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Patricia Gubitosi
Assistant Professor of Hispanic Linguistics |
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Patricia Gubitosi |
At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, I teach
graduate and undergraduate courses in Hispanic Linguistics |
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GRADUATE COURSES
IN HISPANIC LINGUISTICS |
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Spanish in the U.S. / Sociolinguistic Aspects. This course
explores the Spanish spoken in the US and its variety throughout the
different geographical and social dialects in the country. The nature of the
changes that take place in the language of the subordinate group in a high
developed and complex society will be examined under the framework of the
sociolinguistic theory. The course prepares students to critically read texts
and develop their own research in the field. The work developed by students focuses on collecting and analyzing data and
understanding the role played by the extra linguistic variables in the
motivation of linguistic change processes. |
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Bilingualism and
Language Contact. This course focuses on
language contact situations in the Spanish speaking
world. Important theoretical problems are addressed by the study of
linguistic phenomena in bilingual and multilingual context as well as the
role played by the contact language in the motivation of linguistic change
processes. The proposed course intends to offer the students an approach to
the knowledge of linguistic concepts as applied to the study of the live
varieties of the Spanish spoken around the world. Fieldwork and analysis of
live/real discourse will be required. Hispanic Dialectology. This course examines and compares diachronic and synchronic
surveys of the dialects of Spain, Spanish America and the Hispanic Caribbean.
Some theoretical approaches and methodologies to study dialect classification
are considered. Also, the course revises the debates on the origins and
historical development of Spanish dialects in Latin America as well as the
most recent developments in the fields of Dialectology. Introduction to
Discourse Analysis. This course focuses on
the relationships between language and society, and the language use beyond
the boundaries of a sentence/utterance. These theoretical problems comprise
language use in social contexts (not only spoken but also written speech) and
dialogue and interaction between speakers. Structure of Modern
Spanish. This course presents the syntax and
morphology of contemporary Spanish using current generative theories. This
class does not presuppose any knowledge of the theoretical framework, since
the basic theoretical assumptions will be introduced in the course. Spanish 512 –
Spanish as Language Minority in the US. This course
focuses on Spanish spoken in the United States, the relationship of a
dominant language to subordinate language(s), the nature of the changes that
take place in the language of the subordinate group in a high developed and
complex society, and the role played by the contact language in the
motivation of linguistic change processes. The course intends to offer the
students a first approach to the knowledge of basic linguistic concepts as
applied to the study of the live varieties of the Spanish language that are
spoken in the United States. Also, diverse aspects of heritage language
maintenance and development will be explored. |
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UNDERGRADUATE COURSES
at UMASS |
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Spanish
473. Contrastive Analysis Spanish / English.
This
course provides a contrastive description and analysis of the phonological,
morphological and syntactic structures of Spanish and English.
Pre-requisites:
Spanish 378, Spanish 311. Spanish 471. Linguistic
Varieties and Pluralism. This course intends to offer the students
an introduction to regional and social varieties of Spanish in Spain, Latin
America and the U.S., and an overview of situations of language contact and
multilingualism affecting Spanish in those areas. Pre-requisites: Spanish 378, Spanish 311. Spanish
470. General View of Hispanic Linguistics.
This
course is an introduction to basic aspects of Hispanic linguistics, where
Students learn about the different components of language. The course starts
with the introduction of concepts that help students understand the nature of
language, such as prescriptive and descriptive grammar, grammaticality
judgments, linguistic prejudice, and the nature and goals of linguistic
inquiry. Six different areas of Hispanic linguistics are presented in the
course: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, history of the Spanish
language, and sociolinguistics. The general goal of the course is to present
a broad view of the nature of human language using Spanish as an example.
Pre-requisites:
Spanish 378, Spanish 311. Spanish 465. Business Spanish. Presentation of major trends and developments in the
Spanish-speaking world. Analysis
of economic, legal, and international business issues. Utilization of Spanish terminology in commercial correspondence
and business. Pre-requisites: Spanish 311
Spanish 311: Advanced Grammar.
Spanish
311 is designed to provide students with a linguistic perspective of the Spanish
Grammar. The class helps students improve their writing and reading skills.
This course is intended to be more than a simple grammar review. It presents
a detailed discussion of specific grammar topics that are particularly
challenging to native speakers of English: subjunctive use, aspect, use of 'ser' and 'estar', impersonal
se, etc. Pre-requisites: Spanish 240 |
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