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2021/2022

English Sociolinguistics

Code: 100197 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500245 English Studies OT 3 0
2500245 English Studies OT 4 0
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Melissa G Moyer Moyer Greer
Email:
Melissa.Moyer@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Prerequisites

  1. Students enrolling for this course should be interested in exploring the use and sociocultural practices of English from a practical perspective. Active participation is required in face-to-face sessions and in group activities.
  2. A C2 level of proficiency in English as defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment is requiered. 
  3. A more detailed syllabus will be distributed at the beginning of the course with a detailed schedule of activities and readings. 

Objectives and Contextualisation

The goals of English Sociolinguistics are to familiarize students with language variation from a quantitative labovian perspective and with lingistic practices from a qualitative ethnographic approach related to English language from a synchronic viewpoint. The content of this course is meant to complement other courses students in English Philology degree program have taken where English is treated as a fixed or standard system. A practical approach to the subject is adopted. Students will have a chance to gain some experience with collecting sociolinguistic data and and applying theoretical and conceptual knowledge presented in the course to real life communicative situations and also to gain an understanding of the ways social inequality and exclusion get (re)produced through language.

Competences

    English Studies
  • Critically assessing the scientific, literary and cultural production in the English language.
  • Describe synchronously the main grammar units, constructions and phenomena of the English language.
  • Develop critical thinking and reasoning and knowing how to communicate effectively both in your mother tongue and in other languages.
  • Distinguish and contrast the various theoretical and methodological models applied to the study of the English language, its literature and its culture.
  • Generate innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activities.
  • Respect the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  • Rewrite and organize information and arguments coming from several sources in English and presenting them in a coherent and summarised way.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Working in an autonomous and responsible way in a professional or research environment in English or other languages, in order to accomplish the previously set objectives.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analysing, interpreting and presenting data and results of the student's own or other researches about synchronic English linguistics in academic written or oral English.
  2. Apply the acquired knowledge in order to improve the general knowledge of linguistic and cultural diversity.
  3. Apply the acquired knowledge to the generation of innovative and competitive research on a basic level.
  4. Applying the acquired methodologies of work planning to work in an environment in the English language.
  5. Applying the acquired scientific and work planning methodologies to the research in English.
  6. Appropriately summarising the content of scientific sources related to synchronic English linguistics.
  7. Communicating in the studied language in oral and written form, properly using vocabulary and grammar.
  8. Demonstrate a master of the specific methods of individual academic work that prepare the student for a postgraduate specialised education in the same or a different field of study.
  9. Describing and identifying the main differences, possibilities and limitations of the theoretical and methodological models of sociolinguistics.
  10. Describing the field of study of sociolinguistics and knowing the main analysis topics.
  11. Developing a critical point of view about the relations between several social groups.
  12. Effectively communicating and applying the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
  13. Generate strategies to facilitate the increase and improvement of mutual respect in multicultural environments.
  14. Localising scientific sources in the library or Internet related to synchronic English linguistics.
  15. Mastering the advanced knowledge and scientific methodologies related to linguistics, literature, history and culture that prepare the student for a postgraduate specialised education in the same or a different field of study.
  16. Produce new professional initiatives.
  17. Reflecting on the value of the language and recognising the its implication in the exercise of power and social domination.
  18. Students must be capable of comprehending advanced academic or professional texts in their own language or the another acquired in the degree.
  19. Students must be capable of precisely arguing ideas and opinions in their own language or another acquired in the degree.

Content


1. A conceptual approach to the subject

2. Quantitative sociolinguistics: variation in the system

3. Variables of language, social class, ethnicity, and style

4. Qualitative sociolinguistics: language as social action

5. Language and culture

6. Language ideologies and stance

7. Language and identity

8. Language and gender from a qualitative perspective

 9. Language and the economy. The role of English

10. Multilingual societies 

 

Methodology

The teaching methodology and the evaluation proposed in the guide may undergo some modification subject to the onsite teaching restrictions imposed by health authorities.

The teaching methodology is based on: 1 ECTS credit = 25 teaching hours x 6 credits = 150 hores 

 

Directed activities (up to 25%) 

Supervised activities (up to 15%) 

Autonomous activities (minimum 50%) 

Assessment activities ( up to 10%)

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Correction and discussion of practical exercises 10 0.4
Presentation of theoretical notions and concepts 12 0.48 1, 5, 19, 15, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 17, 6
To take a critical perspective to class debates and readings 8 0.32 1, 19, 18, 15, 8, 11, 12, 13, 17
Type: Supervised      
Individual assignment and exercises 30 1.2 1, 3, 2, 19, 15, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 7
Type: Autonomous      
Group exercises 10 0.4 5, 19, 9, 11, 14, 17, 6
Readings and individual study 10 0.4 8, 12, 7
Weekly individual assignments 28 1.12 1, 19, 18, 15, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 7, 14, 17, 6

Assessment

In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.

 

50% of the final mark will be calculated by of 2 exams (25% each) for each part of the syllabus (quantitative sociolinguistics and qualitative sociolinguistic).

20% of the final grade will come from the completion of individual work that students will complete outside the classroom.

20% of the final grade will come from group and individual exercises based on examples and questions related to readings, and presentations.

10% will come from active participation in class  

Students will obtain a “Not assessed/Not submitted” course grade unless they havesubmitted more than 30% of the assessment items.

 

IMPORTANT: The two EXAMS, the individual assignment in the class are COMPULSORY, and the weeekly and in-class exercises are optional.

The two EXAMS must be passed (with a minimum grade of a 5 out of 10) in order to successfully complete the subject.

