Assignment - CATFR

FINAL TASK FOR UNIT 6:

CHARACTERISTICS OF ACADEMIC TEXTS
AND FORMAL REQUIREMENTS

Student: Anita Villamar

Group: 2019-02
Unit: Characteristics of academic texts and formal requirements

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 Assignment - CATFR

Assignment:
The assignment of this unit consists of answering 3 activities related to the topics of the
unit: academic texts, the formal quotation and the improvement of the reading capacity.
Most of the questions require a direct answer, so we suggest you to write “Answer” in
bold before the answers.

TASK 1: THE ACADEMIC TEXT

Read the following text and answer the three questions below. Each answer cannot
exceed 30 words. Check the contents in 1.2 General features of academic texts and
1.3 Examples of academic texts and their characteristics:
Stephen Pit Corder is considered one of founding figures of Applied Linguistics
and Second Language Acquisition. This book presents the investigations of his
last fifteen years. It is divided in twelve chapters that treat two basic ideas. On
one hand, it treats the error analysis methods and its relation to language
teaching (the importance of the students’ errors, idiosyncratic dialects and error
analysis, students’ language description, etc.). On the other hand, the work is
focused on theoretical aspects, especially those centred on language
acquisition and the interlanguage. To sum up, this work gives a general
overlook on how the field has changed these years and the advances of other
fields of investigation.
Comment on: CORDER, S.P. (1981) Error analysis and interlanguage. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.

1. What is the aim of the message?

The aim of this message is to let and show readers how second language
acquisition has changed over the years and those changes had been improving.
Also, the teachers have the opportunity to take advantages of these changes.

2. At what kind of receiver it is addressed?

It is aimed at second language teachers and readers that are familiarized with
the subject.

3. Is this text adequate for an academic context? Why?

Definitely, the text is according for the academic context and the author uses
appropriate connectors. Also, the text respects the three principles such as,
Accuracy, Clarity and Objectivity and the text follows the scheme.

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TASK 2: QUOTING
Correct the following bibliographical references in order to follow the rules presented in
the unit.

a) Unamuno, V. Lengua, escuela y diversidad sociocultural. Hacia una

educación lingüística crítica. Barcelona: Graó. 2003)
b) Consejo de Europa (2000): Marco europeo de referencia para el
aprendizaje, la enseñanza y la evaluación de lenguas modernas.
INSTITUTO CERVANTES, 2001, Madrid.
c) MARTÍN PERIS. (1993): El perfil del profesor de español como lengua
extranjera: necesidades y tendencias, en Miquel, L. y Sans, N. (Ed.):
Didáctica del español como lengua extranjera, Madrid, Expolingua, pp.
167-179.

2.1. Correction

a) Unamuno, V. (2003): Lengua, escuela y diversidad sociocultural. Hacia

una educación lingüística crítica. Barcelona: Grao
b) Consejo de Europa (2000): Recommendation (2001), Marco europeo
de referencia para el aprendizaje, la enseñanza y la evaluación de
lenguas modernas, Madrid.
c) MARTIN, P. (1993): “El perfil del profesor de español como lengua
extranjera: necesidades y tendencias” en L. Miquel. Y N. Sans. (eds),
Didáctica del español como lengua extranjera, Madrid, Expolingua, pp.
167-179

TASK 3: THE IMPORTANCE OF READING

Read the following text and answer the questions below:

From the edge to the centre of the galaxy

The works of the Dutch linguist Abram de Swaan, later completed by Louis-
Jean Calvet, suggest a global linguistic system named “gravitational” or
“galactic”, a functioning model whose centre is the English language. This
system is not a surprise: it is the historical consequence of the logic of powers,
wars, invasions, migrations, colonial domination, etc. More recently, it is also
consequence of economic powers and, above everything, ideologies: in this
sense, the conquest of the mind is more decisive than the conquest of
territories.

There is a basis of around 6000 languages, 90% of these languages are

spoken by 5% of the global population, and they are called peripheral
languages. 500 are spoken by less than 100 people. In some countries can
coexist several hundreds of languages; Papua New Guinea has the record, 850

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languages, followed by Indonesia (670), Nigeria (410) and India (380). In order
to not be completely isolated, a peripheral language community connects to the
adjacent community through bilingual speakers, but this is unusual. Generally,
the members of these groups communicate through a common language which
belongs to a superior level –like Quechua in South America, and even Wolof,
Lingala and Bambara in Africa– and is considered a central language.

There are approximately one hundred central languages, which has from one to
a dozen peripheral languages gravitating around. They are official or national
languages; they are the language of administration and justice, the most used in
written and electronic communication. All European languages are central for
regional languages and a “minority” in a national territory: it happens to the
Dutch with the Frisian; to the Finnish with the Sami; to the Danish with the
Faroese; to the English with the Cornish (a Celtic language), Scottish, Welsh
and Irish; to the French with Alsatian, Basque, Britton, Corse and Occitan.

