Introduction to Sociolinguistics

Course description

This course will provide an introduction to sociolinguistics. The different aspects of this particular research area (e.g. language variation, multilingualism, gender, social class etc.) will be presented and discussed over the course of the semester. The various concepts will be introduced within their theoretical frameworks and exemplified by a number of case studies. On the one hand, the use of case studies will provide an insight into the practical application of theoretical concepts; on the other hand we will also explore the empirical methodologies used to collect the data for these studies. The classes will be divided into a lecture part where the different topics will be introduced and a seminar part where readings will be discussed. Moreover, as part of the course, every student is required to run their own small scale research project – in the seminars, these projects, including the research findings, will be presented to the whole group.

Essential textbook

Rajend Mesthrie, J. Swann, A. Deumert and W. Leap (2000), Introducing Sociolinguistics . Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press

Course assessment

Continuous assessment: 100%