Vår 2024

ENG-3070 Varieties of English - 10 stp

The course is administrated by

Institutt for språk og kultur

Type of course

This course is mandatory for students in the MA programme in English Acquisition and Multilingualism and elective for students in the MA programme in teacher education year 8-13 (lektorutdanning trinn 8-13, studieretning engelsk, jf. progresjonskrav for år 4) and students in the MA programme in Theoretical Linguistics.

This course may be taken as a single course by students who qualify for admission to the MA programme in English Acquisition and Multilingualism.

Course contents

Why is it possible to distinguish English native speakers from Sydney and Southampton as soon as they open their mouths? And why is the sentence "She didn't say why had they come" grammatical in Irish English, Indian English and many other contact varieties? These and many other questions about the different varieties of English spoken around the world will be discussed in this course. The course will survey a range of varieties of English and explore how they differ from each other. In addition, students will focus on a particular variety of English for their first presentation. The course will explore structural differences, considering the sounds of English, lexical differences, and variation in morphology and syntax. Students will build on their existing knowledge of the structure of English and further develop their analytical skills in these areas. The course will also provide some theoretical background on language variation, language contact and language change, with a focus on the development and diversification of English. It will also discuss the linguistic and cultural/historical factors that have determined the emergence of new Englishes and the use of English as a Lingua Franca in the world.

Admission requirements

A bachelor's degree (180 ECTS), or equivalent qualification, in English language, or a degree combining English language and literature (minimum 80 ECTS in English). Applicants who hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent issued in Europe, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand: An average grade equivalent to C or better is required. Applicants who hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent issued in countries other than the above mentioned region/countries: An average grade equivalent to B or better is required.

Application code: 9371 - Enkeltemner på masternivå (Nordic applicants).

Objective of the course

The students have the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

The student has:

general knowledge of varieties of English across the world
more specific knowledge of one or more varieties of English, in terms of linguistic structure
general knowledge about the spread and diversification of English
general knowledge of theoretical approaches to variation, language contact and language change.

Skills

The student is:

able to compare and contrast varieties of English with reference to different aspects of linguistic structure
able to discuss theoretical and methodological issues related to language variation, language contact and language change, both orally and in writing.

Language of instruction

English.

Teaching methods

Lectures, seminars, hands-on work with language data. The course is taught 2 hours per week for 13 weeks.

Quality assurance: All courses undergo a halfway evaluation once in a 2-year period at the master´s level. The Programme Board determines which programme options will be evaluated per year, and which courses will be evaluated by the students and the teacher per year.