AJc307 Pragmatics

Faculty of Education
Spring 2024
Extent and Intensity
0/0/2. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. PhDr. Renata Povolná, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Světlana Hanušová, Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jana Popelková
Supplier department: Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Prerequisites
Pragmatics can be studied by any student of English, preferably after functional and communicative syntax, and must be taken by all students in all the programmes for secondary schools.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course labelled Pragmatics enhances the acquisition of linguistic knowledge and teaching competencies indispensable for the professional development of future teachers of English, in particular communication and interpersonal skills, collaboration and teamwork, flexibility and adaptability (viz Strategic Aim 1, Strategies 2030). The aim is to introduce students into the study of pragmatics, i.e. a linguistic discipline which views the language from the point of view of its users - humans. In this respect the course will be in contrast to students´ previous study of syntax and semantics. The course concentrates on the most important issues connected with the study of pragmatics with the aim to make students acquainted with the possibilities how to encorporate their knowledge of pragmatics into their future daily teaching profession.
Learning outcomes
This course will enhance students‘ awareness of the functions and aspects of English, thus developing their skills, such as analytic thinking, creativity in designing lessons and teaching materials, and adapting learning content for practical needs, which are qualities essential for teaching profession. The students will learn the basic linguistic terms and concepts from the study of pragmatics and will be able to explain them while using concrete examples. They will also be able to apply the knowledge acquired in the course in the teaching of learners of English.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to the study of pragmatics. 2. Deixis and distance. 3. Reference and inference. 4. Presupposition and entailment. 5. The Co-operative Principle. Conversational maxims. 6. Conversational and conventional implicature. 7. Conversation analysis. Features typical of spoken interaction. 8. Conversational style. Preference structure. 9. Speech acts and speech events. Performative hypothesis. 10. Direct and indirect speech acts. Speech act classification. 11. Politeness and interaction. Positive and negative politeness. 12. Discourse and culture. Discourse analysis. Revision.
Literature
    required literature
  • YULE, George. Pragmatics. First published. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996, xiv, 138. ISBN 0194372073. info
  • HIRSCHOVÁ, Milada. Pragmatika v češtině. Vydání druhé, v Karolinu. Praha: Univerzita Karlova v Praze, nakladatelství Karolinum, 2013, 335 stran. ISBN 9788024622330. info
  • YULE, George. The study of language. Seventh edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020, xii, 371. ISBN 9781108730709. info
    recommended literature
  • THOMAS, Jenny. Meaning in interaction : an introduction to pragmatics. Harlow: Longman, 1995, xii, 224. ISBN 0582291518. info
Teaching methods
Mode of teaching: seminar The methods used in classes are presentations of new and problematic issues by the teacher, who provides students with some necessary theoretical background. This is always suplemented by many examples. Then, after discussing the given topic with their teacher, students are asked to prepare and simulate authentic conversational situations in which they are supposed to use structures and/or strategies under discussion and explain how these can be used in teaching. As for homework, students are supposed to study in advance relevant chapters from their textbooks and be ready for class discussions. Apart from that, students have to do various interactive moodle modules including quizzes designed particularly for their course.
Assessment methods
For getting a credit, students must pass a credit test which consists of three topics, different for every student, taken from the subject matter studied during the term and an on-line moodle test in the middle of the term. Moreover, all students are supposed to prepare a suggestion (e.g. in the form of a lesson plan) on how to use pragmatics in their own teaching profession and practise their suggestion in a contact class.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: in blocks.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 24 hodin.
Teacher's information
https://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=41
FOR ONLINE SEMESTER: Students are requested to secure good internet connection in order to participate in online lessons as indicated in the schedule. Students must attend these meetings with both the sound and camera on.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023.
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