Language and Linguistics I
Name: English Language and Linguistics I
Code: LLT14403L
6 ECTS
Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours
Scientific Area:
Linguistics
Teaching languages: Portuguese, English
Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese, English
Regime de Frequência: Presencial
Presentation
This curricular unit aims at demonstrating the theoretical and practical bases of English linguistics (phonetics and phonology). Students will be able to describe speech sounds, and to perceive the phonological variation and social relevance of standard and nonstandard varieties of English.
Sustainable Development Goals
Learning Goals
To enable students to express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations; to equip students with some tools and techniques for linguistic analysis and the identification of organizing principles of the English language; to demonstrate the theoretical and practical bases of English linguistics in the areas of phonetics and phonology. To describe speech sounds, to know what an individual sound is and how each sound differs from all others; to identify, describe and produce the sounds of standard English (BrE and AmE) and how they may be strung together to form meaningful units; to recognize the social dimension of Standard English, namely the phonological markers of regional and social variation; to identify the phonological markers of native and non-native English varieties; to comprehend the English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)-based approach to conceptualize the current use of English worldwide.
Contents
1. Introduction to Phonetics:
1.1. Spelling vs. sounds
1.2. Articulatory Phonetics
1.3. Places of articulation of English consonants
1.4. Manners of articulation of English consonants
1.5. Articulation and description of English vowels
1.6. The phonetic alphabet
2. The Phonology of Standard English:
2.1. Phonemes, minimal pairs/sets
2.2. Distinctive vs. redundant features
2.3. Phones, phonemes, allophones
2.4. Complementary vs. contrastive distribution
2.5. Homonyms, homophones, contrastive stress
3.a. Geographical varieties of Standard English: dialects and accents (variation in grammar, vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation)
3.a.1. British English/RP
3.a.2. American English/GA
3.b International varieties of English:
3.b.1. Endonormative varieties;
3.b.2. Nativized/standardizing varieties;
3.b.3. Performance/EFL varieties;
3.b.4. English as a Lingua Franca (ELF).
1.1. Spelling vs. sounds
1.2. Articulatory Phonetics
1.3. Places of articulation of English consonants
1.4. Manners of articulation of English consonants
1.5. Articulation and description of English vowels
1.6. The phonetic alphabet
2. The Phonology of Standard English:
2.1. Phonemes, minimal pairs/sets
2.2. Distinctive vs. redundant features
2.3. Phones, phonemes, allophones
2.4. Complementary vs. contrastive distribution
2.5. Homonyms, homophones, contrastive stress
3.a. Geographical varieties of Standard English: dialects and accents (variation in grammar, vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation)
3.a.1. British English/RP
3.a.2. American English/GA
3.b International varieties of English:
3.b.1. Endonormative varieties;
3.b.2. Nativized/standardizing varieties;
3.b.3. Performance/EFL varieties;
3.b.4. English as a Lingua Franca (ELF).
Teaching Methods
This course is designed to be a broad-based overview of the scientific study of the English language. The topics to be covered during the course include two of the "core" areas of linguistic theory (phonetics and phonology). Success in the course demands as much attention to the work covered in as the work done outside of class. Students should be ready to ask questions, discuss, and solve problems based on the materials. Besides the weekly classroom sessions, students and teacher will meet during office hours and in tutorial sessions to be arranged. Guidelines for the use of AI in the work to be developed in the course unit:
1. The use of AI is expressly prohibited in tasks for continuous assessment and for final evaluation (normal, resit/recurso, special and extraordinary exams).
