Absolventă a Facultăţii de Filologie și Doctor în Lingvistică al Universităţii Babeş-Bolyai din Cluj-Napoca, Profesor Adriana Vizental este cadru didactic al Facultăţii de Ştiinţe Umaniste şi Sociale, Universitatea „Aurel Vlaicu” din Arad, Romania. Predă cursuri de lingvistică engleză şi didactică, principalele sale domenii de interes fiind pragmatica discursului publicitar şi metodica predării limbii engleze ca limbă străină.

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Descrierea cărţilor

Meaning and Communication. From semantic meaning to pragmatic meaning

Adriana Vizental. 2009. Meaning and Communication. From Semantic Meaning to Pragmatic Meaning. "Aurel Vlaicu" University Press.

The book aims to introduce notions of lexicology and semantics, of functional grammar (FSP) and discourse analysis, focusing on principles of pragmatics in the final chapters.

The book is organized into 8 chapters:  

  • Chapter 1: Meaning and semantic competence
  • Chapter 2: Lexical innovation 
  • Chapter 3: Idiom and style
  • Chapter 4: The text
  • Chapter 5: Context and reference
  • Chapter 6: Language in use: Speech acts
  • Chapter 7: Cooperation and inferential communication
  • Chapter 8: Strategies of politeness

The book also contains 12 Annexes, which propose further tasks for the students.

 

Working with Advertisements From Functional Grammar to Co-operative Communication

Adriana Vizental. 2008. Working with Advertisements. From Functional Grammar to Co-operative Communication.  "Aurel Vlaicu" University Press.

The book proposes to investigate the discourse of advertising in an ascendant course: 

  • it starts out with a survey of what I view as the “basic element” in 
    • the advertising language (e.g. the brand name) and 
    • visual design (the logo) 
  • it advances through 
    • the basic utterance (the brand name-slogan unit) and
    • visual interactions (representational structures) 
  • to texts (with a focus on the notion of textness) 
  • to more and more complex compositions, 
    • i.e. first print ads (which involve two communication modes), 
    • then TV commercials (which rely on several modes and sub-modes). 

The tools of linguistics are employed for the textual analyses, particularly those of Functional Grammar – which also provides a practical way to investigate visual design – and of discourse analysis.

 

Phonetics and Phonology. An introduction

Adriana Vizental. 2008. Phonetics and Phonology. An introduction. 3rd edition, revised. Arad: "Aurel Vlaicu" University Press.

The book aims to introduce the basic notions of phonetics and phonology, e.g. phonemes and allophones, segmental and supra-segmental phonemes (vowels, consonants, intonation, etc.). The last chapter illustrates the way advertisers exploit sound effects to enhance effect and meaning.
 
The book also includes:
  • appendices summarizing the theoretical background
  • annexes with exercised aimed to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired
  • suggestions for project work

 

Learn to Read, Read to Learn

Adriana Vizental & Otilia Păcurari. 2000. Learn to Read, Read to Learn. Arad: Editura Universiăţii “Vasile Goldiş”. 

Curs practic de învăţare a limbii engleze, Learn to Read, Read to Learn conţine texte interesante şi exerciţii interactive. El se adresează vorbitorilor de nivel B2 care doresc să-şi dezvolte aptitudinile lingvistice într-un mod plăcut şi nestresant.

 

Grammar Made Accessible

 

Interpreting Texts. A students’ book for linguistic analysis

Adriana Vizental. 2017. Interpreting Texts. A students’ book for linguistic analyses. Online

Interpreting texts. A students’ book for linguistic analysis aims to provide young researchers a practical and user-friendly approach to the study of linguistics.

The book is organized into four sections, namely:

Part 1. Language & personal image. Who’s the speaker? 
Part 2. Text & message. Special effects & manipulating meaning
Part 3. Language in use. Manipulating meaning & communicative strategies
Part 4. Annexes to Interpreting texts

Parts 1-3 offer model analyses, as well as suggestions for further projects (some in the form of PowerPoint presentations). They introduce the study of linguistics in a gradual way:

  • starting from phonetics and phonology (Part 1)
  • through lexicology, semantics and (functional) grammar (Part 2) 
  • to discourse analysis and pragmatics (Part 3) 

Obviously, no clear-cut separation can be made among linguistic levels, so that Part 1, for example, also investigates notions of semantics and socio-linguistics, while notions of phonetics and phonology must be employed in the subsequent sections, too.

Part 4 outlines of the basic theoretical background to be used in the analyses.

The theoretical focus of each part triggers different approaches to text analysis, set in the form of different questions to be answered. These questions, partially included in the titles, suggest various goals for the linguistic investigations: 

Part 1 focuses on the image and identity of the speaker (S). To answer the question Who’s the speaker? researchers will have to investigate not only accents and allophones, but also his word choice and grammar (accuracy and complexity), subject matter, para- and body language, etc. Ways of improving or manipulating personal image are also analyzed (e.g. My Fair Lady).

Part 2 concentrates on the way the sender (S) – who may be speaker or writer – exploits language to accomplish special effects. Types of exploitation investigated range from sound symbolism and lexical creativity, through manipulation of style and social distance, to textness and multi-modal communication. The discourse of advertising provides excellent examples to illustrate this section. 

