-Università Roma Tre - Corso di Studio in Lingue e Comunicazione Internazionale - a.a.2003-2004 - docente: Patrick Boylan |
English
for intercultural communication |
click on the orangedots
cliccare
sui puntini
rossi
Per
domande inerenti a questo modulo, usare unicamente il seguente
indirizzo e-mail: oi3 @ boylan.it
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Mondays
(Room 17) and Thursdays (Room 18) |
See
the NEWS section!
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Exam
on Use and Usage (3 tests) Exam
on the L-Lin/12 modules
SEVEN
1. You can see the totals of your final mark by clicking here.
2. PRIMA LINGUA STUDENTS:
Last Call for the Extra Credit homework (if you intend to take
the exam on June 17th: (You cannnot send the Extra Credit work by email because you need to give me the audio cassette with your recording.) Last Call to send the extra
credit if you are taking the final exam on July 8th: Last Call to send the extra
credit if you are taking the final exam in the Autumn (the exams
may -- I said MAY because for now it is just a hypothesis -- be
on Sept.24th, primo appello, and October 8th, secondo
appello): NOTE: I am not accepting any more late Activities or Esoneri to correct.
3. Survey: I'd like to know if the PC-HELP list has helped anyone. If you have contacted someone on the PC-HELP list to assist you with a computer problem, or if you have been contacted and have been of help, could you please send me a brief e-mail saying who you contacted (or who contacted you) , what the problem was and if the PC-HELP initiative solved the problem for you? (I want to know if I should continue with this initiative in the future, on the basis of REAL LIFE events.) Thanks for your time.
4. The two esoneri have been corrected. Check the marks under ASSESSMENT on the main menu.
5. The 6th activity - Doing a cultural-communicative translation of a modern Scottish (Irish) ballad: "The Green Fields of France" (originally "No man's land"). THE AWARDS FOR THE TWO BEST TRANSLATIONS (and the restitution of all translations, with marks) will take place DURING LUNCH BREAK (around 1:00 p.m.) on Exam Day, THURSDAY, JUNE 17th, outside ROOM 15 where the Third Year L-Lin/12 exams are to take place. If anyone wants to bring food and drinks, we can even have a corridor picnic as the Official Awards Ceremony.
6. The attendance figures have been updated and are now complete, (and the enrollment list, too!). Check to see (under YOUR DATA on the main menu) if they are correct.
7. FOR PRIMA
LINGUA STUDENTS: Silvia P. mi ha scritto: Avevo da tempo
messo sul sito: "The second partial exam (esonero) will be
on 'Rewriting Oneself'', chapters 9, 12, 15 from Byram's
'Developing..." Ma poi, come sapete (benissimo!), ho scordato di farvi studiare Byram per l'esonero. Quindi risolviamo la contraddizione così: Ci saranno solo
domande sulle discussioni in classe per coloro i quali si
accontentano del voto fatto secondo quanto spiegato sul sito:
Ma chi vorrà portare i capitoli 8, 12, 15 di Byram avrà più possibilità di punti all'esame finale, nel senso che l'ultima voce conterà per 15 anziché per 10: ESAME FINALE (domande su discussioni E BRYAM): VALUTATO SU 15 Chi arriva all'esame già con 30 (nel senso che ha 24 punti e quindi con la sufficienza all'esame finale, ossia un 6, arriverà di sicuro a 30) potrà anche lui o lei portare Byram e pigliare (se risponde intelligentemente), oltre il 30, la lode. N.B. Chi non ha fatto gli esoneri deve portare i relativi articoli (ad esempio, "Rewriting Oneself"). Così abbiamo risolto la questione nella maniera più giusta? Boh.
P.S. _______________ One last thing: I know you are stressed by the upcoming exams, but... RELAX!!!! And remember: exam marks are digital, but reality is analogical.
