Course Description

Course Name

Superior Spanish Grammar

Session: VVPF1123

Hours & Credits

60 Contact Hours

Prerequisites & Language Level

Note: A placement exam will be required when you arrive on site.

Superior

  • Prior to enrolling in courses at this language level, students must have completed or tested out of a minimum of 2 upper-division college level courses at their home university in the U.S.

Overview

Course description
Theoretical-practical course oriented to the pragmatic-discursive aspects of Spanish grammar. Through diverse material, the system of rules and usage of Spanish will be analyzed and applied.

Main objective
Improve the student’s grammatical competence from a pragmatic-discursive approach.

Specific objectives
Analyze the semantic-pragmatic aspects related to the system of rules and usage of the language based on the noun and verb.
Understand and produce diverse texts considering linguistic precision and coherence.

Contents
- Noun syntagm: pronouns, interrogative pronouns, direct and indirect object, reflexives, use of “se”. Chilean pronominal system.

- The noun: pronominal system in Spanish. Notion of register. Interrogation in Spanish.

- Verb syntagm: opposition and use of “ser” and “estar”, preterits (perfectiveness, imperfectiveness, and aspect). Indicative mood.

- The verb: tenses and moods. Description. Narration. Argumentation.

- Subordination. Subjunctive mood, tense value, structure, types of verbs. Adverbial clauses.

- Preposition use with verbs

- Oral and written discourse markers. Textual markers, conjunctions, prepositions.

- Communication settings present in daily life in Valparaíso and Viña del Mar–academic, family and entertainment settings – Forms of interaction.

Activities
- Theoretical and expository lessons

- Individual and pair work

- Grammar analysis

- Readings

- Text production

- Grammar worksheets

Evaluation
- Tests (3)

- Compositions (3)

- Final exam

- The teacher will permanently assess the level of the student’s grammar competence development through classwork and homework

Bibliography

  • Alarcos Llorach, E. (1970): Gramática de la Lengua Española. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe.
  • Bosque, Ignacio y Demonte, Violeta. (1999): Gramática Descriptiva de la Lengua Española. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe.
  • Gili Gaya, S. (1998): Curso Superior de Sintaxis Española, 15 ed. Barcelona: Bibliograf
  • Porroche, M. (1998): Ser, Estar y Verbos de Cambio. Madrid: Arcolibros
  • RAE (1973): Esbozo de una Nueva Gramática de la Lengua Española. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe.
  • Calsamiglia, H., & Tusón, A. (1999). Las cosas del decir. Manual de análisis del discurso. Barcelona: Ariel.

*Course content subject to change