The notion of discourse and its analysis
Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation
Federal State Budgetary Institution
“Moscow State Linguistic University”
The Faculty of the English Language
The Department of the English Lexicology
Term Composition:
LEXICAL, DISCOURSE AND STRUCTURAL ANALYSES OF THE TESTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL EXAMS IN ENGLISH
Konstantin Funtikov
Scientific Supervisor :
Professor I.V. Barinova
Moscow 2018
Федеральное государственное бюджетное образовательное учреждение высшего образования
«МОСКОВСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ЛИНГВИСТИЧЕСКИЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ»
(ФГБОУ ВО МГЛУ)
Факультет английского языка
Кафедра лексикологии английского языка
Курсовая работа
по английскому языку на тему:
ЛЕКСИЧЕСКИЙ, ДИСКУРСИВНЫЙ И СТРУКТУРНЫЙ АНАЛИЗЫ ТЕСТОВ МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫХ ЭКЗАМЕНОВ ПО АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ
по направлению подготовки 45.03.02 Лингвистика
| Автор: | Фунтиков Константин Валерьевич, | |||
| группа 0-14-21 | ||||
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| Научный руководитель: | ||||
| заведующая кафедрой лексикологии английского языка | ||||
| кандидат филологических наук | ||||
| Баринова Ирина Васильевна | ||||
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Москва – 2018
Contents
| Introduction | P. 3 | |
| Chapter 1. Theoretical | ||
| 1.1. Types of international exams in English | P. 6 | |
| 1.2. The structure of CAE exam | P. 12 | |
| 1.3. The notion of discourse and its analysis | ||
| 1.4. Peculiarities of etymology and lexis in exam papers | ||
| Chapter 2. Practical | ||
| 2.1. Analysis of the CAE test | P. 18 | |
| Conclusion | P. 30 | |
| Literature | P. 33 | |
| Applications | P. 36 |
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Introduction
Cambridge English exams are well-known for their quality assessment of real English, as used in everyday work, study and leisure situations. Cambridge English (formerly Cambridge ESOL) is a leading awarding body for qualifications relating to English for speakers of other languages. 15,000 universities, employers and governments around the world accept Cambridge English exams.
CAE (the Certificate in Advanced English or C1 Advanced) is an English language examination provided by Cambridge Assessment English (previously known as Cambridge English Language Assessment and University of Cambridge ESOL examination). C1 Advanced is proof of high-level achievement in English and is designed for learners preparing for university of professional life. It is focused on Level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
The aim of the research is to analyse both the structural and the lexical parts of one of the international exams in English, namely CAE (Certificate in Advanced English), the certificate of which confirms that those who took the exam and managed to pass it at no lower than 180 points have a C1 level of English.
The structure of the paper includes Introduction, presenting the subject of the research, its objectives and composition; two Chapters, theoretical, where the major features of CAE exam are considered and a practical part in which the analysis of the lexis of CAE is presented; Conclusion and References.
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In the analysis of the selected data from CAE papers we used the following methods: dictionary definition analysis, word structure analysis, contextual analysis.
The results of the undertaken research are of great importance due to its informative value. Firstly, they can be used in the process of exam preparation. Secondly, this study can be a reference book for . This work can be also used by people to learn new words, broaden their English vocabulary, which is very important to further develop their academic and communicative skills.
In the given course paper we will focus on the analysis of the structure of the exam as well as its lexical, discoursal and etymological aspects. As a material of the analysis the CAE demo test which was published in 2015 and taken from http://www.cambridgeenglish.org was used.
Chapter 1
Types of international exams in English
International exams in English can be divided into different categories depending on the various levels of English and professional spheres in which English could be applied.
1. Exams each of which represents a certain level of knowledge of English language ranging from A1 to C2:
· YLE - Young Learners English (A1)
· KET - Key English Test (A2)
· PET - Preliminary English Test (B1)
· FCE - First Certificate in English (B2)
· CAE - Certificate in Advanced English (C1)
· CPE - Certificate in Professional English (C2)
2. English exams for working and studying abroad (academic purposes)
· TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language
· IELTS - International English Language Teaching System
3. Professional English
· BEC - Business English Certificate
· BULATS - Business Language Testing Service
· ESOL - English for Speakers of Other Languages
· GMAT - Graduate Management Admission Test
· ILEC - International Certificate in Financial English
- TOEIC - Test Of English for International Communication
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4. Exams for teachers of English
· TKT - Teaching Knowledge Test
· CELTA - Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults
· TESOL - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
· TEFL - Teaching English as a Foreign Language
The structure of CAE exam
In the given course work it is CAE (Certificate in Advanced English) and its vocabulary that will be the subject of the analysis. In the given course work it is CAE (Certificate in Advanced English) and its vocabulary that will be the subject of the analysis. In this section the structure of the exam will be examined.
