Individual differences in foreign language learning. After providing a definition, explain how they are classified, giving relevant examples. Then select 3 (three) factors and explain what role they play in language learning/teaching.
Affective factors in language learning: define them, give examples and explain how they influence language learning/ teaching.
Sociolinguistic factors in language learning: define them, give examples and explain their significance in language learning/ teaching.
Age as a factor determining success in foreign language learning. Discuss various age groups in terms of their expected achievement.
Discuss child-adult differences in the process of developing a second language. Consider the aspects of context (place), time, and ways of language development.
Discuss the notion of LAD. What implications does it have for language acquisition, first or second?
Krashen's theory of SLA: list and describe the five hypotheses. What implications does the theory have for language education?
Mentalistic (rationalist) vs. mechanistic (empiricist) views on first language acquisition.
Discuss the Critical Period Hypothesis. Is there a critical period in second language acquisition? Consider different aspects of the process, ie. psychomotor, affective, cognitive etc.
What is Contrastive Analysis? Which linguistic theory does it derive from/is it related to? Does it have any role to play in language teaching today?
Behaviourist views on first language acquisition: definitions of language and language acquisition, processes involved, evaluation of the theory.
How do children acquire their mother tongue? a) Discuss some theories you are familiar with. b) Compare and contrast two theories you are familiar with: consider the perception of the process of acquisition, processes involved, the role of the environment, strengths and weaknesses of the theories.
Define rote learning as opposed to meaningful learning. What theory/-ies do you associate these concepts with? Are the two types of learning applicable in the contemporary language classroom?
Specify the most important principles of humanistic psychology. How are they reflected in contemporary language teaching methods?
What are language forms and language functions? Give examples and explain how they are related. What is their significance for communication and what implications do they have for language teaching/learning?
Select 3 language teaching methods and explain the role of L1 in those methods.
Define motivation and provide its basic classifications. What is the role of motivation in foreign language learning? How can the teacher enhance it?
Input vs. interaction. Identify the two terms and the theories they are associated with and explain what role they play in language learning/teaching.
Field dependence vs. field independence: define the two terms and explain their role in foreign language learning.
What is input? What role is it assigned in different language acquisition theories?
What are the sources of errors in language learning? Explain how different theories of second language acquisition try to account for learners' errors.
What are the different bases for the classification of errors (incorrect/deviant language forms)?
What is Error Analysis and what information does it provide the teacher with? What is the difference between Error Analysis and Contrastive Analysis?
Define interlanguage and specify its features. How is interlanguage formed (i.e. what processes contribute to its development?). What is its significance for language teachers?
What are learning styles and learning strategies? Define them and give examples.
What was the claim of Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis (CAH)? Why was its strong version rejected?
What is modified input and what is its role in language acquisition? What types of modified input can we identify?
Differences and similarities between first and second language development.
The notion of fossilization - definition, causes, ways of preventing.
What is language transfer and when does it take place? Give some examples from the Polish - English learning context (at the level of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, etc.)
Transfer vs. generalization. Identify the two notions and explain how the two learning processes manifest themselves in second/foreign language learning giving examples. Is there any relationship between them?
The affective filter hypothesis of Krashen's SLA theory. How does it relate to other hypotheses? Are you familiar with other similar concepts?
The notion of communicative competence and its components. What are the teaching implications of this concept?
What is the function of learned competence in Krashen's Monitor hypothesis (a part of his Monitor Model/Theory)? What does this hypothesis claim/explain? Does it have any implications for the language classroom?
Explain the process of hypothesis formation and testing in language development. Give some examples. What acquisition theory does it come from? Does it have any role to play in a language classroom?
The notion of comprehensible input and its relevance for language teaching. What approach to grammar teaching/learning is it related to?
What are communication strategies - give some examples and explain when we use them. Should they be taught?
Cognitive factors in language learning: define them, give examples and specify how they influence language learning/ teaching.
Specify the principles of Communicative Language Teaching and list its advantages and disadvantages.
Communicatively based approaches - what are they and what do they offer to the learner/teacher?
Identify some humanistic methods and explain how they reflect humanistic principles at the level of theory and classroom techniques.
Select 3 (three) language teaching methods and explain how they deal with the question of grammar teaching.
Guidelines for using L1 in the foreign language classroom.
The role of self-assessment in foreign language learning (What is self-assessment? What forms can it take?).
List basic techniques for presenting new vocabulary. Is it a good idea to use just one of the techniques?
Spoken vs. written language: differences between the two modes of communication.
Discuss the concept of learner autonomy and explain how it can be promoted in the language classroom.
Different types of language syllabuses. What are their advantages and disadvantages?
What is the function of Needs Analysis? What should it include? What approach/method do you associate it with?
Criteria for coursebook evaluation.
What are authentic materials? Give some examples of authentic listening materials and specify some guidelines for using them in the classroom.
Factors affecting the learning of pronunciation: is it feasible/realistic to aim at achieving native-like mastery?