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Both
modules (2a lingua, ore 16, e 1a lingua. ore 18) March_
04___08___11___15___18___22___25___
Notes: *29
March, 1
April: Teacher away (congress:
for info, click here)
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HERE is where to sit with
your group in Aula 18
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The final exam for non-frequentanti will consist of: -- if English is the seconda lingua (2 crediti): 'Understanding Others', 'Seeing and Saying Things in English' plus Ch. 1 to 8 in Byram's book. -- if English is the prima lingua (4 crediti): 'Understanding Others', 'Seeing and Saying Things in English', Rewriting Oneself', plus ch. 1 to 15 in Byram's book, plus part of the dispense on the History of English. (The final exam for frequentanti is indicated in the NEWS section, under the lesson dates.) |
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Downloadable copies of texts appearing on the Reading List a. Monograph,
'Understanding Others' (Patrick Boylan) |
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. Areas in which diversity expertise is needed -- click on the orange dot. . |
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. Rewriting oneself: for a clarification of contents click on the orange dot. . |
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Lessons: |
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Mar 04 |
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Mar 08 |
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Mar 11 |
. (I will put a map in the NEWS section
illustrating |
Mar 15 |
. (You can learn to "speak" Jamaican lower class
English or American upper class English even if you use an
Italian lexico-grammatical repertory! This is the case if you
attempt to "be" -- and thus act and speak like -- Bob
Marley or Hillary Clinton in an Italian home, as an ERASMUS
exchange student who has learned Italian but only as a formal
code and who therefore lives the experience with the "will
to mean" of a Jamaican reggae singer or an Illinois woman
lawyer.) |
Mar 18 |
. 2. Review of principal concepts in the article
"Understanding Others". Two short homework assignments for March 22: 1. Choose an English-speaking culture in which you would like to live (for a while) and therefore a variety of English you would like to assimilate (introject). At the next class bring a list of documents you have found that will enable you to analyze the variety formally (lexis, grammar, pragmatic usages) and culturally (the mentality associated with that variety). To facilitate finding documentation, you can work with anyone in the class (not necessarily in your group) who wants to assimilate the same language-and-culture. Or you can work individually. If you work as a team (from 2 to 8 members), each member should bring a copy of the same list of documents useful for learning the particular language and culture: video cassettes, Internet sites, etc. Note: DO NOT
CHOOSE one of the two mainstream varieties: standard British
(whether "R.P." or "Estuary") English or
General American (Central States) English. Thus, you can choose
to be like one of the characters in the film Full Monty
(Yorkshire dialect) but not like one of the upper class
characters in the film Howard's End (R.P. accent); you
can choose to speak the English of Bill Clinton (Southern
dialect) but not Hillary Clinton (General American).
And of course you can choose, with no restrictions, to
investigate Indian or Bangladeshi or Fillipino English, New
Guinea Tokpisin, Geordie from Northeast England,
patwa from Jamaica,
Singapore English, Kenyan English... The important
thing is that you be able to document how people speak and
interact in that variety, through films, audio recordings, photo
reports, etc. (You do not have to describe the variety now; you
just have to find the materials to do so later.) The easiest
thing is to choose a film in our language lab featuring
non-mainstream varieties of English (click here
for the list). If you are more adventurous, you can choose any
variety for which you can find audio and visual documentation on
the Internet, or for which you can create your own documentation
by visiting a native-speaker micro-community in Rome (Bangladeshi
around Piazza Vittorio, Philippine
in via Merulana, etc. -- click on the red words for more
information). |
Mar 22 |
.. |
Mar 25 |
. 1. the Object of study is
different: a. meaning/intentionality of real Anglo
speakers/writers in on-going situations, b. Anglo beliefs and
practices and one's own (by comparison), c. the (situated) verbal
forms of a norm-providing Anglo variety, generally that spoken
natively by the upper class in South East England (and elsewhere
through imitation); |
Apr 05 |
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Apr 08 |
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Apr 26 |
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Apr 29 |
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May 3 |
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May 6 |
. N.B.: To see entire series of slides, click here
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May 13 |
. --
literal translation
("How do you do" >
Come fai tu fare)
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May 17 |
Discussion of the concept of communicative-cultural translation: 1. it is a theoretical innovation (see, e.g.,
Newmark's traditional classification: literal, semantic,
communicative, auteur); ______________ Definition of the official purpose (and real
purpose) of Intercultural Training Sessions in multinational and
transnational companies today. Concept of cultural dimensions revisited.
