M.A.English Language

Department of English

Master of Arts in English Language

M.A. English Language

1. List of Academic Staff

Name	Status and Qualification	Research Interests
T. A. Alabi	Professor & Head of DepartmentB.A. (Ed.), M.A., Ph.D. (Ilorin)	Stylistics,  Applied  Linguistics,Phonetics, Phonology
Victoria A. Alabi	Professor B.A. (Ibadan); M.A., Ph.D. (Ilorin)	Semiotics,  Stylistics,  ResearchMethods
S. T. Babatunde	Professor B.A. (Ibadan); M.A., Ph.D. (Ilorin)	Applied Linguistics, Semantics,Syntax
Oyinkan C. Medubi	Professor B.A. (Lagos); M.A., Ph.D. (Ilorin)	Sociolinguistics, Pragmatics,Psycholinguistics
M. A. Adedimeji	Professor B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Ilorin)	Pragmatics, Sociolinguistics
T. Oloruntoba-Oju	Senior Lecturer B.A., M.A. (Ilorin); M.A. (TEFL)(Reading); Ph.D. (Ibadan)	Stylistics, Communication Skills, Contrastive Rhetoric,
Ibukun  T.  Osuolale-Ajayi	Lecturer I B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Ilorin)	Pragmatics, Discourse Studies
Monsurat A. Nurudeen	Lecturer I B.A. (ABU, Zaria); M.A. (Ilorin); Ph.D.(Malete)	Sociolinguistics, Pragmatics, Semiotics

B. Introduction

The programme is designed to assist students to acquire the necessary competencies for higher analytic thinking in the use of English Langauge. The programme would help the students to make more efficient judgments and develop more holistically as individuals to enable them to contribute more meaningfully to the development of society through the acquisition of linguistic and critical analytic competencies that would enable them to exhibit higher proficiency in the use of English language.

C. Philosophy

The philosophy of the programme is the training and development of scholars whose critical inquiries into the use of the English Language as a medium of communication in L₂ situations in both regular communication and writing would reassert human values, and appreciate the complexity of human motivation and actions.

D. Aim and Objectives

The programme aims to expose students to advanced knowledge in the English Language disciplines. The objectives of the programme are to:

1. Produce advanced English language scholars who would utilise their knowledge of the English language for human, national, African, and global development;
2. Produce advanced English language scholars who are expected to apply their knowledge for the advancement of humanity, and
3. Produce advanced English language scholars who would be equipped and motivated for full and balanced development of their personality and the need for replication and the refinement of the same.

E. Admission Requirements

1. All candidates must possess a minimum of five ‗O‘ Level Credit subjects including English Language and Literature in English.
2. Candidates must possess a good Bachelor’s degree in English Language or Literature-in- English, or B.A. Education/English or Linguistics not less than a Second Class (Lower Division), from a recognised university.
3. All candidates except graduates of the University of Ilorin with at least a Second Class (Upper Honours) shall be subjected to a selection process.

F. Duration of the Programme

1. The Full-time programme shall run for a minimum of 18 calendar months and a maximum of 24 calendar months.
2. The Part-time programme shall run for a minimum of 24 calendar months and a maximum of 36 calendar months.

G. Detailed Course Description

ENG 801 Advanced Research Methods  3 Credits

Critical presentation of research methods and approaches. Research problem. Research proposal. Techniques of data collection and interpretation: library resources, archives, internet, audio-visual aids, fieldwork, interviews, questionnaires, and participant observation. Research writing and division into sections: original research, authenticity, ethical issues, integrity, documentation, editing, and plagiarism. 45h (T); C

ENG 802 Advanced Stylistics 3 Credits

Linguistic and literary features of spoken and written English. Literary and non-literary. Situational varieties of the language. Models of analysis. 45h (T); C

ENG 803 Advanced English Phonetics and Phonology 3 Credits

Studies in the phonetics and phonology of English. Descriptions of phonological features and rules. Phonetic theories. Phonological units. Phonotactic possibilities: sound segments and suprasegmentals. Detailed study of sound systems of British and American English along with description and analysis of stress and intonation. Employment of current theories in phonetic and phonological descriptions. 45h (T); C

ENG 804   Sociolinguistics 3 Credits

English language in all its social ramifications: age, sex, education, and social status, as variables that influence language in society. Quantitative and qualitative theories of sociolinguistics with specific reference to English in second language contexts such as Nigeria. 45h (T); C

ENG 805   Advanced Grammatical Theories and English Structures 3 Credits

New trends and various aspects of grammatical theories and models of grammatical analysis: traditional, structural, transformational, generative, systemic. Nature of the semantic components and transformations. Morphophonemics as an advanced study of the word form, lexeme and the morphological processes of English. 45h (T); C

