Course Descriptions

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of sociolinguistics. It introduces the students to the key concepts of the discipline. It aims to illustrate how linguistic and social variables interact in speech communities. This course is a combination of reading about sociolinguistics and doing sociolinguistics. Students will be asked to collect linguistic data from real speech, and learn how to interpret and analyze it.

Learning Outcomes

1.  To develop a sound understanding of sociolinguistic concepts. 

2.  To introduce students to contemporary linguistic approaches to the study of language variation.

3.  To introduce students to ways of analyzing language in a range of social contexts.

4.  To help students develop some sociolinguistic research skills 

5.  To relate and apply what they have learned to English and their speech community.

References

Holmes, J. (2001). An introduction to sociolinguistics. 

Meryerhoff, M. (2006). Introducing Sociolinguistics. London: Routledge.

Romaine, S. (1994). Language in society: an introduction to sociolinguistics.

Trudgill, P. (2000). Sociolinguistics (4th edition). London: Penguin. 

Wardugh, R.(1998). An Introduction to sociolinguistics.

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