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May 24 |
1. first hour: discussion on 'Rewriting Oneself' (the text for the "esonero" on the 27th (the lettori exam should be over by 4 p.m.; if there's a problem please inform the teacher that you have another exam in the afternoon at 4);
2. discussion on the short text to read on Middle English to satisfy the requirement of being a seminar for the first semester course on History of English;
3. finally the awarding of the tins of shortbread for the best communicative-cultural translations of "The Green Fields of France".
4. second hour: a talk by Davide Cannizzaro, who graduated from Roma3 two years ago. He'll explain what life is like in an NGO, what (if any) relevance university studies have (in particular, your studies of intercultural communication), what other kinds of intercultural knowledge are necessary. AND how to get such knowledge.
In fact, Davide (and girlfriend Veronica, also a RomaTre graduate) are both "successes" in the way Mediaset speaks of success: they earn a lot and have responsibility in the field they studied for. But they are thinking of stopping work and doing further studies (a Masters in International Development). Why? Well, just ask them. How? See the material Davide has accumulated on Masters programs.
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May 27 |
Diversity Management. Handout: Areas in which diversity expertise
is needed -- click here
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Message Board______ First:
Then:
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. For the next time, prepare a group discussion on the article:'Understanding Others'. It is divided in 12 sections (in the .rtf version only!).
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. Read the blue
sections of the article "Seeing and Saying Things
in English" (click here>
Your group leader will read and mark your paper
(and mark her/his own paper) on Thursday, in Aula 18, from 4 to 5
p.m. (class will begin at 5). NOTE: The same rule applies here as with Activity 1. On the basis of how honestly s/he corrects herself/himself and the other members of the group, the Leader gets points added to (or subtracted from) the marks that s/he gave out: +2 excellent, +1 good, 0 so-so, -1 poor, -2 terrible.
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. Read Byram, Chapter 6, and choose an activity that you
consider valid for your needs. WARNING: You will be asked to
carry out this activity next week, to learn to communicate
interculturally in the variety of English you have chosen to
study. If the activity you choose involves interacting with
native speakers, you must be sure you can find some in Rome
(click here for their lairs>
Then meet with your group and make a short presentation of the activity you have chosen. Answer questions and comment on the opinions your fellow group members will make. The entire presentation should not last more than five minutes. One of the members of the group will record it. When you have finished, listen to the presentations of the others, participating actively and constructively. When everyone has spoken, the Group Leader will listen to the tape recording and give marks to each group member according to the criteria below. Prof. Byram, who is your communicative-cultural target, will receive a copy of the best recording. EVALUATION CRITERIA Each group member is to be marked as a Presenter, as a Listener, and as a Group Member. As a Presenter: The Group Leader will judge if the student speaks in a way (and says things) that someone like Prof. Byram would find readily understandable and convincing . This means from 0 to 3 points for IA and also for EA. IA = successful Intercultural Accommodation, which includes speaking understandably (cadence and intonation, lexico-grammar including register, argumentative style). EA = successful Exposition and Argumentation, which includes demonstrating an understanding of Prof. Byram's intent in proposing the chosen activity and making a defense or a criticism of that activity that Prof. Byram would consider intelligent As a Listener: The Group Leader will judge if the student participates actively, intelligently and constructively in a majority (not necessarily all but not fewer than half) of the other presentations. This means from 0 to 3 points for successfully clarifying unfamiliar words and concepts and agreeing or disagreeing. NOTE: The student must use all 4 kinds of formulas of the clarification procedure or, in agreeing and disagreeing, one of the formulas on the "Keywords" handout. The student receives 0 or 1 points if s/he doesn't contribute, if s/he doesn't use the formulas EACH TIME or if her/his interruptions just waste time (they must be pertinent!). The student receives 2 or 3 points if s/he uses the formulas EACH TIME and if her/his questions and contributions are of help to everyone and help move the discussion ahead. As a Group Member: The Group Leader will give 1 extra point if the student has helped significantly with the organization of the recording session and if s/he has helped the other group members with their problems. . |
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. Experimental Research Project: in activity 2 you chose and documented one of the varieties of English; in activity 3 you chose and justified a learning procedure taken from Byram (chapter 6); this week you are to use the chosen learning procedure to assimilate the chosen variety of English. Even if the learning procedure you have chosen from Byram's book is not strictly centered on verbal production (for example, you may have chosen to document expected behavior at weddings in Ireland), it will still be considered "learning to speak English" (in this case, Hiberno-English), since part of knowing how to speak Hiberno-English is knowing what is appropriate to say and do at weddings. As mentioned in class, to know what to study, all you have to do is to imagine the following situation: Let us call "X" the area (Ireland, Jamaica, India, Yorkshire, Alabama...) where people speak the Anglo variety you have chosen to study. Imagine, then, that you are an intercultural
mediator and that an Italian company with a plant in X has asked
you for a consultation. There is a lot of friction between the
local staff at the plant and the Italian managers, in spite of
the fame of Italians for being "simpatici a tutti".
