Variation and Change in English

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.

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
Teaching	24
Independent Study	126
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Assessment

Formative

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

Seminar Participation

Assessment Type: Formative
Feedback:
Final Assessment: No
Group Work: No

Summative

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

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Reflective essay	50%
Blog	25%
Presentation	25%

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