Introduction to Advanced Spanish Grammar and Hispanic Linguistics

This course is a two-hour class. One hour is an integrated approach to bridging the gap between intermediate and advanced levels of language, putting particular emphasis on some of the most essential topics of Spanish grammar such as: 1) Rules of orthographical accents; 2) Se/r vs. /estar; 3) Uses of past tenses, indicative mood; 3) Prepositions (a, por, para); 4) Basic uses of the subjunctive/subordinate clauses. The approach to these grammar topics will take into consideration the theoretical aspects as well as the practical use in speech and writing. Authentic cultural readings of diverse types and sources will serve as a context for linguistic practice and written exercises in the classroom. In the other hour, the course will serve as an introduction to basic concepts of Hispanic linguistics in order to provide a better understanding of the linguistic courses throughout the MA program. (1 unit)

Required text: a) Grammar: Electronic material provided at Middlebury; b) Hispanic Linguistics: José Ignacio Hualde, Introducción a la Lingüística Hispánica (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2ª ed. 2010) (ISBN: 978-0521513982).