The company HR (human resources) manager has asked you to visit
the plant, talk to the managers and the staff, and suggest ways
to improve understanding, cooperation and dedication to their
respective jobs. You have only 10 days (until April 5th) to
prepare for the trip. Obviously, much of the time will be spent
learning about the company and its culture. But you must also
dedicate time to learning to understand the people of X, the
Anglo variety they speak, and the best ways to dialog effectively
with them. So what will you do for your linguistic/cultural
preparation in these next 10 days? Finally, write a two page report (with ample margins and double spaces between each line as in Activity 2), using academic register and appropriate terminology, in which you describe the Object of your study (for example, "exclamations used at weddings in Ireland"), the Purpose of your study (for example, "to know how to adapt to the Irish way of doing things") and, as mentioned above, the Criterion you use to judge that you have studied enough and now "know" what you set out to know (for example, you may have discovered a pattern, such as the existence of two kinds of exclamations used according to the "high" or "low" social class status of the wedding). Clearly, it will be useful for you to review your notes of our discussion of Objects, Purposes and Criteria during the last lesson. You may also see the summary of our class discussion by clicking on "Lessons" on the menu. If you use the computer (as hopefully you will), your report can be one page. If your handwriting is extremely large, your report may be three pages Naturally, if this were reality, you would not be spending all 10 days just studying about weddings or some other specific point. You would be studying the history and geography of X, its economic and social structure, the current news topics (from newspapers on the Internet), etc. In addition you would watch TV programs from X (on the satellite channels in our language lab) to discover interactional patterns and, again, topical subjects. You would look up accounts of labor union negotiations. You would study the platforms of the political parties and you would read socially engaged novels by authors from X. You might even try to find people from X in Rome to interview them and -- why not? -- pay them to prepare a dinner for you, with typical food from X! In other words, the activity you have chosen from Byram's book would only be a small part of your preparation. |
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. Michael Moore is an American Beppe Grillo. But instead of
doing one-man shows, Moore writes books and makes films (such as
the award-winning Bowling at Columbine). And he writes
periodical Letters to subscribers to his Mailing List (see
www.michaelmoore.com.
to subscribe). In all of these expressive mediums, his rhetorical
genre is the same: political protest. Does Translation 1 have a different aim from that of Translation 2 and if so what? Translation 2 says things not in the Original: is this "betraying" the Original, or are the modifications (changes, additions and eliminations) necessary so that an average Italian reader has the same reaction to the translated text that the average American reader has to the Original? Do you think Michael Moore (the imaginary comittente) would object to the modifications? Your comments should not exceed two pages using the format described in Activity 3. The best papers will contain examples of how YOU would have translated certain sentences differently from translations N°1 and N° 2 -- together with a justification. Criteria for
evaluating your two page commentary: If you manage to give your papers to your new Group Leader for marking BEFORE Thursday, I'll accept her/his marks, as usual. If not, give them to me on Thursday and I'll do the marking using the above criteria.
