Module LANG43115: Sociolinguistics

Department: Modern Languages and Cultures

LANG43115: Sociolinguistics

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• 1 Introduce students to key events and researchers in the evolution of sociolinguistics, including work on globalisation, mobility, and the spread of English.
• 2 Introduce students to key terminology, theories and concepts in the field of Sociolinguistics, with particular attention to language variation, normativity and pluricentric and global perspectives on English.
• 3 Enable students to understand the dynamic relationship between language and society, including how power, ideology, and inequality shape language use in local and global contexts.
• 4 Support students in exploring their own language identities, attitudes, and linguistic repertoires, including experiences of multilingualism and Global Englishes.
• 5 Enable students to identify and critically evaluate the role of sociolinguistics in language policy, planning, education, and TESOL, particularly in relation to Global Englishes and issues of standardisation and legitimacy.
• 6 Enable students to critically evaluate and apply sociolinguistic research methods to the study of language use in diverse, multilingual, and global contexts.

Content

• We explore what is meant by Sociolinguistics and the key research events and theories that have contributed to its evolution. We examine research into language variation and its connections to identity and attitudes, focusing on the relationship between language and societal factors such as gender, race, class, and power. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own linguistic contexts and repertoires in order to better understand personal sociolinguistic identities and attitudes. We also consider language change in the age of the Internet and globalisation, including the spread and diversification of English in global contexts, alongside the role of multilingualism. The impacts of language planning, policy, standardisation, and power on language use are examined through case studies, with particular attention to Global Englishes and their implications for education and TESOL.

Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge of key events and researchers and how they contributed to the evolution of Sociolinguistics, including scholarship on globalisation, language spread, and Global Englishes.
• Knowledge of key theories underpinning research in the field of Sociolinguistics, including theories of language variation, identity, ideology, and Global Englishes.
• Knowledge of key terminology from the field of Sociolinguistics, including concepts relating to World Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca, and normativity.
• Understanding of the relationship between society and language, including how power, inequality, and global processes shape language use and evaluation.
• Understanding of personal language identities, attitudes and linguistic repertoires, particularly in multilingual and Global Englishes contexts.
• Understanding of the policy, planning, and educational implications of sociolinguistic issues, including debates surrounding standardisation, legitimacy, and Global Englishes in TESOL.
• Understanding of key research methods used in Sociolinguistics and their application to the study of language use in diverse, multilingual, and global contexts.

• Ability to apply key theories underpinning discussions and research in Sociolinguistics, including those associated with Global Englishes and language in globalised contexts.
• Ability to employ key terminology and concepts in discussions, presentations and texts about matters related to Sociolinguistics, language variation, identity, and Global Englishes.
• Ability to recognise how language use is shaped by social, cultural, and global factors, including power relations and normativity.
• Ability to reflect on personal language identities and attitudes in individual contexts.
• Ability to critically evaluate policy and educational approaches informed by Sociolinguistics research, including those relevant to Global Englishes and TESOL.
• Ability to carry out case study research and analysis.

• Ability to communicate analysis and arguments clearly and in an appropriate style.
• Ability to reflect on and discuss key literature, research, the theories and concepts studied.
• Ability to critically evaluate and apply research methods.
• Ability to work both individually and collaboratively on activities and assessments.
• Ability to learn through traditional and digital approaches to education.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The module will be taught through interactive lectures that present theoretical concepts and ideas and then ask students to critically engage and reflect based on their own learning and teaching experiences. Many of the sessions will be built around required reading and students will be asked to lead parts of the sessions based on reading and preparation completed in advance of the session.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Weekly reflections and discussions with tutor feedback and peer feedback. Peer review of research work. Tutorials to aid with research planning. Tutor feedback on group presentation, which will inform the content of the research project.

■ Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.