Course Description

Course Name

Learning Spanish Vocabulary

Session: VSVS2124

Hours & Credits

45 Contact Hours

Prerequisites & Language Level

Advanced

  • Prior to enrolling in courses at this language level, students must have completed or tested out of a minimum of four semesters (or six quarters) at the college level.

Overview

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this Course is to enable students to acquire vocabulary in a gradual way, while taking
into account the range of lexical categories involved. As an essentially practical subject, emphasis is
placed on becoming knowledgeable about the acquisition of phraseological units, which are key to
mastering colloquial Spanish, as well as on the relations at work within synonymity, an essential tool in
lexical enrichment, as well as on the capacity to adapt to different communicative situations. For this
reason, a pragmatic stance will be adopted throughout. Likewise, the importance of the dictionary for
lexical learning will be taken into account.

SYLLABUS
1. Word formation in Spanish.
2. The colloquial lexicon and its communicative appropriateness.
3. Phraseological units: locutions, proverbial expressions, and lexical placements.
4. Synonyms and antonyms in Spanish. Polysemy and homonymy.
5. Metaphors and their importance in the everyday lexicon.
6. Standard vocabulary and specialized vocabulary. The relevance of the Media.
7. The use of the dictionary in vocabulary learning.

*Course content subject to change