The Structure of Modern English

On completion of the course, students will be able to:

• explain basic language structures of English using grammatical terminology, and compare them with those of other languages, with a special focus on Swedish
• apply their knowledge of English language structure and its variations in their own production in different genres
• independently solve language problems with the help of available resources, such as digital tools
• review and improve texts using their knowledge of English language structure, including regional and stylistic variations
• identify and explain the most common challenges involved in learning English from a contrastive perspective
• apply their knowledge of basic speech production by analysing the sounds of language and intonation patterns using phonetic script as a resource
• compare and contrast popular and scientific views of language, with a special focus on English.

The course consists of three modules.
Module 1. Grammar - 7.5 credits
The grammar module deals with the fundamental aspects of English grammar including applied exercises in contrastive analyses of authentic texts that have different kinds of grammatical problems.
Module 2. Phonetics - 1.5 credits
The phonetics module deals with the principles of English pronunciation as well as the main differences between English and Swedish pronunciation. English pronunciation is practiced through the study of phonetic transcription.
Module 3. Exploring Language - 3 credits
The Exploring Language module introduces students to basic concepts and terminology in linguistics and deals with how English works in different contexts. Perspectives on language of people in general and linguists are compared.

• Active participation in seminars
• Written assignments
• Oral presentations
• An examination

The Swedish grades U–VG.

For a final course grade of VG, students must achieve a VG for at least 9 credits.

• Grammar - 7.5 cr
• Phonetics - 1.5 cr
• Exploring Language - 3 cr