Aspects of class management: the role of the teacher, student groupings, discipline.
What listening sub-skills can be developed through the use of video?
What makes a text difficult to read and understand? How can the teacher facilitate the process of reading for his/her students?
List and discuss the basic criteria for vocabulary selection.
Action research - its purpose and stages.
Characteristics of primary school learners - how do they influence the process of teaching?
Different types of assessment and their advantages and disadvantages
Error correction techniques - what options do teachers have at their disposal and should their choice depend on?
Features of a well designed test.
Guidelines for dealing with heterogeneous classes
List the major features of communicative activities and give some examples of such activities.
What is role of culture in foreign language teaching? How can it be taught?
What does it mean to know a word and what implications does it have for teaching?
Top-down vs. bottom-up approaches to teaching the receptive skills - how effective are they?
Tools for teacher development - how can language teachers develop professionally?
Explicit vs. implicit teaching of grammar: a) what are the major assumptions of/behind each approach? b) what should the choice of an approach depend on?
Discuss the notion of learner/strategy training. What is its role in the process of language learning? How can it be carried out?
Functions of pre-reading/listening activities
Compare two types of language syllabuses in terms of their advantages and disadvantages. In your opinion, is there an ideal syllabus?
Criteria for selecting authentic materials for teaching purposes. What makes such materials difficult?
Translation as a teaching and testing technique
Features of a successful speaking activity
Specify some guidelines for teaching foreign language grammar.
Inductive vs. deductive teaching of grammar: when would you use them?
What are the options for dealing with errors in a foreign language classroom; i.e. what kind of decisions is the teacher faced with?
Discuss various types of student-teacher interaction and their advantages and disadvantages. Give examples of stages of the lesson/types of activities suitable for particular types/type of interaction.
Present a sequence for introducing a new grammatical item.
Suggest two different ways in which you could introduce the structure contained in If it rains, I'll stay at home. Justify your choice.
List different kinds of student grouping in the classroom and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. Explain when you would use each of them.
Compare the two receptive skills, considering the following aspects: ease vs. difficulty (reasons), who is in control, etc.
What is the difference between intensive and extensive listening/reading? Give examples.
Describe pre-reading/listening, while reading/listening and post reading/listening activities, giving examples.
What does teaching reading involve? What techniques are used to teach reading?
Student reading aloud in the classroom: a waste of time or a useful exercise?
What kind of activities can be built around a text in a foreign language?
Reasons for testing and types of tests.
Give examples of some techniques for testing grammar. Discuss their advantages and limitations.
Multiple choice tests - advantages and disadvantages. What aspects of language can be tested using multiple choice tests?
What are advantages and disadvantages of correcting all errors immediately after they have occurred?
Dictation - what does it practice? Describe some modern dictation techniques you are familiar with.
List and describe some techniques for consolidating and then testing vocabulary.
What are some common problems with learning/teaching foreign language vocabulary?
What are collocations and idioms and what are some of the problems involved in teaching them? Give an example of each and explain how you would teach it.
How would you present the following vocabulary items: tooth, mobile phone, honest, mammal. Give reasons.
97. What are contemporary views on teaching writing?
98. Process vs. product writing. Describe the two and give examples.
99. Information gap activities and their role in the classroom.
100. List the characteristic features of a truly communicative activity. Give examples.
101. The role of visual aids in the classroom: give some examples of such aids and explain
how they can be used by the teacher.
102. Discuss different types of exercises and their function in the teaching of grammar.
103. How can we test communicative abilities of our students?.
104. Discuss different types of activities leading to the development of the speaking skill.
105. What should we aim at while teaching pronunciation?
106. What should be the stages in teaching foreign language pronunciation? Select one aspect
of pronunciation (e.g. sound/intonation pattern) to exemplify your answer.
107. What are some arguments for using literature in the language classroom?
108. The role of songs and poetry in teaching a foreign language. What would be some
guidelines for using them with different age groups?
109. The role of homework in teaching/learning a foreign language.
110. Types of homework assignments and guidelines for checking and evaluation.
111. Discipline problems: origins and ways of dealing with them.
112. Errors vs. mistakes: how to deal with them.
113. What are the stages in planning a lesson and what should a good lesson plan include?
114. What factors should be taken into consideration when planning a lesson?
115. Using video recordings in the classroom: dos and don'ts.
116. Project work and its role in the teaching/learning process.
117. Using project work in the language classroom (guidelines, stages of project work, etc.).
118. Does Internet have any role to play in a language classroom? Justify your answer/give
some examples.
Linguistics Topics
The properties of language
KEYWORDS: defining and non-defining features, arbitrariness, iconic vs. non-iconic signs, onomatopoeia, displacement, productivity (creativity, open-endedness), cultural (traditional) transmission, discreteness, duality (“double articulation”), reflexiveness, prevarication, vocal-auditory channel, reciprocity/interchangeability, total feedback, specialisation, semanticity, non-directionality, rapid fade, medium transferability.
