The module looks at a wide range of variation in the English Language as it is spoken in England (Autumn Term), and rest of UK, North America and the Southern Hemisphere (Spring Term); and discusses associated historical and sociolinguistic issues. The focus is on phonological variation, although salient syntactic, morphological and lexical features are also covered, illustrating with recordings wherever possible
By the end of this course, you should be able ...
to identify most regional accents of English and to describe the differences between them.
to make an intelligent and well-informed contribution to controversies concerning standard vs non-standard English (e.g. in education, broadcasting, etc.).
to read research papers on variation in English and understand them within a broader perspective.
to conduct original research of your own into variation in English.
By the end of this course, you should be able ...
to identify most regional accents of English and to describe the differences between them.
to make an intelligent and well-informed contribution to controversies concerning standard vs non-standard English (e.g. in education, broadcasting, etc.).
to read research papers on variation in English and understand them within a broader perspective.
to conduct original research of your own into variation in English.
- Module Supervisor: Ella Jeffries