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Study information

Language Encounters in the Portuguese-speaking World

Module titleLanguage Encounters in the Portuguese-speaking World
Module codeMLP1003
Academic year2023/4
Credits15
Module staff

Professor Susana Afonso Pinto Cavadas Afonso (Convenor)

Duration: Term123
Duration: Weeks

11

Number students taking module (anticipated)

15

Module description

This module offers an introduction to key linguistic aspects of the Portuguese-speaking world. You will become acquainted with the linguistic situation in different countries that have Portuguese as their official language and you will gain an understanding of the complexities of the use of Portuguese, which has coexisted, displaced and mixed with other languages. Concepts such as language policy and planning, language and power, and language and identity will be explored in relation to the Portuguese-speaking world. You will apply these concepts in the analysis of visual manifestations of Portuguese and related languages in the public space.

No prior knowledge of the language is required.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aims of this module are to:

  • Introduce you to the linguistic make-up of the Portuguese-speaking world and to the historical and cultural encounters that gave rise to the current linguistic situation.
  • Introduce you to key concepts in Linguistics, such as language policy and planning, bilingualism and diglossia, language and power, and language and identity in connection to the Portuguese-speaking world.
  • Enable you to actively apply acquired concepts in the analysis of public manifestation of different languages that coexist with Portuguese.
  • Train you to write an essay in Linguistics.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 1. Demonstrate an understanding of the historical and cultural events that led to the current linguistic make-up of the Portuguese-speaking world.
  • 2. Understand key linguistic concepts and terminology (e.g. bilingualism, diglossia, language planning)
  • 3. Engage with real examples of visual display of Portuguese and related languages in the public space and analyse these examples by relating them to relevant critical concepts

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 4. Demonstrate analytical competence
  • 5. Demonstrate an understanding of, and an ability to apply, linguistic terminology
  • 6. Follow discipline-specific conventions in order to write an essay in Linguistics

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 7. Assimilate, select and organise material in order to produce, to a deadline, a written or oral argument
  • 8. Present information and arguments on a defined topic
  • 9. Use real-life examples and case studies to illustrate a point

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary, it is envisaged that the course will include some of the following topics:

  • External history of the Portuguese language: from dialect to language in the Iberian context.
  • Language policy and planning.
  • Mirandese, the minority language in Portugal, and other border languages.
  • Diglossia and bilingualism.
  • Language and power; language and identity
  • Portuguese in Brazil: Portuguese, língua geral and African languages
  • Linguistic situation in Africa
  • Linguistic situation in Asia
  • Linguistic landscape

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
161340

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching 9Lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching 6Seminars
Scheduled Learning and Teaching 1Conclusion
Guided Independent Study134Private study

Formative assessment

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Mini essay500 words1-9Written and oral feedback

Summative assessment (% of credit)

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay501000 words1-9Written feedback
Essay501000 words1-9Written feedback
0
0
0
0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
EssayEssay1-9Referral/deferral period
EssayEssay1-9Referral/deferral period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

  • Azevedo, M. 2004. Portuguese: A Linguistic Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  • Álvarez López, L., Gonçalves, P. and Ornelas de Avelar, J. (eds.). 2018. The Portuguese language continuum in Africa and Brazil. Amsterdam: John Benjamins
  • Baldauf Jr., R. and Kaplan, R. (eds.). 2004. Language planning and policy in Africa. Vol. 1, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. Clevedon : Multilingual Matters
  • Jarnagin, L. (ed.). 2012. Portuguese and Luso-Asian legacies in Southeast Asia, 1511-2011. Volume 2, Culture and identity in the Luso-Asian world, tenacities & plasticities. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
  • Martins, C., and Ferreira, S. 2019. “Lost in Migration – Mirandese at a Crossroads”, Open Linguistics, 5(1): 488-495.
  • McWhorter, J. and Ströbel, L. (eds.). 2006. The Iberian challenge: creole languages beyond the plantation setting. Madrid: Iberoamericana
  • Spolsky, B. 2018. “Language policy in Portuguese colonies and successor states”. Current Issues in Language Planning, 19(1): 62-97
  • Wetzels, L. Costa, J. and Menuzzi, S. (eds.). (2016). The Handbook of Portuguese Linguistics. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.

Key words search

Portuguese-speaking world, linguistics, language and power, language and identity, linguistic landscape 

Credit value15
Module ECTS

7.5

Module pre-requisites

None

Module co-requisites

None

NQF level (module)

4

Available as distance learning?

No

Origin date

01/05/2020

Last revision date

27/05/2020