Universität Wien
Warning! The directory is not yet complete and will be amended until the beginning of the term.

115110 UE Course Pronunciation and Verbal Communication - European Portuguese (2026W)

2.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 11 - Romanistik
Continuous assessment of course work
We 07.10. 17:15-18:45 Seminarraum ROM 9 (3B-O1-21) UniCampus Hof 8

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
Register/Deregister for this course

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: Portuguese

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 14.10. 17:15 - 18:45 Seminarraum ROM 9 (3B-O1-21) UniCampus Hof 8
  • Wednesday 21.10. 17:15 - 18:45 Seminarraum ROM 9 (3B-O1-21) UniCampus Hof 8
  • Wednesday 28.10. 17:15 - 18:45 Seminarraum ROM 9 (3B-O1-21) UniCampus Hof 8
  • Wednesday 04.11. 17:15 - 18:45 Seminarraum ROM 9 (3B-O1-21) UniCampus Hof 8
  • Wednesday 11.11. 17:15 - 18:45 Seminarraum ROM 9 (3B-O1-21) UniCampus Hof 8
  • Wednesday 18.11. 17:15 - 18:45 Seminarraum ROM 9 (3B-O1-21) UniCampus Hof 8
  • Wednesday 25.11. 17:15 - 18:45 Seminarraum ROM 9 (3B-O1-21) UniCampus Hof 8
  • Wednesday 02.12. 17:15 - 18:45 Seminarraum ROM 9 (3B-O1-21) UniCampus Hof 8
  • Wednesday 09.12. 17:15 - 18:45 Seminarraum ROM 9 (3B-O1-21) UniCampus Hof 8
  • Wednesday 16.12. 17:15 - 18:45 Seminarraum ROM 9 (3B-O1-21) UniCampus Hof 8
  • Wednesday 13.01. 17:15 - 18:45 Seminarraum ROM 9 (3B-O1-21) UniCampus Hof 8
  • Wednesday 20.01. 17:15 - 18:45 Seminarraum ROM 9 (3B-O1-21) UniCampus Hof 8
  • Wednesday 27.01. 17:15 - 18:45 Seminarraum ROM 9 (3B-O1-21) UniCampus Hof 8

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This 14-week course aims to develop students’ pronunciation skills and oral communicative competence in European Portuguese at a basic level, with a strong focus on intelligibility, fluency, and confidence in spoken interaction.

The course is designed to support learners in acquiring the phonetic foundations of European Portuguese, while simultaneously applying them in guided communicative situations. Special emphasis is placed on the connection between pronunciation accuracy and effective verbal communication.

Each session of the course is divided into two integrated components:
- Phonetics and pronunciation training: practical exercises of articulation and pronunciation of vowels and consonants, stress patterns, rhythm, intonation.
- Verbal communication practice: guided dialogues, role-plays, structured speaking tasks, and interactional exercises based on everyday communicative situations.

The methodological approach is communicative and practice-oriented. It combines:
- explicit phonetic instruction and corrective feedback;
- repetition and drilling techniques;
- listening and imitation exercises (including shadowing);
- interactive speaking tasks in pairs and groups;
- progressive transition from controlled to semi-spontaneous speech.

Authentic and semi-authentic spoken material is used throughout the course to expose students to natural pronunciation patterns and spoken rhythm.

Assessment and permitted materials

Assessment is continuous and based on active participation and oral performance throughout the semester. It includes:
- Class participation and attendance (15%)
- Ongoing pronunciation and speaking tasks (15%)
- Mid-term oral assessment (guided dialogue / reading + interaction) (30%)
- Final oral examination (40%)

Both parts of the assessment (mid-term and final) consist of a structured oral interaction task assessing pronunciation, fluency, and communicative effectiveness.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

To successfully complete the course, students must:
- attend a minimum of 8 classes (approximately 67% of the scheduled sessions);
- actively participate in speaking and pronunciation activities;
- complete the assessed tasks;
- achieve a minimum grade of 4 in the final assessment.

Assessment is based on the following criteria:
- pronunciation accuracy and intelligibility (segmental and suprasegmental features);
- fluency and ability to interact;
- range and appropriateness of vocabulary;
- grammatical control in oral production (basic level);
- comprehensibility and communicative effectiveness.

Assessment scale:
1: 85–100%
2: 70–84%
3: 60–69%
4: 50–59%
5: <50%

Examination topics

The final oral examination may include one or more of the following topics:
- Personal information and everyday routines;
- Description of daily activities and habits;
- Shopping and transactional situations;
- Free time, hobbies, and preferences;
- Past experiences (basic narration);
- Simple opinions and justifications;
- Role-play situations (e.g. at the coffeeshop, shop, introductions, informal conversation, etc.).

With regard to pronunciation and prosody, students are expected to demonstrate mastery and knowledge of the following topics:
- Portuguese vowel system (oral and nasal vowels);
- key consonant contrasts (e.g. r/rr, s/z, lh/nh);
- word stress and sentence rhythm;
- basic intonation patterns (statements, questions, emphasis).

Reading list

- Malcata, Hermínia (2019). Guia Prático de Fonética. Lisboa: Lidel.
- Mateus, Maria Helena Mira; d’Andrade, Ernesto (2000). The Phonology of Portuguese. London: Oxford University Press.

Materiais suplementares a distribuir na aula:
- European Portuguese listening materials (audio recordings provided by the instructor).
- Selected pronunciation exercises and worksheets (distributed in class).

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Fr 04.09.2026 13:46