Certified English language and literature specialists
Information on specialist examinations
Subject examination Literary Terminology and Practice of Interpretation
The examination for the subject "Literary Terminology and Practice of Interpretation" must be completed as part of the Bachelor's and teacher training programs. The examination is in written form and consists of an interpretation and a terminology section. In the interpretation part, students can choose between English and American Studies on the day of the examination.
Examination coordinator: Prof. Martin Löschnigg
Secretary: Jacqueline Auer
Subject examination: English/American Literature
The examination for the subject "English or American Literature" is part of the Master's degree program. A compulsory tutorial is offered to support students in their preparation for the examination. Subject examinations are open to the public, and attendees are welcome.
The examination dates are to be arranged directly with the respective examiner during their office hours:
Please note: A reading list, with your name, matriculation number and examination date at the top, must be submitted to the examiner in good time - at the latest one week before the examination date.
Location of the examination: Examiner's office or online if necessary.
Examination dates for the subject examination in American Literature must be arranged directly with the respective examiner. The reading list for American Literature can be found on the homepage of the Institute of American Studies.
Subject examination in linguistics
There is a written examination in linguistics, which is not in essay form. The content provides proof of the ability to analyze linguistics as well as basic knowledge of terminology, theory and methodology of linguistics. This examination can only be taken after completion of Module A and the course Language in Use. The subject examination usually takes place twice a semester and lasts 60 minutes. It is divided into two parts.
In the first part, the terminology, theory and methodology of English linguistics are examined. This is done by means of questions, some of which are optional and some of which are compulsory questions. The Sub-areas of linguistics about which questions on terminology, theory and methodology are asked include (among others):
- Linguistic Theory (general); Historical Linguistics (history of the English language, language change, etc.)
- Phonetics and Phonology
- Morphology, Word-formation and Lexicology
- Syntax
- Semantics
- Textlinguistics and Discourse Analysis
- Pragmatics
- Psycholinguistics and Language Acquisition Research
- Sociolinguistics and Language Variation Research
In the second part, one or more short texts (no more than half a page in total) are submitted for analysis. These texts should be analyzed on a system linguistic level (e.g. phonological, morphological, etc.) and on a text pragmatic/discourse critical level (e.g. topic-rheme, speech acts, rhetorical elements, manipulation, euphemisms, etc.).
Students must pass both parts of the subject examination. If a student passes both parts, their final grade is calculated using the mean average of the two parts of the examination, whereby the analysis part is given greater weight in the case of grades such as 1.5 or 2.5. If a student fails one part of the examination, only this part must be repeated.
Recommended reading for the subject examination:
1. Yule, George (1996). The Study of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2nd edition.
2 Fromkin, Victoria, and Robert Rodman (1998). An Introduction to Language. Fort Worth et al: Harcourt Brace College Publishers. 6th edition.