Approaches to Variation in English around the World

Course goals

1. Successful participants that have completed this course will gain greater familiarity with a number of World Englishes, their chief linguistic features and the relevance of these to issues of identity, ideology and effective oral and written communication;
2. Successful participants that have completed this course will be familiar with research in the areas of language attitudes, language ideologies, and issues of standardization and variation in English with respect to language policies & planning in intercultural and educational contexts

Content

The content of this course focuses on the reality of the many varieties of English worldwide (in first language, second language and other language contexts). Using appropriate sociolinguistic methodology and terminology, this course will survey a selection of these Englishes, analysing differences in the prestige each has in different multilingual and/or multicultural settings. Personal as well as policy level choices for choosing particular English varieties in different contexts will inevitably be affected by factors such as effective communication, instrumental or integrative motivation, identity and cultural orientation, social and geo-political questions and, of course, down-to-earth practical considerations. We will address questions about the possible intended and un-intended consequences of adopting and using particular varieties of English to communicate in different (multilingual) contexts (including education and translation contexts) with respect to cultural identities, language attitudes, and language ideologies. The issues involved in adopting some form of international or lingua franca English will also be examined.