BA English Language and Russian

This course introduces the key concepts and issues involved in the study of attitudes to languages and language varieties. It will enable you to develop a critical understanding of the ways in which beliefs about language are expressed in various types of discourse in the past and present and where these beliefs come from. We will, for example, discuss the attitudes of Jonathan Swift in his Proposal for Correcting, Improving and Ascertaining the English Tongue, the language ideologies expressed in the musical My Fair Lady, and the use of present-day attitudes to varieties of English for character building in TV Shows such as A Game of Thrones, among others. In addition, we will address the ideological nature of language and the relationship of language and stereotype, prejudice and discrimination. Finally, we will introduce the main research methods used in the study of language attitudes, including: language surveys, interviews, matched-guise experiment, and quantitative and qualitative techniques in 'perceptual dialectology'.

The aim of this module is to investigate language attitudes and ideologies, predominantly with regard to a range of varieties of English though other languages will be discussed as well. A secondary focus will be on encouraging critical reflection on the relationship between language in use, beliefs about language, and social structure. 

By the end of this course students will be able to:

The lectures for this course unit will be delivered online.

By the end of this course students will:

• be aware of the main paradigms of language attitudes and language ideology research, and demonstrate their relevance for the study of language in society
• be familiar with and able to comment critically on the major linguistic studies within the field
• have an understanding of the standard methods using in attitudinal research
• have an understanding of how linguistic styles or features come to have social and ideological meanings
• address the ideological nature of language and the relationship between language use and beliefs about language, prejudice and discrimination

 By the end of this course students will be able to:

• develop a critical understanding of the ways in which beliefs about langue are expressed in various types of discourse
• critically judge and evaluate research findings on attitudes towards varieties of English, past and present
• recognize flaws in arguments and assess the merits of contrasting explanations

 By the end of this course students will be able to:

• analyse existing attitudinal data and evaluate the methodologies used in the studies within the field
• apply standard data analysis techniques and background concepts to new data

 By the end of this course students will be able to:

• interpret information presented in the form of diagrams, tables and graphs
• apply and interpret tests of statistical significance
• successfully conduct self-directed study and research, with appropriate time management
• successfully form and defend an argument