Learning objectives
The course aims to take students to level B1 in Spanish as measured by the Common European Framework of Reference for Language Learning and Teaching.
Course unit content
The course develops the four basic skills: <br />
- oral expression (students can express themselves with reasonable fluency on several topics of personal interest in the everyday sphere, introducing them in a linear linguistic sequence, and are able to express themselves on abstract or cultural topics or in relation to their own area of specialisation); <br />
- written expression (students can produce simple texts on several topics of personal interest, in a linear, coherent manner); <br />
- oral comprehension (students can understand complete information relating to everyday topics or to work and can identify both the general message and specific details, provided that the message is clearly articulated and without any specific accents); <br />
- reading comprehension (students can read simple texts on topics relating to their area of specialisation, with a satisfactory level of comprehension). <br />
Course programme <br />
<br />
Grammatical structures: <br />
• Accents <br />
• Diacritical accents <br />
• Definite and indefinite articles <br />
• Plural of nouns and adjectives <br />
• Feminine and plural of nouns and adjectives <br />
• Present indicative of auxiliary verbs <br />
• Personal subject pronouns and courtesy forms <br />
• Tonic (stressed) personal object pronouns <br />
• Atonic (unstressed) personal object pronouns <br />
• Combined personal object pronouns <br />
• Interrogative and exclamatory pronouns and adjectives <br />
• Present indicative of regular verbs <br />
• Present indicative of verbs with common irregularities: diphthongisation, vowel alternation in verbs with euphonic y <br />
• Present indicative of verbs with special irregularities <br />
• Regular and irregular affirmative imperative of 2nd person singular and plural <br />
• Imperfect indicative of regular and irregular verbs <br />
• Past historic of regular and irregular verbs <br />
• Present perfect of regular and irregular verbs <br />
• Past perfect of regular and irregular verbs <br />
• Future of regular and irregular verbs <br />
• Present subjunctive of regular and irregular verbs <br />
• Contrast: hay/està – estàn <br />
• Periphrastic verb constructions <br />
• Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns <br />
• Possessive adjectives and pronouns preceding and following the noun <br />
• Numbers, temperature, time, measurements <br />
• Personal objects <br />
• Comparatives <br />
• Superlatives <br />
• Relatives: que, quien, quienes <br />
• Some prepositions: a, ante, bajo, con, contra, de, desde, durante, en, excepto, hacia, hasta, incluso, no obstante, para, por, salvo, según, sin, sobre, tras <br />
• Adverbs of place: adonde, en donde, de donde, aquí, ahí, allí, allá, encima, arriba, abajo, adentro, dentro, afuera, adelante, delante, detrás, atrás, enfrente, alrededor, cerca, lojos <br />
• Adverbs of time: cuando, ya, ayer, anteayer, anoche, hoy, mañana, pasado mañana, ahora, antges, después, luego, primero, entonces, tarde, temprano, pronto, recién, siempre, nunca (jamás), aún, todavía, mientras, justo <br />
• Adverbs of manner: como, bien, mejor, mal, peor, así, apenas, sólo, despacio, alto, bajo, también, incluso, deprisa, igualmente. <br />
• Contrasto por/para e entre/dentro de <br />
<br />
Language functions included in Units 1 – 12. <br />
<br />
The lecture course on contemporary Spain has two goals: <br />
- to familiarise students with the essential features of the nation whose language they are studying; <br />
- to foster, through the process of reading comprehension, the acquisition of a wide vocabulary which enables them to communicate, including in specific situations. <br />
In order to achieve these goals students need not necessarily memorise numerical information contained in the text, but rather demonstrate their overall comprehension of what they have read, through which they can express an overall vision of the contemporary Spanish situation. <br />
<br />
Cultural aspects of the Hispanic world (from the textbook España, siglo XXI): <br />
1. España: vista panorámica; tiempos nuevos. 2. La historia reciente: Franco ha muerto; la Tran sición democrática; momentos difíciles; hacia la normalización; 1992 el año de España; la nueva Europa. 3. La estructura político-administativa: la Constitución; la jefatura del estado; la separación de poderes; el Estado de las Autonomías; las relaciones internacionales; la cuestión de Gibraltar; La “Marca España”. 4. La sociedad: Hacia la equiparación del hombre y la mujer; los jóvenes; la formación y los estudios; las ciudades: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia. 5. Nueva mentalidad: tendencia sociológica; las relaciones interpersonales; el sentimiento nacional; La transformación de los hábitos alimentarios; ¿Cómo se ven los Españoles a sí mismos? 6. Economía, infraestructuras y Estado de bienestar: las fuentes de energ ías; las actividades económicas; el turismo; el comercio; el crecimiento del consumo; ahorro, endeudamiento y fiscalidad; las inversiones españolas en el exterior y las inversiones extranjeras en España; las carreteras y los ferrocarriles; los aeropuertos y los puertos; las telecomunicaciones; televisión radio y prensa;los niveles de bienestar y renta. 7. La cultura: las lenguas de España; la narrativa; el teatro; la poesia; el pensamiento y el ensayo; el arte, la música y el cine; la cultura popular tradicional, el Comino de Santiago. <br />
<br />
Three readings on topics relating to the area of specialisation (for oral translation) to be chosen by candidates: <br />
• Historia de administración <br />
• La calidad, el control y la eficiencia económica <br />
• ¿Quién es el mejor vendedor? <br />
• Administración del tiempo <br />
• El fraude <br />
• Uso de Internet <br />
Bibliography
Contacto: curso de español para italianos nivel 1, Carla Polettini - José P. Navarro, ed. Zanichelli; a number of handouts will be available to complete the grammar programme of study. <br />
España, siglo XXI, curso monografico sobre la España contemporánea, Sebastián Quesada Marco, Edelsa. <br />
Teaching methods
The course is structured in units of study designed to introduce students to the formal and functional aspects of the language. Particular attention will be given to lexical and morphosyntactic features. The contrastive approach, which is preferable for Italian students, will be the starting point for study. <br />
The exam consists of an oral test of oral production regarding everyday topics and aspects of Hispanic culture dealt with during the course, translation from Spanish and possible grammar exercises. <br />