Human language vs. animal systems of communication
KEYWORDS: chimpanzees and language (attempts to use chimpanzees to use human language, sign language, plastic shapes, keys on a computer console); other examples of animal communication (bees, dolphins, whales, birds); “the Clever Hans phenomenon”, similarities between bird song and human language; the controversy surrounding the experiments.
Theories of language origin
KEYWORDS: the divine-source theory, monogenetic theory of lg origin, scientific approaches (natural evolution hypothesis); glossogenetics, palaentology, physiological adaptation, invention hypotheses (the “bow-wow” theory, the “pooh-pooh” theory, the “ding-dong” theory (the oral-gesture theory), the “yo-heave-ho” theory, the “la-la” theory), Psammetichus, James IV of Scotland, Otto Jespersen; the interactional and transactional function of language.
History of writing
KEYWORDS: the definition of a writing system; types of writing systems: pictograms, ideograms, logograms, cuneiform, hieroglyphs, syllabic writing, alphabetic writing; the rebus principle, the phonemic principle; modern writing systems.
The vocal tract
KEYWORDS: the subglottal and supraglottal vocal tract: their functions in speech production and basic parts; initiation of the airstream vs. articulation; active and passive articulators; the vocal cords and phonation; the states of the glottis.
Phonetics
KEYWORDS: the definition of phonetics; basic branches of phonetics; the description of consonants: voicing, places and manners of articulation; the classification of consonants: obstruents and sonorants; the description of vowels: the position of the tongue, the shape of the lips, the position of the soft palate; the classification of vowels; the definition of a diphthong; the classification of diphthongs: the vowel prominence, the movement of the tongue; phonetic and phonemic transcription.
Phonology
KEYWORDS: the definition of phonology; the difference between phonetics and phonology; phoneme; distinctive features; allophone; complementary distribution; free variation; phonological processes: assimilation, dissimilation, elision, insertion; the structure of the syllable; phonotactics.
Morphology
KEYWORDS: the definition of morphology; inflection vs. derivation; word; classes of words; the definition of the morpheme, the types of morphemes; suppletion; types of word formation: derivation, compounding, blending, clipping, backformation, conversion, coinage, acronymy.
Syntax
KEYWORDS: the definition of syntax; parts of speech; elements of the sentence; the definition of the constituent; syntactic categories: their types, structure, grammatical functions; a phrase structure tree diagram vs. labelled brackets; basic types of structural ambiguities; phrase structure rules.
Semantics
KEYWORDS: the definition of semantics, branches of semantics, conceptions of meaning, types of meaning; descriptive vs. non-descriptive meaning, sense/intension vs. reference/extension, semasiological vs. onomasiological approach to lexemes, thesaurus, syntagmatic and paradigmatic/substitutional sense relationships; collocation, free and restricted collocations, synonymy, hyponymy, antonymy, incompatibility, polysemy vs. homonymy, homophone vs. homograph, metonymy, metaphor, lexical field, componential analysis of sense, semantic features; sentence meaning, semantic roles played by syntactic elements; propositional meaning.
Pragmatics
KEYWORDS: the definition of pragmatics, major issues in pragmatics; sentence meaning vs. utterance meaning; linguistic and situational context, J.L Austin's theory of speech acts, performatives and constatives, locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary act, typology of speech acts (illocutionary acts) by J.R. Searle, felicity conditions, sincerity conditions, direct and indirect speech acts, politeness, negative and positive face.
Discourse analysis
KEYWORDS: the definition of discourse, discourse analysis, text linguistics, text structure, cohesion vs. coherence; lexical and grammatical cohesive links, substitution, ellipsis, co-reference, anaphora, cataphoric reference, deixis (person, place, time deixis), background knowledge (schema, script), presupposition, inference, speech events, conversation analysis, turn-taking, maxims of conversation; Grice's co-operative principle, implicature.
Sociolinguistics
KEYWORDS: language standard, prestige, vernacular, dialect, isogloss, mutual intelligibility, idiolect, accent, slang, jargon, register, style, style-shifting, language and gender, taboo, bilingualism, multilingualism, diglossia, minority languages, language planning, pidgin, creole, lingua franca.
Language and culture
KEYWORDS: Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (strong and weak version), linguistic determinism, linguistic relativity, linguistic universals, basic color terms, codability, lexical gaps, (un)translatability.
Psycholinguistics
KEYWORDS: lateralization, dichotic listening, split brain studies, aphasia, Broca's aphasia, Wernicke' s aphasia, anomia, speech comprehension and production, top-down and bottom-up processes, anticipation errors, spoonerism, tip-of the-tongue.
Historical linguistics
KEYWORDS: synchronic and diachronic linguistics; causes of language change: principle of the least effort, imperfect learning, language contact; types of sound change, morphological change, lexical change, syntactic change and semantic change; language families, cognates, comparative reconstruction, Proto-Indo-European.