Variation and Change in English | LING2011

Module overview

This module takes an empirical approach to questions such as:

Are there patterns of speech and language associated with males and females in varieties of English?
What is the role of teenagers in the propagation of change in English?
After a certain age are our accents ‘set’ or can we change over our lifespans?
How do migration and language contact lead to the birth of new English dialects?

The module provides a comprehensive introduction to the sociolinguistic paradigm – the quantitative approach to linguistic variation. Through reference to seminal studies, as well as recent advances in the field, we examine how social factors such as age, gender, ethnicity and social network etc. impact on patterns of variation and change in English.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• a good understanding of how linguistic variation may be quantified at different levels in English grammar: phonetic; morphosyntactic; discourse-pragmatic etc.;
• a good understanding of how linguistic factors affect linguistic variation and change;
• a good understanding of key differences in English morpho-syntax, phonetics and lexicon around the world.
• a good understanding of how social factors affect linguistic variation and change;
• a good understanding of sociolinguistic phenomena which play a crucial role in the processes of linguistic variation and change;

Syllabus

The module covers the following topics:

Sociolinguistic variables
Features of varieties of English
Language change
Age, gender, ethnicity etc. and linguistic variation
Social networks and language variation
The life-cycle of variation (dialect levelling; dialect death; and new dialect formation)
The acquisition of variation by young children

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include

1 lecture per week
1 seminar per week

The lectures will serve to introduce, analyse and investigate key aspects of sociolinguistics with respect to change and variation in the English language. The weekly seminar will be mostly student-led and will offer an opportunity to discuss key themes through discussion of various activities prepared individually and in groups.

Study time
Type	Hours
Independent Study	126
Teaching	24
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Coupland, Nicholas & Jaworski, Adam, (1997). Sociolinguistics: A Reader and Coursebook. London: Macmillan.

Mesthrie, R., Swann, J. Deumert, A. and Leap, W. L. Introducing Sociolinguistics.

McMahon, A (1994). Understanding Language Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Wolfram, W. and Schilling-Estes, N (2006). American English. Oxford: Blackwell.

Brinton, L. and Fee, M (2001). The Cambridge History of the English Language. Vol VI English in North America.. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press..

Holmes, Janet. (1992). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. London: Longman.

Llamas, Carmen, Louise Mullany & Peter Stockwell (2007). The Routledge Companion to Sociolinguistics.. London: Routledge.

Wardhaugh, R. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Cambridge: Blackwell.

Milroy, J. and Milroy, L. (1993). Real English: The Grammar of English Dialects in the British Isles. London: Longman.

Salikoko, M. The Ecology of Language Evolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Assessment

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Seminar Participation

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Reflective essay	50%
Presentation	35%
Blog	15%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Resubmit assessments	100%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External