The crux of this course is to develop an awareness of the concepts and approaches involved in the study of the relationship between language and society. It provides students with a detailed foundation in the key theories and questions in sociolinguistics. Students will analyse the ways in which social factors affect language, and investigate the social, geographical and stylistic differences in spoken language. They will have the opportunity to develop their interest in areas including language change, language and gender, attitudes to language, language planning and bilingualism. The course will emphasize foundational and contemporary work in linguistic variation and change, examining how this variation can reflect social structures, construct diverse social identities, and allow us to make sense of our surrounding social landscapes. We explore the distinction between sociolinguistics as a 'way of doing linguistics' and as a field with basic sociological concerns.
- Enseignant: Amina BABOU