Recuperation. The recuperation of this subject will be done through a synthesis exam including the two parts of the subject (the individual assignment cannot be recuperated) with the following conditions:

  • Students must have submitted a minimum of two thirds of the items to be evaluated.
  • Students must have passed 50% of the items that can be evaluated in the subject in order to be eligible for the recuoperation exam. 
  • Students must have obtained an average grade of 3,5 or more. The maximum grade that can be obtained in the recuperationexam is a 6.

The level of English will be taken into account in the correction of written work and in the final evaluation. If a student shows a level lower than C2, a reduction of score point up to 40% will be applied to each assignment being assessed.

Students will be able to review assessment tasks and activities. The review procedure and the dates will be made public in Moodle.

VERY IMPORTANT: Total or partial plagiarism of any of the exercises will automatically be considered a FAIL grade for the plagiarized exercise. If plagiarism is repeated, the whole course will be FAILED. PLAGIARISM involves copying text fromunidentified sources, whether it is a single phrase or more, that is presented as one’s own work (THIS INCLUDES COPYING PHRASES OR INTERNET FRAGMENTS AND ADDED WITHOUT MODIFICATIONS TO THE TEXT THAT IS PRESENTED AS YOUR OWN ), and it is a serious offense. It is necessary to learn to respect the intellectual property of others and to identify always sources that can be used, and it is imperative to be held accountable for the originality and authenticity of the text itself.

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Active participation in class 10% 3 0.12 1, 2, 19, 18, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 7, 13, 16, 14, 17, 6
Exercises, presentations and homework (throughout the term) 20% 16 0.64 1, 3, 2, 19, 18, 15, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 7, 13, 14, 17, 6
Final exam (end of semester) 25% 2 0.08 1, 4, 5, 3, 2, 19, 18, 15, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 7, 13, 16, 14, 17, 6
Individual assignment (beginning of January 2020) 20% 19 0.76 1, 4, 5, 3, 19, 15, 8, 9, 10, 12, 7, 13, 16, 14, 6
Midterm exam (mid October) 25% 2 0.08 1, 3, 19, 18, 9, 10, 11, 12, 7, 13, 17

Bibliography

The readings listed below provide additional information and examples on the topics that are covered in the course. 

Aquestes lectures son llibres introductoris a l'area de sociolinguistica anglesa  i proporcionen a l'alumnat informació i contingut addicional i exemples dels temes tractats durant el cur.

Ahearn, Laura M. 2012. Living Langauge. An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell. UAB Library online resource: https://cataleg.uab.cat/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2080302__Sahearn%2C%20laura__Orightresult__U__X4?lang=cat&suite=def

Bayley, Robert, Richard Cameron, and Ceil Lucas (eds.). 2013. The Oxford Handbook of Sociolinguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bell, Alan. 2014. The Guidebook to Sociolinguistics. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.

Blommaert, Jan. 2005. Discourse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. UAB library online resource:https://cataleg.uab.cat/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1747595__Sblommaert%20Discourse__Orightresult__U__X2?lang=cat&suite=def

Bonvillain, Nancy. 2008. Language Culture and Communication. The Meaning of Messages. London: Pearson Education. UAB online library resource https://cataleg.uab.cat/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1963179__Sbonvillain__Orightresult__U__X4?lang=cat&suite=def

Coupland, Nikolas and Jaworski, Adam. 2009. The New Sociolinguistics Reader. New York: Palgrave. UAB online library resource https://cataleg.uab.cat/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1963192__Scoupland%20and%20jaworski__Orightresult__U__X2?lang=cat&suite=def

Coupland, Nikolas, Srikant Sarangi and Christopher N. Candlin (eds.). 2001. Sociolinguistics and Social Theory. London: Pearson Longman. UAB online library resource https://cataleg.uab.cat/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1622682__Scoupland%2C%20sarangi%20and%20candlin__Orightresult__U__X2?lang=cat&suite=def 

Coupland, Nikolas. 2007. Style. Language Variation and Identity. Cambridge: CUP. UAB online library resource https://cataleg.uab.cat/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1802570__SCoupland%2C%20Nikolas.%202007.%20__Orightresult__U__X1?lang=cat&suite=def

Duranti, Alessandro. 1997. Linguistic Anthropology. Cambridge: CUP.

Fasold, Ralph. 1990. Sociolinguistics of Language. Oxford: Blackwell.

Gay y Blasco, Paloma and Wardle, Huon2007. How to Read Ethnography. London: Routledge.

Heller, Monica. 2007. Bilingualism. A Social Approach. London: Palgrave.

Hill, Jane. 2008. The Everyday Language of White Racism. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Holmes, Janet and Meyerhoff, Miriam. 2003. Language and gender. Oxford: Blackwell.

Lippi‐Green, Rosina. 1997. English with an accent. London: Routledge.

Mesthrie, Rajend, Joan Swann, Ana Deumert, & William L. Leap (eds.). 2000. Introducing Sociolinguistics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Meyerhoff, Miriam. 2006. Introducing Sociolinguistics. London: Routledge.

Milroy, Lesley and Gordon, Matthew. 2003. Sociolinguistics. Oxford: Blackwell.

Romaine, Suzanne. 1994. Language in Society. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Oxford: OUP.

Saville‐Troike, Muriel. 1982. The Ethnography of Communication. Oxford:Blackwell.

Wardhaugh, Ronald and Fuller, Janet M. 2015. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Oxford: Blackwell. UAB online resource: https://cataleg.uab.cat/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2094240__Swardhaugh__Orightresult__U__X4?lang=cat&suite=def

Wolfram, Walt and Natalie Schilling‐Estes. 1998. American English. Oxford: Blackwell.

Software

No specific software will be used.