ENG 806 Applied English Linguistics 3 Credits Review of topics. Error analysis. Contrastive analysis. Language testing. Syllabus design. Production of teaching materials. Second language acquisition. Language use in literary texts. Problems in the teaching of literature in secondary schools. Text selection. 45h (T); C

ENG 807   Semantics 3 Credits

Organisation of meaning in English. Theories of sentence interpretation, and lexical analysis. Emphasis on illocutionary acts. Truth value conditions: presupposition, entailment, focus, predication, and performative analysis. Notions of reference. Connotation. Neologism. Semantic field. Componential analysis. Synonymy. Antonym. Applied to English. Lexical variation in Nigerian forms of English. 45h (T); C

ENG 808 English in Nigeria and the National Language Question 3 Credits Historical review of English in Nigeria. Analysis of the English of students. Error analysis. Notions of inter-language and fossilisation, varieties of English in Nigeria. Study of Pidgin English in Nigeria: phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Language planning policies in multilingual nations. Practical problems of the implementation of national planning policies on language and education in Nigeria. 45h (T); C

ENG 809 Pragmatics 3 Credits

Critical study of the basic principles of pragmatics and their application to the communication process in English in a second language context. 45h (T); E

ENG 810 Advanced Discourse Analysis 3 Credits Current models for the description of English beyond the sentence unit. Concepts and theories of discourse. Conversation and conversational analysis. Data collection. Transcription. Analytical methods. Critical discourse of textual materials: literary, media, medicine, legal/forensic, politics, gender. 30h (T); 45h (P); E

ENG 811 Advanced Multilingualism 3 Credits Concepts and theories of multilingualism. Measurement of multilingualism. Acquisition and use of multilingualism. Challenges, opportunities, and constraints of multilingualism. Multilingualism and national development, language policy and planning in a multilingual state. Effects of globalisation. Modernisation and hybridisation of language use in a multilingual community. 45h (T); E

ENG 812 Advanced Psycholinguistics 3 Credits Theories in core psycholinguistic issues: language acquisition and learning. Emphasis on models that explain linguistic behaviour and performance: problems related to language production and comprehension with respect to the English language in Nigeria. Disorders of the brain that affect language. 45h (T); E

ENG 813   English for Academic and Specific Purposes 3 Credits

Roles of English language in relation to the need for survival, training, and practice in diverse domains. Criteria for the design and administration of utilitarian English in applied contexts. Principles and practice of formulation. Administration and follow-up. Activities of English language teaching curriculum in meeting linguistic and communicative needs of specialist students: academic, vocational, and occupational requirements. Critical study and production of texts in different fields. Sentence structure and writing styles of English in different domains: banking, law, advertising, bureaucracy, and media. 45h (T); E

ENG 814 Advanced English Writing Skills 3 Credits Review of English grammatical patterns found to be problematic to the students. Emphasis on practical writing tasks: essays, minutes, speeches, seminar papers, reviews, and term papers. 15h (T); 90h (P); E

ENG 815 Principles and Practice of Translation 3 Credits Linguistic understanding of how language works for effective utilisation across cultures. Techniques for analysis of discourse issues relevant to the cross-cultural interpretation of texts. Information structuring: achieving focus on meaning interpretation, backgrounding, and foregrounding resources in decoding meaning from non-native/foreign texts and thematic development. Diverse strategies of comprehending texts effectively acsslanguages: interplay of text, co-text, intertext, and context. The imperativeness of target audience in translation tasks. Issues and challenges in translation studies. Translation theories. 45h (T); E

ENG 840 Dissertation 6 Credits

Short dissertation of not more than 15,000 words: excluding appendices. Original research in any area of the English language or Applied English Linguistics. 270h (P); C

H. Graduation Requirements

To be eligible for the award of the M.A. degree in English Language, a student must have taken the specified Core and Elective Courses and passed 30 Credits.

I. Summary

Core Courses 30 Credits

Elective Courses 6 Credits Total = 36 Credits

First Semester

Core Courses: ENG 801 (3), 803 (3), 805 (3), 807(3) 12 Credits

Electives Courses: ENG 809 (3), 811 (3), 813 (3), 815 (3) 3 Credits

Second Semester

Core Courses: ENG 802 (3), 804 (3), 806 (3), 808 (3), 840 (6) 18 Credits

Electives Courses: ENG 810 (3), 812 (3), 814 (3) 3 Credits

Total = 36 Credits