German Linguistics 2

Recommended Prerequisites

A2.1 level in German (German 1, 2 and 3); preferably, level B1.1 (Alemão 5) or higher.

Teaching Methods

1) lecture with guidelines available through a data projector;

2) dialogue with the students;

3) analysis of chosen examples and exercises on Word Formation, Syntax and Sentence Semantics of German;

4) contrastive approach (comparison with Portuguese) to the levels of linguistic description mentioned above;

5) use of bilingual and monolingual dictionaries;

6) active participation of the students: short oral presentations based on the work carried out outside the classroom. 

Learning Outcomes

This course aims at:

– getting students to be familiar with the main processes of word-formation in German thus providing them the tools to facilitate their comprehension and use of lexical items;

– developing students’ ability to analyze German sentences (syntax and semantics) thus improving students’ capacity to understand and produce sentences in German;

– encouraging the competent use of bilingual and monolingual dictionaries in order to prevent mistakes. 

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1- Word-formation

– main lexicogenetic processes – derivation, composition, confixation and conversion;

– other processes of lexical diversification (blending, clipping, initialism, acronymy, meaning extension and loan)

2- Syntax

– predicate types: simple and complex verbal predicates, nominal and adjectival predicates and analytic predicative structures (idioms, light verb constructions etc.);

– inventory and classification of dependents that are arguments of different predicate classes;

– presentation of basic sentence patterns in German within the theoretical framework of Valency Grammar;

– inventory and classification of other types of dependents that do not integrate the nuclear structure of sentences (adjuncts, etc.)

3- Sentence semantics

– a typology of states of affairs;

– identification of semantic types of predicates;

– semantic roles co-occurring with different predicate types.

Head Lecturer(s)

Rute Isabel Fernandes Soares

Assessment Methods

Periodic Assessment
Other: 30.0%
Frequency: 70.0%

Final Assessment
Exam: 100.0%

Bibliography

Donalies, E. (2005). Die Wortbildung des Deutschen: Ein Überblick. Tübingen: Narr.

Engel, U. (2009). Deutsche Grammatik (Neubearbeitung, 2. Aufl.). München: Iudicium.

Fleischer, W. & Barz, I. (2012). Wortbildung der deutschen Gegenwartssprache. Berlin: de Gruyter.

Götz, D. (2003). Langenscheidts Großwörterbuch Deutsch als Fremdsprache. Berlin: Langenscheidt.

Helbig, G. & Buscha, J. (????). Deutsche Grammatik. Leipzig u.a.: Langenscheidt/Verlag Enzyklopädie.

Helbig, G. & Schenkel, W. (1991). Wörterbuch zur Valenz und Distribution deutscher Verben. Tübingen: Niemeyer.

Kessel, K. & Reimann, S. (2005). Basiswissen Deutsche Gegenwartssprache. Tübingen: A. Francke.

Schumacher, H. (2004). VALBU – Valenzwörterbuch deutscher Verben. Tübingen: G. Narr.