The latvian academy of culture

The Name of the Course Conversation: Language Etiquette and Pronounciation

The Author of the Course Ass. Prof. Anita Načisčione

The Objective of the Course The objective of the course is to provide an understanding of the typical features of English conversation and secure the most important conversational skills and tools as survival techniques in language in use. The course also aims at improving the phonetic presentation, paying special attention to the quality of separate sounds and their counterparts in Latvian, the English syllable intonation in difference to Latvian syllable intonation and the most common types of sentence intonation in oral discourse.

Preconditions for the Acquisitions of the Course The acquisition of the speciality language at the level of Secondary School.

The Scope of the Course 1 term, 32 hours of practical classes, two academic hours a week, delivered in Term 1, Year I.

The Number of Credit Points 2 points

The Type of Assessment An examination in written form at the end of the term preceded by two midterm tests.

The Contents of the Course see Appendix

Appendix

No	THEMES	HOURS
1.	Greetings and the start of a conversation. The English resonance chamber, its differences from the Latvian.	2
2.	The words of parting. Seeing people off. [I], [i:]. Modulation.	2
3.	Requests and commands. Requests for repetition. The falling syllable intonation in English and the types of syllable intonation in Latvian.	2
4.	Types of apologies. Sense groups. Pauses. The rhythmical quality of English.	2
5.	Arresting someone’s attention. Front consonants. [t], [d],[n],[l].	2
6.	Hesitation and its verbal expression. Aspiration. [p], [t], [k].	2
7.	Asking directions. Back consonants.	2
8.	Permission. Sonorants.	2
9.	Offers. [v], [w] vs the Latvian [v].	2
10.	Asking for advice and giving advice. The English [r] vs the Latvian [r].	2
11.	Invitations. Diphthongs in English vs Latvian diphthongs. The gliding quality.	2
12.	Gratitude. The basic types of sentence intonation: the use of the falling intonation in declarative sentences.	2
13.	Sympathy. The importance of the intonation. The basic types of sentence intonation: the use of the falling intonation in Special Questions.	2
14.	Likes and dislikes. The basic types of sentence intonation: the use of the rising intonation in General Questions.	2
15.	Approval and disapproval. The basic types of sentence intonation: the use of the rising intonation in Tag Questions and Alternative Questions.	2
16.	Expressing one’s opinion. The basic types of sentence intonation: the use of the fall-rise intonation in the flow of conversation.	2

Literature

1. de Freitas J.F. 1992. Survival English. London: The Macmillan Press.

2. Ivanov A. and Povey J. 1989. English Conversational Formulas. Moscow: Prosveshcheniye.

3. Gimson A. 1975. Course of English Pronunciation: A Perceptual Approach. London: Arnold.

4. Pilch H. 1994. Manual of English Phonetics. München: Fink.

5. O’Cononr J.D. 1967. Better English Pronunciation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

6. O’Connor J.D. and Arnold G.F. 1976. Intonation of Colloquial English: A Practical Handbook. London: Longman.
The Name of the Course International Cultural Relations: Latvia-Norway, Latvia-Sweden, Latvia-Denmark: Scandinavian Languages.

The Author of the Course Lecturer Snorre Karkkonen Svensson.

The Objective of the Course The aim of the course to enable the students of other Scandinavian languages to work in a Nordic situation. The course teaches the students to understand simple written and spoken language of other Scandinavian languages. The students also learn how to transcribe Scandinavian proper names into Latvian.