Undergraduate Course: Dialects of English in Britain and Ireland (LASC10085)
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 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Language Sciences |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course provides a detailed account of dialects of English in Britain and Ireland. Beginning with an overview of variation and change in dialects of English, the course proceeds to examine how they differ in terms of their phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and lexis, and investigates key linguistic features in detail. Having covered key parameters of variation, the course then focusses on specific dialects, examining their linguistic features, historical origins, relations to other dialects, and the current forces which are shaping their development. These are examined from dialectological, sociolinguistic, perceptual and theoretical linguistic perspectives, and issues that are investigated include dialect and language contact, dialect levelling and new dialect formation, and the interaction of language and physical and human geography. Central concerns throughout the course are: why dialects of English in Britain and Ireland are the way they are; what the linguistic similarities and differences between them are; and what local and general trends are affecting them. Specific areas covered in detail may vary from year to year, but could include, for example, Northern Ireland (including the importance of the ethno-religious dimension), peripheral areas of Scotland such as the Hebrides, the Northern Isles, and the Scottish-English Border (including contact and the sociolinguistics of peripheral varieties), Northern England (including the status of 'Northern English' and the linguistic and perceptual border with the Midlands and South), Liverpool (including changing perceptions of a stigmatised urban variety), Northeast England (including dialect levelling and the transition from traditional dialects to modern accents of English), and Southern British English (including 'Estuary English', koinéization, and London Multicultural English). |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
LEL2C: English in Time and Space (LASC08019)
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Linguistics/Language Sciences courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
|
Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Class Delivery Information |
Teaching Contact Time: 9 weeks out of 11 at 3 hours/week = 27 hours |
| Course Start Date |
13/01/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 27,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
169 )
|
| Additional Notes |
|
| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Dialects of English in Britain and Ireland | 2:00 | |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
- An overview of dialects of English in Britain and Ireland.
- An understanding of why dialects of English are the way they are, of the historical, geographical and social forces that have shaped their development, and of current trends in their development.
- An ability to describe the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic and lexical features of a range of dialects of English in Britain and Ireland, and to explain in detail particular linguistic features which are found in them.
- An appreciation of previous and on-going research into dialects of English in Britain and Ireland from dialectological, sociolinguistic, perceptual and theoretical linguistic perspectives, including issues such as dialect and language contact, dialect levelling and new dialect formation, and the interaction of language and political, cultural and physical borders.
|
Assessment Information
| 50% essay-style assignment (2500 words), 50% exam (2 hours) |
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 |
Teaching Contact Time: 9 weeks out of 11 at 3 hours/week = 27 hours |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Warren Maguire
Tel:
Email: W.Maguire@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Francesca Anderson
Tel: (0131 6)50 3961
Email: Frankie.Anderson@ed.ac.uk |
|
© Copyright 2013 The University of Edinburgh - 13 January 2014 4:30 am
|
University Homepage