Topic: Language and Culture in U.S.A. | B004700 (B004) - LINGUA INGLESE 2 (12 CFU) (CURRICULUM: STUDI LINGUISTICI, LETTERARI E INTERCULTURALI - D42) 2019-2020

Language and Culture of the U.S.A.

Dott. John Gilbert
Wednesday 9 -11 Room 007 VSR
Office Hours Wednesday 11-13 Room 207 vSR N.B. Until the coronavirus crisis is over, you can contact me by email at john.gilbert@unifi.it during my office hours, or at any other time that is convenient for you.

The course will briefly examine the historical development of English in the world, and then consider the major differences between British and North American standard English, and the principal varieties of English in North America today. Then, from an intercultural and primarily sociolinguistic perspective, the course will look at the historical and socio-cultural significance of certain holidays and traditions originating and/or celebrated in the U.S.A. (including Thanksgiving, Columbus Day, Halloween, May Day (May 1st), International Women’s Day, Gay Pride, Martin Luther King Day). Each lesson will have a strong lexical component, with the intention of expanding students’ knowledge and use of vocabulary. Class work and discussion will be based on selected language exercises made available by the instructor. For more in-depth study, students may choose to read A Survey of Modern English, S. Gramley & K. Pätzoid (pp. 1-7, 336-383). Students will be required to do a short essay (minimum 700 words) based on their research on the Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation website. At the end of the semester, students will be evaluated with a written examination on the basis of their knowledge of the subjects and material covered both in lessons. If students prefer, it will also be possible to do an oral examination. The student’s participation in class discussion will be taken into account as well in determining the final course grade.
N.B. Every week I will send an invitation to your Unifi.it address to participate in my Wednesday lesson 9-11. on G Suite "Meet." The recordings of my weekly lessons are posted on my Unifi G Suite Drive which I have given you authorization to access. If you have any problems, please contact at me john.gilbert@unifi.it
- Ellis Island in New York Harbor File
- Introduction to the course File
- Course description File
- Ellis Island Essay - Immigration to the U.S.A. File
- Map of English in the world File
- Political and geographical maps of the U.S.A. File
- Map of the U.S.A. with 3 regional varieties of NAE & origins of State names File
- Definition of English: cloze exercise File
- Definition of English: exercise reordering paragraphs File
- British & North American English vowel phonemes File
- Lexical differences in BE & NAE File
- Spelling differences in BE & NAE File
- Lexical contributions to North American English File
- Immigration to the U.S.A. 1820-1979 File
- Halloween paragraph reordering exercise File
- Lesson 2a File
  
  Standard language, dialect, variety. Origins of the English language. World English today.
- Lesson 2b File
  
  Differences British & North American English
- Language and Culture in U.S.A. Lesson 3 File
  
  English in the Americas. Historical development of standard North American English.
- Language and Culture in U.S.A. Lesson 4 File
  
  Varieties of North American English: Social, Regional.
- Language and Culture in U.S.A. Lesson 5 File
  
  Afro-American English.
- online links to varieties of accents of North American English File
- Language and Culture in U.S.A. Lesson 6 File
  
  Latino/Hispanic English in North America
- Christopher Columbus, from Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States File
- Lies My Teacher Told Me About Christopher Columbus: What Your History Books Got Wrong,  by J. W. Loewen File
- “The Invention of Christopher Columbus, American Hero” How the founding fathers turned Christopher Columbus, a mediocre Italian sailor and mass murderer, into a historical icon. by E. Burmila File
- exercise from “Columbus Day No Reason to Celebrate” By M. A. Pember File
- Thanksgiving quotations File
- The Thanksgiving myth File
- The Un-Pilgrims exercise File
- Native Americans and Thanksgiving exercise File
- Origins of May Day exercise File
- Origins of 8 March IWD Exercise 1 File
- Origins of 8 March IWD Exercise 2 File
- Stonewall Rebellion & Origins of Gay Pride Day exercise File
- Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" Speech File

Corsi di laurea e post laurea

B004700 (B004) - LINGUA INGLESE 2 (12 CFU) (CURRICULUM: STUDI LINGUISTICI, LETTERARI E INTERCULTURALI - D42) 2019-2020

Topic outline

Language and Culture of the U.S.A.