2. Conditions for the use of AI: a) Level of permission (When and where): The use of AI is transversal to the course unit as support/deepening of the learning of the basic concepts of the course unit program, with the exception of formal individual performance exercises, and as foreseen in point 1, above.
b) Authorized Purposes (For what): The use of AI is permitted as (a) to support/deepen the learning of basic concepts of the curricular unit program and (b) to support research, organization and structure (e.g., layout and visual organization of documents, typography, colors and visual hierarchy, creation of schemes, diagrams or infographics, etc.), when applicable; the use of AI is expressly prohibited for the automatic resolution of evaluated exercises or tasks, as well as for the production of texts intended to be presented as original work.
c) References and Transparency (How): To make the use of AI tool(s) transparent, a brief statement will be attached to the work produced, when applicable (e.g., in oral practical work using PowerPoint or other visual aids, and/or written practical work using printed worksheets or handouts), indicating the tool used and the purpose of its use; the student will also indicate the session identifier or provide the sharing link of the interaction, as a complementary element of transparency.
Declaration template: For the elaboration of this work, the tool [AI Name, for example, ChatGPT] was used with the objective of [Task, for example, writing a text about linguistic attitudes]. The author fully validated the content and assumes final responsibility for the work presented. Link for AI consultation: https://chatgpt.com/share/68a77b60-0ee4-800c-9acc-cd3fd573c311
Finally, the student must indicate the bibliographic reference (for example, APA 7th ed.: OpenAI. (2025, August 21). The use of artificial intelligence in the identification and production of native and non-native accents. [Generative chat with AI]. ChatGPT. https://chatgpt.com/share/68a77b60-0ee4-800c-9acc-cd3fd573c311).
1. The use of AI is expressly prohibited in tasks for continuous assessment and for final evaluation (normal, resit/recurso, special and extraordinary exams).
2. Conditions for the use of AI: a) Level of permission (When and where): The use of AI is transversal to the course unit as support/deepening of the learning of the basic concepts of the course unit program, with the exception of formal individual performance exercises, and as foreseen in point 1, above.
b) Authorized Purposes (For what): The use of AI is permitted as (a) to support/deepen the learning of basic concepts of the curricular unit program and (b) to support research, organization and structure (e.g., layout and visual organization of documents, typography, colors and visual hierarchy, creation of schemes, diagrams or infographics, etc.), when applicable; the use of AI is expressly prohibited for the automatic resolution of evaluated exercises or tasks, as well as for the production of texts intended to be presented as original work.
c) References and Transparency (How): To make the use of AI tool(s) transparent, a brief statement will be attached to the work produced, when applicable (e.g., in oral practical work using PowerPoint or other visual aids, and/or written practical work using printed worksheets or handouts), indicating the tool used and the purpose of its use; the student will also indicate the session identifier or provide the sharing link of the interaction, as a complementary element of transparency.
Declaration template: For the elaboration of this work, the tool [AI Name, for example, ChatGPT] was used with the objective of [Task, for example, writing a text about linguistic attitudes]. The author fully validated the content and assumes final responsibility for the work presented. Link for AI consultation: https://chatgpt.com/share/68a77b60-0ee4-800c-9acc-cd3fd573c311
Finally, the student must indicate the bibliographic reference (for example, APA 7th ed.: OpenAI. (2025, August 21). The use of artificial intelligence in the identification and production of native and non-native accents. [Generative chat with AI]. ChatGPT. https://chatgpt.com/share/68a77b60-0ee4-800c-9acc-cd3fd573c311).
Assessment
Assessment modes: (1) Continuous assessment: two quizzes (50% + 50%); (2) Final assessment: Exam (normal and recurso; especial , extraordinário): written (if students get 9,5/20 or above, passing grade) (100%) and oral (only for students with a grade between 8,0 and 9,4 in the written exam). If deemed necessary to verify the extent to which the student has developed the knowledge and skills expected for the course unit, the teaching staff of the curicular unit may call the student for an oral examination, in accordance with paragraph 13 of article 110 of the Academic Regulations of the University of Évora, ensuring the conditions set out in paragraph 4 of article 116 and paragraph 1 of article 118 of the same Regulations. This oral examination will have the same weighting as the written quiz (in (1)) or written exam (in (2)) in the final grade for the course unit.
Teaching Staff
- Luís Sérgio Pinto Guerra [responsible]
Accreditations and Certifications
