Teaching code

4S010856

Teacher

Sibilla Cantarini

Coordinator

Sibilla Cantarini

Credits

9

Language

German

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

L-LIN/14 - LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION - GERMAN

Period

II semestre (Area Lingue e letterature straniere) dal Feb 17, 2025 al May 24, 2025.

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

On successful completion of this module students will be able to: - recognize and describe, in general terms, the various dimensions of language variation in German; - analyze the German language at a grammatical and/or lexical level with reference to one or more selected dimensions of language variation; - compare German with other languages in relation to specific grammatical and/or lexical aspects; - present the acquired knowledge convincingly, using electronic resources and ICT, also considering teaching German as a foreign language; - demonstrate German language skills that correspond to the C2 level of the CEFR.

Prerequisites and basic notions

Students are admitted to exams only after completing their C2 level (validity: 3 years) of language competence.

Program

“Introduction to contemporary German phraseology”
In the strictest sense, phraseology is a field of investigation involving the study of a set of fixed expressions. Typically, these are idiomatic expressions such as bei jemandem einen Stein im Brett haben, einen Bock schießen, kein Land (mehr) sehen, and other types of multiword lexical units in which the meaning of the expression does not derive from the meaning of the elements that make up the expression. More precisely, phraseological units are characterised by different degrees of fixity, semantic stability and metaphorical meaning, and from a textual point of view they can have an emphatic or intensifying function, amongst others. The relative formal variability and the graduality in their motivation make the criterion of non-compositionality of the phrasing units’ meaning less stringent, especially given the fact that motivation can be performed on both an etymological basis and in light of metaphorical and metonymic processes. In addition to the analysis of phraseological phenomena in the strictest sense, for which some classifications are also provided in function of the resulting primary or secondary category, particular importance will be given to collocations—lexical phenomena considered somewhere between idiomatic expressions, whose syntagmatic rigidity they do not share, and free combinations, with respect to which they are more greatly restricted. Collocations, for example eine herbe Enttäuschung, sich die Zähne putzen, eine Entscheidung treffen, Medikamente einnehmen, heikle Frage, hoher Verlust, may be semi-compositional or compositional. A particular type of collocation is the support verb construction, i.e., a construction in which the verb has no predicate function but serves as a support for the noun, which is, however, a predicate. With reference to the phraseological units taken into consideration and in particular to the last type of phenomena mentioned a description will also be given at a comparative level and implications for teaching German as L2 will be considered.
The course language is German. Missed classes can be made up. Make-up material must be requested. Non-attending students are requested to contact the Professor to arrange the examination schedule.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

Teaching method: frontal teaching, flipped classroom.

Learning assessment procedures

The exam is written (‘tesina’, a sort of paper = 1/2 of the grade given by the university teacher), and oral (PowerPoint presentation = 1/2 of the grade given by the university teacher). Since it is foreseen that during the course students give a presentation and that at the end of the course they write a paper on subjects given by the professor, the students who do not attend classes regularly must agree with the professor on the paper to be written and presented at the beginning of the oral exam.

Evaluation criteria

- Design, planning, and organisation of the (oral or written) text;
- cohesion and textual coherence;
- lexical richness and mastery;
- grammatical correctness;
- breadth and accuracy of knowledge and secondary literature;
- critical and personal judgments.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

(‘tesina’, a sort of paper = 1/2 of the grade given by the University Teacher), and oral (PowerPoint presentation = 1/2 of the grade given by the University Teacher).

Exam language

Tedesco/Deutsch/German