Part 3 operates with pragmatic and discoursal notions, such as context, language functions/speech acts, cooperation, language manipulation, indirectness and politeness, etc. With texts selected from various domains (e.g. films, TED talks, etc.), researchers are invited to answer questions such as: 

  • How does context affect the meaning of the text? 
  • How does S do things with the language? 
  • How do interlocutors negotiate meaning and/or power positions? 
  • How can S appear to be polite? 
  • How does S manage to attract attention and persuade? etc.

Each part ends with suggestions for individual projects, as well as model projects in PowerPoint format, aimed at developing the young researchers’ public speaking and presentation skills. 

 

Metodica predării limbii engleze – Strategies of Teaching and Testing English as a Foreign Language

Adriana Vizental. 2014. Metodica predării limbii engleze – Strategies of Teaching and Testing English as a Foreign Language. Ediția a 4-a actualizată. Iaşi : Editura Polirom. Seria Collegium.

Importanta pe care a dobindit-o cunoasterea limbilor straine i-a determinat pe educatori sa conceapa noi metode de predare a acestora. In afara de simpla invatare a vocabularului si a regulilor gramaticale, elevii trebuie sa-si dezvolte capacitatea de a interactiona cu alti membri ai grupului lor social, de a impartasi informatii si de a negocia sensul, de a folosi cunostintele lingvistice in mod functional si strategic pentru a obtine efectul dorit. In acest scop, profesorul urmareste simultan o varietate de aspecte si aptitudini, astfel incit vocabularul si gramatica, ascultarea si exprimarea orala, citirea si scrierea sa fie predate intr-un mod integrat. Recomandarile practice si exemplele incluse in volum le ofera (mai ales) tinerilor profesori sugestii utile pentru activitatile cu elevii. 

Ediţia a 4-a (2014) are meritul de a actualiza cartea cu atenţia acordată Cadrului European Comun de Referință pentru Limbi: Învățare, Predare, Evaluare (CECRL).

 

Working with Advertisements From Functional Grammar to Co-operative Communication

Working with Advertisements From Functional Grammar to Co-operative Communication, published by Editura Universităţii ”Aurel Vlaicu”, Arad, in 2008 is a linguistic approach to advertising, taking us from the scope of advertising and types of ads to semiotic systems and the linguistic framework (in Part I), through meaning and creativity in advertising, which engages us into the linguistic, iconic and paralinguistic complexity of advertising (in Part II), the functional grammar of advertising (in Part III) to land us into multimodal and strategic communication. (in Part IV).

What I particularly liked to take with me from the whole book was its conclusion – aptly titled ”The Politeness of Advertising” – which is a praise of the civility of advertising. I must admit that this conclusive chapter has changed my perception and put advertising into a new perspective, which so far has been rather skeptical of its positive impact. 

The merits of the book are remarkable: it is an extremely ambitious approach to advertising, and it captivates through its challenging multiperspectivism. Though it is daringly complex, it is highly disciplined and an altogether enjoyable reading, which I warmly recommend.

Conf. dr.Dana Bădulescu, 
“Al. I. Cuza” University of Iasi, Faculty of Letters, Department of English

 

Recenzii cărţi

Metodica Predării Limbii Engleze. Strategies of Teaching and Testing English as a Foreign Language, 3rd Revised Edition, published by Polirom in 2008, impressed me by its dedication: “To all my students, past and present, to remind them that teaching is a beautiful profession.” This initial statement takes the book beyond print and into a very challenging and rewarding profession; only those who practise it realize how right Adriana Vizental is.

The merits of the book are threefold: it is a systematic approach, a comprehensive survey, and a practical tool, full of examples and recommendations. It takes us from the main approaches to teaching and testing foreign languages (in Part I) to very useful strategies of foreign language teaching and testing (in Part II).

What the book actually proposes is, on the one hand, an integrative approach to foreign language teaching, and an efficient testing during all stages of learning, from pre-learning to after-learning, on the other. 

Associate professor Dana Bădulescu, PhD.
”Al. I. Cuza” University of Iasi, Faculty of Letters, Department of English
On the 23rd of October 2008

 

 

Working with Advertisements. From Functional Grammar to Co-operative Communication, published by Editura Universităţii ”Aurel Vlaicu”, Arad, in 2008 is a linguistic approach to advertising, taking us from the scope of advertising and types of ads to semiotic systems and the linguistic framework (in Part I), through meaning and creativity in advertising, which engages us into the linguistic, iconic and paralinguistic complexity of advertising (in Part II), the functional grammar of advertising (in Part III) to land us into multimodal and strategic communication. (in Part IV).

What I particularly liked to take with me from the whole book was its conclusion – aptly titled ”The Politeness of Advertising” – which is a praise of the civility of advertising. I must admit that this conclusive chapter has changed my perception and put advertising into a new perspective, which so far has been rather skeptical of its positive impact. 

The merits of the book are remarkable: it is an extremely ambitious approach to advertising, and it captivates through its challenging multiperspectivism. Though it is daringly complex, it is highly disciplined and an altogether enjoyable reading, which I warmly recommend.

Associate professor Dana Bădulescu, PhD.
“Al. I. Cuza” University of Iasi, Faculty of Letters, Department of English