Welcome to Melanie's e-portfolio!

Welcome to my e-portfolio of „Introduction to Linguistics“!



What is..., actually ???



What is a website ?

A website is a collection of web pages and hypertexts that one finds on the
World Wide Web, a global hypermedia information space that is available
via the Internet.
A website is normally written in HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up Language)
which is a language used for the creation of online pages.
The pages of a website are accessible from a homepage whose hierarchical structure is organised by hyperlinks which navigate the reader through the different elements of the online document.
Most of the websites can be accessed by everybody, but there are still some online documents that require a subscription before releasing their content.



How do you make a website ?

There are several ways to make a website.
You can use a software like blogg.de and create your own weblog or you can upload HTML files and use the websites of the university or any other web service provider.
If you have a DSL line you can also save HTML files and get your own server.



What is a hypertext ?

A hypertext is a special kind of text that is linked to other written documents.
The prefix hyper- is Greek and means over or beyond. It signifies the overcoming of the linear constraint of a text.
In computing an online hypertext contains hyperlinks that can be defined as cross-references that relate to other documents.
The largest hypertext in the world is the World Wide Web. But even (electronical) dictionaries and encyclopaedias can be defined as hypertexts, because they contain a network of information and documents.



What is a text ?

The definition of the term text is very large and depends much on the respective scientific discipline that is working therewith.
In computer-based terminology, the term text refers to a unit of information (data) that consists of graphemes or symbols.
In language, text means a complex construction that contains words and (coherent) sentences.
In linguistics it describes a communicative act and includes either spoken and written language.

Some examples of texts and written documents are:
- books
- novels
- (technical) handbooks
- online texts
- dictionaries



What is an electronic portfolio and why is it an important means of work ?

In education a portfolio is used to document the learner’s personal collection of information that helps him to structure and to improve his learning achievements.
The progress in technology has led to the development of digital or electronic portfolios that enable the learner to demonstrate his educational skills and his individual development.
A public e-portfolio is a learning aid that is primarily addressed to the learner himself, to his tutor and to other pupils or students who are interested in the subject.
It helps the learner to get prepared for eventual quizzes or class tests and to improve the learner’s interchange with his tutor or lecturer and other students.



What should a portfolio contain and how are these components defined ?

There is a variety of possibilities to form a portfolio. Some portfolios consist of learning logs whereas others contain an extended collection of achievement evidence.
A portfolio should generally contain all important information of the subject, the contents discussed in class and of the documents added in addition.