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. The Official 3rd Year L-Lin/12 Program calls for earning an additional credit (the fifth L-Lin/12 credit for this course -- officially, 25 additional hours of work) by writing a short commentary on a designated "work" ("laboratorio di analisi"). For this course, the "work" to study can be either a film excerpt or an ethnographic recording. If you choose to comment a film excerpt, your final mark will be between 19 and 25. If you choose to comment an ethnographic recording, your final mark will be between 24 and 30. Unacceptable papers in both cases will get a mark of 17 or 18 and fondelli holds will get 0. Since there will be no class on Monday, May 10th, you can use that afternoon to do the ethnographic recording with your partner (although prudence suggests that one of you check out the area BEFORE Monday afternoon). I. If you choose to comment a film excerpt... you can choose one of the films in the language lab listed here or, if you go to a video shop, any film that features speakers of some non-mainstream national, regional, ethnic, or class-distinctive variety of English. Do not use the same film you used in a previous research activity. Select a 2-3 minute interaction between one of these speakers and a speaker of one of the inner-circle mainstream standards (RP or Estuary British English, General American, General Australian...). If you choose the same film as another member of the class, make sure you choose a different excerpt (write a note explaining the excerpt you have chosen and stick it inside the video-cassette box; if you find a note already in the box, read it to make sure you do not choose the same excerpt.). The interaction you choose must involve a communication breakthrough (or breakdown) due to understanding (or misunderstanding) the other party's linguistic-cultural habits. Then write a report in academic English (4 to 6 pages long, 1500 characters per page) answering the THREE QUESTIONS listed below. II. If you choose to record an ethnographic conversation... (alone or with one
other student), your target must be an outer-circle-English
micro-community in Rome, preferably the Bangladeshi
community (click on the word in red for more information). Your
goal is to produce a 2-3 minute tape recorded conversation.
This may require conversing with several subjects. For example,
if you converse with one of the many Bangladeshi rose sellers in
the restaurants al Centro, they might not speak the
Bangladeshi variety of English: they may be from a rural or low
social class and know only the scholastic English they learned at
school (if any!). And even if they know English natively, after
years in Rome they may now speak Italian more fluently than
English and will insist on answering you in Italian! If this
happens, you might
pretend to be -- relying on your other foreign
language -- a Spanish (French, German...) tourist in Rome who
doesn't speak Italian and must therefore communicate using
English as a lingua franca. The THREE QUESTIONS to Answer (In
your reply, please use the theoretical input from our course --
1. How successful was the interaction as communication (and, in particular, intercultural communication)? If there was a breakdown (a failure), explain why; if there was a breakthrough (success in spite of difficulties), explain on what basis. Use transcriptions from your audio-visual source to illustrate your claim. (If you worked with a partner, the transcriptions should be of the excerpt YOU have chosen to comment.) Do not transcribe the entire interaction, just the excerpt you want to comment. 2. How much does the outer-circle-English speaker manage to express his/her communicative intent using his/her behavioral repertory and how much using only his/her verbal repertory? (Remember that "intent" includes denotation/connotation, indexical instantiation/keying, cultural and personal attitudes/agendas and, of course, illocutionary/perlocutionary force.) Use transcriptions of excerpts together with descriptions of behavioral communication to illustrate your claims. 3. On what basis can you claim, using the term "language" in its traditional sense of "material manifestation of a semiotic system", that the verbal repertory and behavioral repertory of your interlocutor may be called English (with no qualifying descriptor) rather than some pseudo English language, an English dialect, an English pidgin/creole, a "New English", or a new language derived from English? Use transcriptions of excerpts together with descriptions of behavioral communication to illustrate your claims.
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You have the choice of listening to:
Your
goal, as communicative-cultural translators (but not
auteurs), is to produce a song which Eric Bogle would have
written if, knowing Italian as you do, he had visited an Italian
military cemetery and, upon seeing the gravestone of a
19-year-old dead soldier, had had the same inspiration and series
of communicative intents that lead to the lyrics of The green
fields of France. (For the difference between
communicative-cultural and auteur translations, see the
class notes in the Lesson section above: click here.) Once
you have finished your version, you can practice singing it to
the keroke recording of the song which you will find on the
lyrics page, too. |
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