THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2011/2012
- ARCHIVE as at 1 September 2011 for reference only
THIS PAGE IS OUT OF DATE

University Homepage
DRPS Homepage
DRPS Search
DRPS Contact
DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences : Language Sciences

Postgraduate Course: Introduction to Sociolinguistics (LASC11095)

Course Outline
School School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences College College of Humanities and Social Science
Course type Standard Availability Available to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken) SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) Credits 10
Home subject area Language Sciences Other subject area None
Course website None Taught in Gaelic? No
Course description Sociolinguistics can be defined as the study of language in use. In general, the questions it asks are: How do people talk in different contexts, with different addressees, for different purposes?

But in addition to having the descriptive goals of documenting this kind of diversity and variation, sociolinguistics also attempts to explore why particular patterns and tendencies have become conventionalised among different communities of speakers. What motivates different linguistic choices? And what communicative and social functions are served by the choices we make in how we use language?
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites None
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? No
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1) WebCT enabled:  Yes Quota:  None
Location Activity Description Weeks Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
CentralLectureS1, 7 George Square1 09:00 - 10:50
CentralLectureGodfrey Thomson Hall, Holyrood2-11 09:00 - 10:50
First Class Week 1, Tuesday, 09:00 - 10:50, Zone: Central. S1, 7 George Square
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours:Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)Introduction to Sociolinguistics2:00
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Our chief objectives in the course are to:
- Develop systematic approaches to studying the differences in how we use language; and
- Develop a distinctively linguistic perspective in how we describe and explain what we observe.

The terminology and knowledge that you are simultaneously developing in the core courses on linguistic structure will be extremely useful to you, and as the semester progresses, you should find you can draw on insights from those courses more and more often in your discussion of sociolinguistics.

Similarly, the skills and approaches you are developing in the Introduction to Discourse Analysis are a perfect complement to the skills and approaches we focus on in this course. By the end of the semester, you will be able to synthesise what you have learnt about the qualitative analysis of language in use (discourse analysis) with the quantitative analysis of language in use(our focus in sociolinguistics).
Assessment Information
One 2 hour examination (100%)
Special Arrangements
None
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus Not entered
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list Not entered
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Not entered
Keywords Not entered
Contacts
Course organiser Dr Lauren Hall-Lew
Tel: (0131 6)51 1836
Email: Lauren.Hall-Lew@ed.ac.uk
Course secretary Miss Toni Noble
Tel: (0131 6)51 3188
Email: Toni.noble@ed.ac.uk
Navigation
Help & Information
Home
Introduction
Glossary
Search DPTs and Courses
Regulations
Regulations
Degree Programmes
Introduction
Browse DPTs
Courses
Introduction
Humanities and Social Science
Science and Engineering
Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Other Information
Timetab
Prospectuses
Important Information
 
copyright 2011 The University of Edinburgh - 1 September 2011 6:21 am