• Offered for Year: 2024/25

• Module Leader(s): Dr Daniel Duncan
• Lecturer: Professor Karen Corrigan, Dr Adam Mearns

• Owning School: English Lit, Language & Linguistics
• Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Aims

This module provides an introduction to the linguistic subfield of sociolinguistics, with particular emphasis on how this relates to the English language. It introduces this domain of linguistics from two perspectives:
•Microsociolinguistics, the study of language variation and change at the level of individuals, groups, and communities. With particular emphasis on the framework of variationist sociolinguistics, the module explores how linguistic variation is influenced by societal factors like social class and ethnicity.
•Macrosociolinguistics, the study of language at the societal level. With particular emphasis on the sociology of language, the module explores how society shapes broader linguistic outcomes like language maintenance or shift, language endangerment, and the development of pidgins and creoles.
This module develops data analysis skills in two ways:
•It gives hands-on experience in sociolinguistic fieldwork techniques, with particular emphasis on the sociolinguistic interview, as well as coding and analyzing sociolinguistic data.
•It further develops quantitative reasoning skills by adding basic inferential statistics to the analytical toolkit and exploring how these are used to refine and test linguistic hypotheses.

Outline Of Syllabus

Two major themes are addressed:
•Language variation and change within individuals and speech communities
•Societal influences on and attitudes toward language status
Specific topics include:
•The variationist paradigm
•Key patterns of language-external influences on language variation and change
•Sociolinguistic fieldwork methods
•Language attitudes and ideologies
•Outcomes of language contact

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Jointly Taught With

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Rationale and Relationship to Learning Outcomes

Lectures will be used, primarily, to impart information and provide overall coherence for the module.

Seminars will be used, primarily, to build skills in linguistic analysis and will, therefore, focus on problem-solving/numeracy. They also aim to enhance interpretation of sociolinguistic approaches to language and society, improve oral presentation and build team-work. Fieldwork projects will also be planned and developed in seminars.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment

Formative Assessments

Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

1. Problem solving exercises prepare students for the quantitative analysis part of the Portfolio.
2. The Reflective Log Assignment gives students hands-on experience in ethically collecting Tyneside or Northumbrian English data.
3. The Portfolio assesses both quantitative and qualitative data analysis skills.

Since this is primarily an information-led module at PG level, the most suitable method of assessment is by means of submitted work testing independent learning ability as well as written communication skills; analytical/problem solving skills; critical thinking/conceptual understanding/knowledge and ability to construct a logical argument.

Reading Lists

• SEL8163's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• SEL8163's Timetable