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Mistakes: curse or blessing? The ELF perspective
Dunková, Jiřina ; Quinn Novotná, Veronika (advisor) ; Gráf, Tomáš (referee)
The present research focuses on students' attitudes and preferences towards English language learning at Czech private language schools. The study approaches language learning from two perspectives, the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) paradigm and the English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) paradigm. The key concepts discussed are: mistakes, re-labelled modifications, learner goals, learner needs, language models, accuracy and language creativity (or 'languaging'). Key words: EFL, ELF, learner goals, language models, accuracy, language creativity, languaging
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Intensifying adverbs homonymous with adjectives: "dead tired", "real good"
Dodecká, Ivana ; Malá, Markéta (advisor) ; Gráf, Tomáš (referee)
The objective of the present thesis is to analyze 15 intensifying adverbs homonymous with adjectives. The focus is on simple intensifying adverbs only and incorporates an analysis of in what context and under which circumstances these intensifiers are used. Attention was paid to frequency of occurrence, collocation restrictions, type of text and differences between British and American English. The intensifiers were sourced from grammar books, dictionaries, websites and from English native speakers' suggestions, and explored using the British National Corpus and the Corpus of Contemporary American English.
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Teaching grammar in specific forms of education (in-company courses - adult learners).
Pohořálková, Pavla ; Mothejzíková, Jarmila (advisor) ; Gráf, Tomáš (referee)
The diploma thesis focuses on teaching grammar in the context of in-company language courses. What needs to be taken into consideration are both the psychological aspects of adult learners and the sociological characteristics of a typical course participant, their position of a client which is connected to high expectations of the service provided - language tuition. The role of the teacher in an in-company course is much less authoritative than in a traditional course and teachers become rather partners or coaches for the learners. The pedagogical research conducted among 172 Czech in-company learners with the help of an electronic questionnaire shows that the main aim of in-company students is to be able to communicate efficiently in real-life situations from their private and working lives. It is the role of the teacher, or the coursebook author, to choose which grammar structures are necessary to succeed in the respective situations. Therefore, the most suitable method for teaching grammar in the context of in-company courses is the Engage, Study, Activate method combined with the eclectic method.
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Introduction to ELT Methodology
Gráf, Tomáš ; Mothejzíková, Jarmila (advisor) ; Klégr, Aleš (referee)
The thesis presents a theoretical framework for a portfolio for the course Teorie a praxe jazykové akvizice pro uèitele angliètiny (didaktická propedeutika). This preparatory course in didactics serves as an introduction to the subject for future teachers of English in secondary schools, whom it should equip with a basic level of understanding of the general principles of learning, language acquisition and language learning. The work presents a course syllabus, and in its individual chapters it describes the theoretical background for each seminar. The themes introduced in the course are: theories of learning and their application to language teaching, language identity, theory and description of first and second language acquisition, learner variables (age, gender,aptitude, intelligence, motivation, affective filter, learning styles, multiple intelligences, learner beliefs, the role of brain and memory in language acquisition, methods of teaching foreign languages, interlanguage, linguistic errors, levels of proficiency, communication and learning strategies, learner autonomy, the theory of a good language learner and teacher. The thesis includes an appendix containing handouts for each seminar and a student evaluation form for the assessment of the quality of the seminar.
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A native speaker as an EFL teacher
Ledvinka, Miroslav ; Gráf, Tomáš (advisor) ; Mothejzíková, Jarmila (referee)
A Native Speaker as an EFL Teacher Rodilý mluvčí jako učitel angličtiny Miroslav Ledvinka Abstract Introduction: The principal aim of this thesis is to determine the role and significance of native speaker teachers of English in the teaching process, as well as to define the expectations of their students and employers. The status of native speaker teachers in the Czech Republic is being contrasted to the position of non-native speaker teachers. The core of this study lies in the analytical part which attempts to delimit the characteristics of the implementation of native English-speaker teachers into the Czech education system. Theoretical part: The theoretical chapter presents a concise summary of the theoretical terms and concepts, both historical and contemporary, which are related to the topic of native English-speaker teachers. Apart from the traditional survey of topics discussed in various authoritative publications and journals, the theoretical overview also includes a schematic outline of the historical development of the status of native speaker teachers with respect to the social, political, and economic factors which played a major role in the shaping of native speakers' position in the education process, and society as a whole. In addition, the theoretical chapter traces the contribution of...
