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2012/13 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

SLAV2111 The Sounds of Russian

20 creditsClass Size: 17

Module manager: James Wilson
Email: j.a.wilson@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2012/13

Pre-requisite qualifications

Familiarity with the Cyrillic alphabet and a basic grasp of spoken Russian are essential.

This module is approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module focuses on the Russian sound system, Contemporary Standard Russian pronunciation and regional phonological variation in Russia and other Russian-speaking countries. You will be introduced to disciplines of linguistics such as phonetics, phonology, sociolinguistics and dialectology. You will study the relationship between phonetics and phonology (and the phone and phoneme), the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and conventions of transliteration and phonemic/phonetic transcription, the phonology of modern Russian, and issues in Russian dialectology and sociolinguistics. The module is of practical value to your general language studies in that you will cover in depth various phonetic and phonological processes affecting pronunciation. You will also be introduced to linguistic fieldwork and methods of gathering and analysing speech and you will propose a hypothetical empirical sociolinguistic study. The module is taught and assessed in English.

Objectives

The module aims to introduce students to:
- phonetics and phonology;
- linguistic conventions and transcription systems;
- the phonological system and rules of Russian;
- regional variation in Russia;
- sociolinguistics and dialectology.

Learning outcomes
On completion of the module students will:
- have a solid grasp of the Russian sound system and phonological rules affecting Russian consonants and vowels;
- know how to use the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), various systems of transliteration and phonemic/phonetic writing;
- be aware of key issues in Russian linguistics;
- have a clear understanding of dialectology and sociolinguistics and know how to plan, carry out and analyse the results of an empirical language survey;
- have the theoretical means to improve their pronunciation in Russian.

Syllabus

The module is structured around the following broad topics:
- the role of phonetics and pronunciation in language learning;
- phonetics and the phone;
- phonology and the phoneme;
- the Russian sound system (vowels and consonants and processes that affect them);
- dialectology and regional variation in Russia;
- issues in Russian sociolinguistics;
- sociolinguistic methodology and planning an empirical study.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	20	1.00	20.00
Seminar	20	1.00	20.00
Private study hours			160.00
Total Contact hours			40.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

160 hours of private study and independent learning to supplement in-class tuition. Students will be expected to read secondary texts, go over class work and carry out weekly homework assignments.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students will be monitored by their participation in class discussions, practical assignments during the seminars and on their submitted homework. Assessment will be in the form of: (a) 1 x practical assignment in which students will read out words from a word list in order to demonstrate their knowledge of phonological processes affecting Russian and then transcribe the words using the IPA at home; (b) 1 x 2,500-word essay; and (c) 1 x invigilated examination.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	2,500 words	30.00
In-course Assessment	Word List Task	20.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)	2 hr 00 mins	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 11/04/2013

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