Valdosta State University                                                  Dr. Luis G. Bejarano

Department of Modern & Classical Languages                            West Hall 142 (249-4942)   

Español 4110 / 6110                                                                           E-mail: lgbejara@valdosta.edu

Primavera 2005                                                                                   Office hours: TR 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

                                                                                                                and  by appointment.

 

Textbook: Teschner, Richard. Camino Oral. 2nd. Edition, Mc Graw Hill, 200.

Reference: John Dalbor.  Spanish Pronunciation, 3rd. edition. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. 1997.

CD ROM:  Patricia V. Lunn.  Pronunciación y fonética. Michigan State University, 1999.

 

Objective:  This course is designed to analyze the sound system of Spanish, through an introduction to the field of descriptive linguistics.  We will explore principles in the areas of phonetics and phonology, by using standard Spanish and its dialectal variations throughout the Hispanic world. The objective will be reached through class discussion; presentations and practice in phonetic transcription using recordings and textual materials to better understand phonological phenomena. Due to the conversational nature of this course these are the ACTFL Speaking and writing outputs for advance language students.

 

Advanced Speaking

 

Able to satisfy the requirements of everyday situations and routine school and work requirements. Can handle with confidence but not with facility complicated tasks and social situations, such as elaborating, complaining, and apologizing. Can narrate and describe with some details, linking sentences together smoothly. Can communicate facts and talk casually about topics of current public and personal interest, using general vocabulary. Shortcomings can often be smoothed over by communicative strategies, such as pause fillers, stalling devices, and different rates of speech. Circumlocution which arises from vocabulary or syntactic limitations very often is quite successful, though some groping for words may still be evident. The Advanced-level speaker can be understood without difficulty by native interlocutors.

 

Advanced Writing

 

Able to write routine social correspondence and join sentences in simple discourse of at least several paragraphs in length on familiar topics. Can write simple social correspondence, take notes, write cohesive summaries and resumes, as well as narratives and descriptions of a factual nature. Has sufficient writing vocabulary to express self simply with some circumlocution. May still make errors in punctuation, spelling, or the formation of nonalphabetic symbols. Good control of the morphology and the most frequently used syntactic structures, e.g., common word order patterns, coordination, subordination, but makes frequent errors in producing complex sentences. Uses a limited number of cohesive devices, such as pronouns, accurately. Writing may resemble literal translations from the native language, but a sense of organization (rhetorical structure) is emerging. Writing is understandable to natives not used to the writing of non-natives.

 

Class participation:  ATTENDANCE IS VERY IMPORTANT!  Since foreign languages study is a cumulative process measured by daily evaluation, attendance is very important.  Students are expected to be prepared and participate in all class activities showing motivation and interest and conducting presentations for the textbook chapters.  Students who miss more than 20% of the class sessions will receive F (see Undergraduate Bulletin, p. 75). A portion of the class participation grade will be based on attendance.

 

Examinations: There will be a mid-term exam, several quizzes (announced or unannounced/oral), self- recordings, a semester project and a Final Exam. NO MAKE-UP will be giving:  If you miss a Quiz, the mid-term Exam or the Final Exam your grade will be zero (o), as well as if you fail to turn in your recording projects on time.

 

Recordings: Since the ultimate purpose of this course is to help students identify phonetic difficulties and improve pronunciation, self recordings of their oral expression will be turned in every four weeks. By using cassette tapes students will record themselves reading different selections or improvising, and will discuss phonetic findings on a paper along with every tape. Selection and extension of the materials will be discussed in class before every assignment.

 

Semester research project: After the first four weeks of the semester students are expected to seek out a native speaker of Spanish and discuss with the instructor plans to make a high quality five-minute recording of that speaker’s phonetic sample to analyze.  The recording must be an informal, unrehearsed monologue about topics the speaker is familiar with, such as childhood, school days, family, travel, a story, etc. The informant’s recording will be the basis of the semester project, a phonological analysis of a variety of spoken Spanish.  Obtain informant’s permission to use the recording for research purposes, or have the person state so at the end of the recording. The finished project should be typed, double-spaced, MLA style and consisted of five parts:

 

  1. Introduction: have a title and include a complete description of the informant as well as general characteristics of his/her dialectal area in country of origin. (1.5 pages)
  2. Discussion of relevant phonetic features to be analyzed, matching your own observations with those of researched studies and critics.  (2 pages)
  3. Presentation of the phonetic corpus.  Transcribed sample taken from the recording should not exceed 2 pages in length.
  4. Conclusion: discuss your findings and compare them to those from researched sources. Comment about your learning experience and progress. (1 page)
  5. Bibliography: enter books, articles and other materials used in the project following MLA writing style guidelines from MLA Handbook, 1999. (1 page)

 

 

Grading system:                   Participation:                         10%                                        A : 100-90                                                                                                                                              Recordings:                           20%                                        B:  89-80

                                                Quizzes:                                 10%                                        C:  79-70

Mid-term:                               20%                                        D:  69-60

                                                Semester Project:                  20%

                                                Final exam:                             20%                       

            

Students requiring classroom accommodations or modifications because of documented disability should discuss this need with the professor at the beginning of the semester.  Students not registered with the Special Service Program must contact the Special Service Office in Nevins Hall, Room 226-A.  The phone number is 245-2498.

