The aim of this course
is to provide students with an introduction to the principal dialects of English.
We begin with reflecting on questions such as ‘What is a dialect?’ ‘How does it
differ from a standard variety of language?’ and ‘How does a dialect function
as a social marker?’ We then focus on dialects in the British Isles, such as
the Norfolk dialect, the Yorkshire and Scottish dialects and new varieties such
as Estuary English, before looking at dialects elsewhere in the Anglophone
world such as varieties of American and Australian English. Questions that will
be addressed include where a dialect is spoken, which phonemes are used in a
given dialect, which lexical items distinguish it from neighbouring dialects
and the social status attached to dialects. The course makes use of published
material on dialects by authors such as Peter Trudgill as well as audio-visual
material, you-tube films etc. Each week students will be required to read a
text on Moodle before class and answer questions on it in class. Assessment
will be based on 2 written tests, class presentations on dialects and class
participation.
- Teacher: Christopher Joby