Spanish Grammar and Linguistics: Introduction

6 ECTS credits
180 h study time

Offer 2 with catalog number 1023343ANR for all students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.

Semester

1st and 2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Enrollment Requirements

Enrolling for this course means that you simultaneously take 'Lengua española I ' or have successfully passed ‘Lengua española I ’. If you are enrolled in a preparatory programme you can register this course without restrictions.

Taught in

Spanish

Faculty

Academic Language Centre

Department

Academic Center for Language Education

Educational team

Jasper Vandenberghe
Brenthe Tilburghs
An Vande Casteele
Voorzitter ACTO (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
52 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
76 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

Esta asignatura cubre una serie de temas esenciales de la gramática española (normativa): artículos, sustantivos, adjetivos, adverbios, pronombres, formación y uso de los tiempos y modos verbales, haber-ser-estar, etc. La teoría se aplicará en numerosos ejercicios, siempre con el objetivo final de practicar la capacidad de aplicar los contenidos gramaticales en situaciones comunicativas concretas. La asignatura también incluye una introducción general a la lingüística y una visión general de algunos conceptos básicos de fonología, ortografía, morfología, sintaxis y semántica españolas.

This course covers a number of essential topics of Spanish (normative) grammar: artículos, sustantivos, adjetivos, adverbios, pronombres, formación y uso de los tiempos y modos verbales, haber-ser-estar, etc. The theory will be applied in numerous exercises. The main objective is always to be able to apply the grammatical learning content in specific communicative situations. The course also includes a general introduction to linguistics and basic concepts in phonology, orthography, morphology, syntax and semantics in Spanish.

Course material

Handbook (Required) : Gramática Básica del Estudiante de Español, A1-B2, Raya - Castro - Gila - Lopez - Olivares - Campillo, Difusion, 9788418032110, 2021
Handbook (Required) : Campus Sur, Curso intensivo de español A1-B1: libro del alumno, Rosales, F., Moreno, T., Martínez Lara, A., Salamanca, P., Buyse, K., Martínez, M., Murillo, N., Gar, Intertaal / Difusión, 9788418032448, 2020
Digital course material (Required) : Canvas
Course text (Required) : Gramática del español: introducción, Resúmenes y ejercicios, Vandenberghe, J., VUB, 2024

Additional info

cf. Canvas

Learning Outcomes

General competences

Los estudiantes son capaces de aplicar las reglas básicas de la gramática normativa española. Los estudiantes saben distinguir los distintos niveles de análisis lingüístico (fonema, grafema, morfema, palabra, oración) y explicarlos e ilustrarlos con ejemplos en español. Al finalizar el curso los estudiantes se acercan al nivel B1 del Marco Común Europeo de Referencia (MCER).

Students are able to apply the basic rules of normative Spanish grammar. Furthermore, students will be capable of distinguishing different levels of linguistic analysis (phoneme, grapheme, morpheme, word phrase) and explain and illustrate them with examples in Spanish. At the end of the course, students will approach proficiency level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 95% of the final mark.
Other determines 5% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

examen schriftelijk with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 95% of the final mark.

Within the Other category, the following assignments need to be completed:

permanente evaluatie with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 5% of the final mark.

Note: In the second exam session this part is included in the written exam.

Additional info regarding evaluation

First exam session:

In the first exam session the final grade is based on continuous assessment, a written test in January and a written exam in June. The weight given to these three categories in the overall score is as follows:

Continuous assessment: 5% (online exercises in both semesters)
Written exam: 95% (15% written test in January + 80% written exam in June)

In order to obtain a final grade, a student must have participated in all components (continuous assessment, written test in January and written exam in June). A student who did not take part in each of the separate components will receive 'afwezig/absent' as the final grade for the course.

In order to pass the course, a student must pass (10/20 or more) both the grammar and the linguistics section in the exam in June. A student who fails (9/20 or less) one or both sections will receive as a final grade the grade of the part with the lowest result.

Second exam session:

In the second exam session 100% of the evaluation will be the written exam in August/September. As in the first exam session a student must pass (10/20 or more) both the grammar and linguistics section. A student who fails (9/20) one or both sections will also receive as a final grade the grade of the part with the lowest result.

In the second exam session students will keep their score for the section for which they achieved a pass grade (10/20 or higher). However, students can also retake this section (grammar or linguistics) if they inform both tutors via e-mail (jasper.vandenberghe@vub.be ánd an.vande.casteele@vub.be) and two weeks before the date of the exam in the second exam session.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context