MLO 2: Language and Linguistic Knowledge
The student develops an understanding of the structure of the Spanish language and is able to use an appropriate level of formality according to the situation, whether in writing or in speech.
The student completes between two and six courses (depending on his or her choice of emphasis, as either language and linguistics knowledge or literary and cultural knowledge) related to the Spanish language and linguistics. These courses deal with: the sound system of Spanish, the history of Spanish, advanced grammar, Spanish-English translation, a general introduction to Spanish linguistics, Spanish for professional application (medical, legal, etc. spheres), composition and conversation.
The student completes between two and six courses (depending on his or her choice of emphasis, as either language and linguistics knowledge or literary and cultural knowledge) related to the Spanish language and linguistics. These courses deal with: the sound system of Spanish, the history of Spanish, advanced grammar, Spanish-English translation, a general introduction to Spanish linguistics, Spanish for professional application (medical, legal, etc. spheres), composition and conversation.
MLO Narrative
In the Spanish major at CSU Monterey Bay we are required to complete and meet a few major learning requirements before we can be done with our studies and receive our degree. In this particular requirement MLO 2 we are required to develop an understanding of the structure of the Spanish language and is able to use an appropriate level of formality according to the situation, whether in writing or in speech. For this particular MLO requirement we are required to take between two and six courses depending our choice of emphasis, as either language and linguistics knowledge or literary and cultural knowledge, that are related to the Spanish language and linguistics. These courses deal with: the sound system of Spanish, the history of Spanish, advanced grammar, Spanish-English translation, a general introduction to Spanish linguistics, Spanish for professional application (medical, legal, etc. spheres), composition and conversation. In my case since I am a Language and Linguistics emphasis I was required to complete the total of six classes. The six classes that I took in order to complete this major learning requirement were SPAN 301, SPAN 302, SPAN 303, SPAN 313, SPAN 315 and LING 392 all of these courses dealt with language and linguistics. Span 301 helped me develop communicative language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing through readings and discussions of authentic Hispanic cultural and literary texts. Span 302 helped me survey the development of modern Castillian and Latin American Spanish, its evolution as a Romance language, the Roman period, Visigoth and Arab influences, Native American contributions, and its modern language diversity. This course described the phonology and morphology of modern Spanish. Span 303 reviewed all phases of communication skills with practice in understanding, speaking, and writing grammatically correct Spanish. The course taught us the components of Spanish grammar: the Spanish verbal system, the subjunctive, ser versus estar, and other problematic aspects of grammar. Span 313 was interesting course because it was an intro to Spanish Linguistics: Presents the principal branches of linguistic study, as it pertains to Spanish: the sound system (phonetics and phonology), the structure of words (morphology), and the structure of sentences (syntax). Additionally, attention is paid to bilingualism, especially Spanish in the US, and how Spanish is spoken/written differently by various social groups (sociolinguistics) and in various Spanish-speaking countries (dialectology). Span 315 helped me perform introductory translation assignments from Spanish to English and vice versa. The course helped me develop an understanding of translation theory through reading and class discussion and come to understand communicative translation and compare it to a direct, word-for-word approach. Problematic grammatical, discursive, and pragmatic issues are analyzed and the grammar of Spanish is reviewed in detail. Ling 392 was a course taught in English that helped me develop a knowledge base in linguistics, phonemic awareness, and syntax, and apply it in real-world educational settings. All these courses were really interesting for the reason that they really focused on things that really interested me and topics that helped me develop a better understanding of my emphasis. I learned a lot through these courses, which helped me with my capstone. In my opinion, I think that I gained a few skills that will help me later on in life when I continue with my masters. I would like to further my translation skills, I feel like I am not completely fluent in both languages something that I would like to change in the future. Through the different assignments, projects and tests I was able to clearly demonstrate my accomplishments in language and linguistics knowledge that I gained while taking those six classes. One of the things that I found challenging while trying to complete this MLO was the fact that I had to take lots of linguistic classes and most were in Spanish but also had to take an English course, which made it a bit complicated.