This course be devoted to regional variation in English at all levels of language structure. In other words, it will be about “dialects of English”, but other social sources of variation (such as social class or gender) will also be discussed. During the first meetings, we will get an overview of some basic notions in linguistics, sociolinguistics, variation studies and dialectology. We will then move on to study examples from real data obtained mainly from electronic sources. Time permitting, we may also explore some adjacent topics, such as the importance of dialects in culture, and the consequences of variability for L2 learners.
Upon successfully completing this course, you will at least:
- Be able to give a general description of the dialectal variability in English.
- Know the basic concepts used in the description of dialects.
- Be able to discuss the specific features of selected English dialects.
- Have an understanding of the cultural importance of dialectal variation.
- Teacher: Jarosław Weckwerth