However, some of these languages, all of them central in a State, are more
central than others because they are at the centre of a constellation that gathers
other “foreign” languages. They are called supercentral languages. Abram de
Swaan has identified twelve supercentral languages: German, Arab, Chinese,
English, Sapnish, French, Hindi, Japanese, Malay, Portuguese, Russian and
Swahili. Louis Jean-Calvet considers that German and Japanese -more than
100 million speakers each- are not supercentral, since they do not have a
significant number of languages in their orbit. Supercentral languages are used
to communicate in a regional or international space, sometimes as a result of
colonization (English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese).

Nevertheless, if a Russian person and a Chinese person meet, there are few
possibilities of knowing the other language. Then, –unless they both cooperate
in Cuba and know Spanish– they are going to use the language that connects
the supercentral languages: English, the hypercentral language. Then, we can
see that, from the less spoken Amerindian language to the English language,
there are multiple chains of bilingual or multilingual speakers that guarantee the
communication of the periphery to the center.
CASSEN B.(2005): “The Illusion of the International English, Understanding
Each other” en Le Monde diplomatique (Trans. Marcel Colet).

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 Assignment - CATFR

1. Explain the intention of the message (30 word maximum):

Swan´s theory mentions the kind of languages spoken in different nations
like Central, Supercentral and Hypercentral languages.

2. Complete the following sentences:

 The gravitational model is a linguistic system whose centre is the English

language.
 Papua New Guinea has the record of languages with 850 languages.
 The conquest of the mind is more decisive than the conquest of territories.

3. Define in 30 words:
 Central language: It is spoken by 95% of the world population, it is the
common language used around the world.

 Supercentral language: It is used to communicate in a regional or

international space, sometimes as a result of colonization.

 Hypercentral language: This is the language that connects all the

supercentral language. English language is knowed as the Hypercentral
language.

4. Read the text again and mark in yellow the most relevant idea of each paragraph.
Then, summarise the main idea in only one line:

Paragraphs Idea principal

Global linguistic system named “gravitational or galactic” is

First paragraph
a functioning model whose centre is the English language.

Peripheral languages are composed by 6000 languages

Second paragraph
and spoken by 5% of speakers.

There are one hundred central languages, which has from

Third paragraph
one to a dozen peripheral languages.

Supercentral languages are used to communicate in a

Fourth paragraph
regional or international space.
Hypercentral is the English language used among
Fifth paragraph nationalities that spoken different languages..

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5. Complete the table with the facts presented by the author and his opinions on it:

Para
grap Facts presented Opinion
hs

In this sense, the

paragraphFirst

It is the historical consequence of the logic of powers, conquest of the mind is

wars, invasions, migrations, colonial domination, etc more decisive than the
conquest of territories.

There is a basis of around 6000 languages, 90% of In order to not be

Second

these languages are spoken by 5% of the global completely isolated, a

population, and they are called peripheral languages. peripheral language
500 are spoken by less than 100 people. In some community connects to
paragraph

It happens to the Dutch with the Frisian; to the All European languages
Third

Finnish with the Sami; to the Danish with the are central for regional
Faroese; to the English with the Cornish (a Celtic languages and a
paragraph

language), Scottish, Welsh and Irish; to the French “minority” in a national

Abram de Swaan has identified twelve supercentral All of them central in a
Fourth

languages: German, Arab, Chinese, English, State, are more central

Sapnish, French, Hindi, Japanese, Malay, than others because they
paragraphparagraph

Portuguese, Russian and Swahili. Louis Jean-Calvet are at the centre of a

Nevertheless, if a Russian person and a Chinese they are going to use the
Fifth

person meet, there are few possibilities of knowing language that connects
the other language. Then, –unless they both the supercentral
cooperate in Cuba and know Spanish languages:

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 Assignment - CATFR

6. Make a conceptual scheme of the main and secondary ideas of the text:

FROM THE EDGE TO THE

CENTRE OF THE GALAXY

Main Ideas

Global linguistic Peripheral languages There are one Supercentral Hypercentral is the
system named are composed by hundred central languages are used to English language
“gravitational or 6000 languages and languages, which communicate in a used among
galactic” is a spoken by 5% of has from one to a regional or nationalities that
functioning model speakers. dozen peripheral international space. spoken different
whose centre is the languages. languages..
English language.

Secondary
Idea

Some of these languages, They are going to use

Generally, the members of They are official or all of them central in a the language that
The conquest of the
these groups communicate national languages; State, are more central than connects the
mind is more
through a common they are the language others because they are at supercentral languages:
decisive than the language which belongs to of administration and the centre of a constellation English, the
conquest of a superior level. justice. that gathers other “foreign” hypercentral language
territories.
languages.

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 Assignment - CATFR

7. Mark with a cross the correct option and justify your answer in 30 words:

7.1. What is the function of the text?

_ Criticise
_ Describe
_ Defend an idea

7.2. What is the writer attitude?

_ Neutral
_ Critical
_ Informative

7.3. What is the tone used?

_ Formal
_ Informal
_ Colloquial