LLAS Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Runner-up of the student award 2010: My future employability: the benefits of a languages, linguistics or area studies degree

Rosie Shimmin, a 4th year German and Politics student at Cardiff University, was a runner up in the Subject Centre's undergraduate student award competition 2010.

Face-to-face and online interactions - is a task a task?
This study contrasts two different ways of analysing interaction and participation in language learning tutorials: Social network analysis of frequency and QSR analysis of type of interaction. One task from three German beginners' language tutorials (one delivered face-to-face, the other two online) is analysed. A description of the background and method of the study is provided together with some examples of the findings. As this is work in progress, only tentative conclusions can be provided at this stage.

Developing online self-access materials for subject specific language courses at an advanced level (SAM Project)
The Language Centre at the University of Bristol is committed to providing students with up-to-date and innovative learning opportunities. Over the course of the academic year 2004-2005 the applied foreign language team developed a range of online language learning materials in French, German, Italian and Japanese for Engineers, Scientists and Social Scientists studying language at advanced and intermediate levels.

Bridging the Gap: University of Manchester
The University of Manchester's Bridging the Gap project to help students transition between GCSE, As and A2 level is described. Various forums and committees were set up to identify gaps in their respective syllabuses and events days were run at a Language College to help fill these gaps. Feedback on the events was good and it is hoped that this type of event will encourage more students to take languages at university level.

A new approach to teaching German as a foreign language at Tertiary level

German Studies at Queen's University has developed a second degree pathway called 'Business Communication: German for European Industry', which we now teach in addition to the traditional pathway 'German Language and Literature'. This new pathway is a response to the changes in the job market in this country and internationally and includes an industrial placement with leading companies in Germany during the year abroad. In this paper, I would like to give a basic description of the new pathway and some background information about why we felt it was necessary to develop this alternative. I then want to give more detail about what is special about this modern language course, and what the benefits are for students. Finally, as evidence of the success of this approach to date, I would like to quote some of our students' feedback about the pathway and in particular about their industrial placement.

Umgangssprache in deutschen Liedern

This learning object activity is on the German language. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing, and is entirely in German.

Reading practice: Kaiser Karl der Große

These learning object activities are to be used for a Reading Class in German after you have completed approximately 30 hours of tuition. You will revise and practice past participles, and you will learn vocabulary relevant to a particular period in history. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

Die Gleichberechtigung der Frauen in Deutschland

This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing, and is entirely in German.

German beginners - revision: meeting, greeting, getting to know each other

The aim of this exercise is to help you revise expressions you can use to greet someone, to introduce yourself and to ask questions about someone you have met for the first time. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

Postcards from favourite places - reading and writing exercise (German)

In this learning object exercise you will read a postcard that was published by jetzt.de in June 2007, learn some new expressions that are typical for the region it was sent from, answer some questions and finally write your own postcard. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

Recognising 'faux amis' (A-N) in German

This learning object aims to provide an introduction to False Friends. False Friends, Falsche Freunde or Faux amis (they are commonly known by the French phrase) are words that look or sound alike in two languages. However, they are not what they seem. In these activities, you will be made aware of the most frequently occurring German False Friends (A-N), and practise translating them correctly into English. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

German: Podcasting Goethe
This website is designed to enhance the study and enjoyment of Goethe’s early poetry. It features readings of a selection of poems, available as podcasts, which span the period from roughly 1771 up to Goethe’s departure for Italy in the autumn of 1786. German transcriptions are provided, as are English translations to help listeners through the poems: these translations are of varying quality and are included as a guide only.

Language Testing: Dialang: Diagnostic Tests for Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Icelandic, Irish, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish

DIALANG offers validated tests of different language skills, together with a range of feedback and expert advice on how to improve your skills. It also offers scientifically validated self-assessment activities and allows users to determine their language level, strengths and weaknesses as well as to increase their awareness of current skills and of what it means to know a language. It has been developed by more than 20 major European institutions, with the backing of the European Commission and is based on the Council of Europe's "Common European Framework of reference", which has become established throughout Europe as the most widely recognized frame of reference in the field of language learning.

Authorware: The GISMO Project (Guildhall Interactive Software for Multimedia Online)
A selection of teaching materials produced by The Department of Humanities, Arts and Languages at London Metropolitan University using the authoring program developed within the department that allows language teachers to prepare their own audio-enhanced websites containing a variety of interactive exercises. Any educational institution is welcome to use this material. The software combines the ability to edit your own text and then to record someone reading it, all using the same program. The sound and text are then automatically integrated and a web page containing the exercises is generated.

German: grammar question bank
This bank of over 1,000 questions was created using Question Mark Perception. It was aimed at first year Undergraduate students of German. The grammar topics covered include definite and indefinite articles, adjective endings, personal pronouns, demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, relative pronouns, indirect speech and verb tenses. Question types are either Selection (student chooses correct item from drop-down list) or Fill in Blanks. All questions have minimum feedback of correct answer; many have differentiated feedback and marking. The questions have been drawn mainly from GramEx German or devised using the Astcovea German concordancer. The bank can be used by institutions running Question Mark Perception to create diagnostic, formative or summative tests.

German: verbs with dative objects
This is a grammar exercise aimed at first year Undergraduate German students. It provides practice in the use of German verbs with dative objects. A list of 50 verbs is provided. The user is given a random selection of 20 sentences in English (from a library of 48) to be translated into German. Some vocabulary help is provided and the user can have up to three attempts at each question before the correct answer is displayed. This exercise was created using Question Mark for Windows. Institutions with a licence for Question Mark for Windows can copy the .qdt and .qdl files into their folder with Question Mark Presenter. Others must copy these files into a folder with Question Mark Testview (provided). Clicking on Testview (or Question Mark Presenter) should bring up a menu; select the programme and click 'Run'.

German: for beginners and general German grammar
Interactive exercises for German created using 'Interactive Language Learning Authorware' designed by Steve Cushion, Guildhall University. The materials come in two files (A and B) which are compressed files that can be self-extracted by clicking on them. The programs run using a web browser and can be started by clicking on the 'home' icon.

Phonetics: for Students of Modern Languages
An introductory phonetics course for students of French, German and Spanish

German: Angelika's German webpages
Reading comprehension exercises for beginners, threshold and intermediate levels. They can be used to supplement the Themen neu course books, and are intended for independent study.The exercises are part of my website which, in part, is a portal to Internet resources.

Nominations for UCML Exec vacancy
There is currently a vacancy for a representative of Germanic Studies on the Executive Committee of the University Council of Modern Languages and we would welcome nominations to fill this vacancy.

Using parallel corpora in translation
Parallel corpora are large collections of texts in two languages. They can be used for teaching and research in translation, bilingual lexicography, and linguistics.