Cambridge English: Advanced was originally introduced in 1991 and is a high-level qualification that is officially recognised by universities, employers and governments around the world. Regular updating has allowed the exam to keep pace with changes in language teaching and testing while ensuring the exam remains reliable, relevant and user friendly for candidates. Candidates can choose to take Cambridge English: Advanced as either a paper-based or a computer-based exam.
Cambridge English: Advanced is typically taken by high achievers who want to:
• follow an academic course at university level
• communicate effectively at managerial and professional level
• participate with confidence in workplace meetings or academic tutorials and seminars
• carry out complex and challenging research
• stand out and differentiate themselves.
Cambridge English: Advanced is targeted at Level C1 – the second highest level on the CEFR scale (CEFR - Common European Framework of Reference). Level C1 is required in demanding academic and professional settings and achieving a certificate at this level proves that a candidate has reached a very advanced level of English.
CAE exam consists of four parts: Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking:
· Reading and Use of English: 1 hour 30 minutes. Candidates need to be able to understand texts from publications such as fiction and non-fiction books, journals, newspapers and magazines.
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· Writing: 1 hour 30 minutes. Candidates have to show that they can produce two different pieces of writing: a compulsory task in Part 1, and one from a choice of three in Part 2.
· Listening: 40 minutes (approximately). Candidates need to show they can understand the meaning of a range of spoken material, including lectures, radio broadcasts, speeches and talks.
· Speaking: 15 minutes. Candidates take the Speaking test with another candidate or in a group of three, and are tested on their ability to take part in different types of interaction: with the examiner, with the other candidate and by themselves.
In this course work the priority will be given to the first part of the exam - Reading and use of English. It consists of 8 parts:
· Part 1 - A modified cloze test containing eight gaps followed by eight multiple-choice questions. Candidates are expected to be able to: demonstrate the ability to apply their knowledge and control of the language system by completing a number of tasks at text and sentence level; demonstrate a variety of reading skills including understanding of specific information, text organisation features, implication, tone and text structure.
· Part 2 - A modified cloze test containing eight gaps.
· Part 3 - A text containing eight gaps. Each gap corresponds to a word. The stems of the missing words are given beside the text and must be changed to form the missing word.
· Part 4 - Six separate questions, each with a lead-in sentence and a gapped second sentence to be completed in three to six words, one of which is a given ‘key’ word.
· Part 5 - A text followed by six 4-option multiple-choice questions.
· Part 6 - Four short texts, followed by four cross-text multiple-matching questions.
· Part 7 - A text from which six paragraphs have been removed and placed in jumbled order, together with an additional paragraph, after the text.
· Part 8 - A text or several short texts, preceded by 10 multiple-matching questions.
The notion of discourse and its analysis
The term "discourse" (from French “discours”, from Latin “discursus”, "running back and forth, movement, circulation, conversation, conversation", i.e. speech, the process of linguistic activity, the way of speaking) has gained wide popularity for the last decades. Perhaps this is due to the fact that there is no clear and universally recognized definition of "discourse" covering all cases of its use. A peculiar parallel of the polysemy of this term is not an established accent in the word itself: the stress on the second syllable is more often encountered, but the stress on the first syllable is also not a rarity. The term "discourse", as it is understood in modern linguistics, is closein meaning to the concept of "text", but emphasizes the dynamic, unfolding in time, the nature of language communication; in contrast, the text is thought of primarily as a static object, the result of linguistic activity. Sometimes "discourse" is understood as including simultaneously two components: the dynamic process of linguistic activity inscribed in its social context, and its result (i.e. the text); it is this understanding that is preferable. Sometimes the attempts to replace the notion of discourse by the phrase "coherent text" are not very successful, since any normal text is coherent.
The interdisciplinary direction that studies discourse, as well as the corresponding section of linguistics, is called the same - discourse (discourse analysis) or discourse (discourse studies). As the actual scientific direction, discursive analysis has been formed only in recent decades. This happened against the background of the prevailing in linguistics for most of the 20th century struggle for the "purification" of the science of language from the study of speech. F. de Saussure believed that the true object of linguistics - the language system (as opposed to speech), N. Chomsky urged linguists to study the language "competence" and to abstract from the questions of language use. Lately, however, cognitive attitudes in the science of language are beginning to change, and the opinion is gaining strength, according to which no language phenomena can be adequately understood and described outside their use, without regard for their discursive aspects. Therefore, discursive analysis is one of the central sections of linguistics
The purpose of discursive analysis is to identify the social context behind oral or written speech, to study the relationship between language and social processes. The interpretation of a language as a discourse involves treating it as a form of social action, directly rooted in the social conditions of its realization. The formation of this view was influenced by a number of theoretical trends in linguistics, philosophy, anthropology, sociology. One of the central places among them is the theory of speech acts created by J. Austin in the early 1950s of the last century and developed in the writings of J. Searle. In this theory, language is not viewed as a collection of universal or permanently redefined meanings, but as a field of action through which people in everyday practice influence the behavior, thoughts and emotions of others. At the same time, the close interrelation between the actions realized by means of words and the social context of the use of the latter is emphasized.
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