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English reason clauses introduced by the conjunctions "since" and "as"
Cilcová, Klára ; Brůhová, Gabriela (advisor) ; Gráf, Tomáš (referee)
The present thesis studies English reason clauses introduced by the conjunctions since and as. English reason clauses are subsumed under the category of subordinate clauses and as such they accompany matrix clauses in the complex sentences. They can be placed in any of the positions in the sentence and serve various semantic roles and syntactic functions. The main aim of the present work is the analysis of English reason clauses introduced by the conjunctions since and as in terms of their position and the semantic relationship between them and their matrix clauses. For the purpose of the latter, also their syntactic functions are studied. Furthermore, the analysis is concerned with the factors which may be influential in the choice of the position of reason clauses. The analysis is performed on one hundred examples of English reason clauses introduced by the conjunctions since and as (50 examples introduced by since and 50 by as) that have been extracted from the works of prose by the means of the British National Corpus.
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Introduction to ELT Methodology - Learning Languages
Gráf, Tomáš ; Mothejzíková, Jarmila (advisor) ; Klégr, Aleš (referee)
The thesis presents a theoretical framework for the preparation of a portfolio for the course Didaktická propedeutika pro studenty angliètiny na FF UK. This preparatory course in didactics should serve as an introduction to the subject for future teachers of English in secondary schools, whom it should equip with a basic level of understanding of the general principles of learning, language acquisition and language learning. The work presents a course syllabus and in its individual chapters it describes the theoretical background for each seminar. The themes introduced in the course are: theories of learning and their application to language teaching, language identity, theory and description of first and second language acquisition, learner variables (age, gender, aptitude, intelligence, motivation, affective filter, learning styles, multiple intelligences, learner beliefs, the role of brain and memory in language acquisition, methods of teaching foreign languages, interlanguage, linguistic errors, levels of proficiency, communication and learning strategies, learner autonomy, the theory of a good language learner and teacher. The thesis includes an appendix containing handouts for each seminar and a student evaluation form for the assessment of the quality of the seminar.
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Specific grammatical features in Irish English
Mudrochová, Aneta ; Šaldová, Pavlína (advisor) ; Gráf, Tomáš (referee)
The theoretical part of this thesis deals with the description of specific morphological and syntactic features of Irish English. The list of non-standard features is based on contemporary literature and is comprehensive in number. The aim of this part is to provide a synchronic account of contemporary non-standard features which occur in the Republic of Ireland. The frequency of selected features is proved via the Irish branch of the International Corpus of English. The British National Corpus is used occasionally as a means of comparison with British English. In the practical part the non-standard features are traced in use. The list of specific features found in three plays by contemporary Irish dramatists is provided with a brief commentary. The specificity of these features is verified via works established in the field of the grammar of English.
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Linguistic aspects of translating informal/slang expressions in American TV series subtitles
Vaňková, Marie ; Klégr, Aleš (advisor) ; Gráf, Tomáš (referee)
The present study treats the problem of translating American slang and informal vocabulary into Czech. Its aim is to explain why this kind of vocabulary can be difficult to translate and to compare two different approaches to the task. It works with material excerpted from the subtitles of an American TV series, the official and the unofficial version of its translation. The experimental part brings information on the incidence of different types of mistakes and it identifies the main tendencies of the translators in dealing with various problems. The final part characterizes the strategies of individual translators, commenting on their strong and weak points.
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