***********************************************************************************************

Valdosta State University                                                  Dr. Luis G. Bejarano

Department of Modern & Classical Languages                            West Hall 142 (249-4942)   

Español 6110                                                                                        E-mail: lgbejara@valdosta.edu

Spring 2004                                                                                         Office hours: TR 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

                                                                                                                and  by appointment.

 

Textbook: John Dalbor.  Spanish Pronunciation, 3rd. edition. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. 1997.

CD ROM:  Patricia V. Lunn.  Pronunciación y fonética. Michigan State University, 1999.

 

Reference Book: Teschner, Richard. Camino Oral. 2nd. Edition. McGraw Hill, 2000.

 

Objective:  This course is designed to analyze the sound system of Spanish, through an introduction to the field of descriptive linguistics.  We will explore principles in the areas of phonetics and phonology, by using standard Spanish and its dialectal variations throughout the Hispanic world. The objective will be reached through class discussion; presentations and practice in phonetic transcription using recordings and textual materials to better understand phonological phenomena. Due to the conversational nature of this course these are the ACTFL Speaking and writing outputs for advance language students.

 

Advanced Speaking

 

Able to satisfy the requirements of everyday situations and routine school and work requirements. Can handle with confidence but not with facility complicated tasks and social situations, such as elaborating, complaining, and apologizing. Can narrate and describe with some details, linking sentences together smoothly. Can communicate facts and talk casually about topics of current public and personal interest, using general vocabulary. Shortcomings can often be smoothed over by communicative strategies, such as pause fillers, stalling devices, and different rates of speech. Circumlocution which arises from vocabulary or syntactic limitations very often is quite successful, though some groping for words may still be evident. The Advanced-level speaker can be understood without difficulty by native interlocutors.

 

Advanced Writing

 

Able to write routine social correspondence and join sentences in simple discourse of at least several paragraphs in length on familiar topics. Can write simple social correspondence, take notes, write cohesive summaries and resumes, as well as narratives and descriptions of a factual nature. Has sufficient writing vocabulary to express self simply with some circumlocution. May still make errors in punctuation, spelling, or the formation of non-alphabetic symbols. Good control of the morphology and the most frequently used syntactic structures, e.g., common word order patterns, coordination, subordination, but makes frequent errors in producing complex sentences. Uses a limited number of cohesive devices, such as pronouns, accurately. Writing may resemble literal translations from the native language, but a sense of organization (rhetorical structure) is emerging. Writing is understandable to natives not used to the writing of non-natives.

 

Class participation:  ATTENDANCE IS VERY IMPORTANT!  Since foreign languages study is a cumulative process measured by daily evaluation, attendance is very important.  Students are expected to be prepared and participate in all class activities showing motivation and interest and conducting presentations for the textbook chapters.  Students who miss more than 20% of the class sessions will receive F (see Undergraduate Bulletin, p. 75). A portion of the class participation grade will be based on attendance.

 

 

 

Examinations: There will be a mid-term Power Point presentation, several quizzes (announced or unannounced/oral), self- recordings, a semester project and a Final Exam. NO MAKE-UP will be giving:  If you miss a Quiz, the mid-term Exam or the Final Exam your grade will be zero (o), as well as if you fail to turn in your recording projects on time.

 

Recordings: Since the ultimate purpose of this course is to help students identify phonetic difficulties and improve pronunciation, self-recordings of their oral expression will be turned in every four weeks. By using cassette tapes students will record themselves reading different selections or improvising, and will discuss phonetic findings on a paper along with every tape. Selection and extension of the materials will be discussed in class before every assignment.

 

Semester research project: After the first four weeks of the semester students are expected to seek out a native speaker of Spanish and discuss with the instructor plans to make a high quality five-minute recording of that speaker’s phonetic sample to analyze.  The recording must be an informal, unrehearsed monologue about topics the speaker is familiar with, such as childhood, school days, family, travel, a story, etc. The informant’s recording will be the basis of the semester project, a phonological analysis of a variety of spoken Spanish.  Obtain informant’s permission to use the recording for research purposes, or have the person state so at the end of the recording. The finished project should be typed, double-spaced, MLA style and consisted of five parts:

 

  1. Introduction: have a title and include a complete description of the informant as well as general characteristics of his/her dialectal area in country of origin. (1.5 pages)

2.    Discussion of relevant phonetic features to be analyzed, matching your own observations with                      those of researched studies and critics.  (3 pages)

  1. Presentation of the phonetic corpus.  Transcribed sample taken from the recording should not exceed 3 pages in length.
  2. Conclusion: discuss your findings and compare them to those from researched sources. Comment about your learning experience and progress. (1 page)
  3. Bibliography: enter books, articles and other materials used in the project following MLA writing style guidelines from MLA Handbook, 1999. (1-2 page)

 

 

Grading system:                   Participation:                         10%                                        A : 100-90                                                                                                                              Recordings:                           20%                                        B:  89-80

                                                Quizzes:                                 10%                                        C:  79-70

Mid-term Oral

Power Point presentation:  20%                                        D:  69-60

                                                Semester Project:                  20%

                                                Final exam:                             20%                       

            

Students requiring classroom accommodations or modifications because of documented disability should discuss this need with the professor at the beginning of the semester.  Students not registered with the Special Service Program must contact the Special Service Office in Nevins Hall, Room 226-A.  The phone number is 245-2498.