
- UCAS course code
- Q100
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course unit details:
The Study of the Speech Community: Manchester English
Unit code | LELA30522 |
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Credit rating | 20 |
Unit level | Level 3 |
Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
Offered by | Linguistics & English Language |
Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
Pre/co-requisites
Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Variationist Sociolinguistics | LELA20502 | Pre-Requisite | Compulsory |
Knowledge and understanding
By the end of the course the students should be aware of the methodologies of variationist sociolinguistics; they should have an understanding of the quantitative analysis of linguistic data and of statistical significance testing; they should have an understading of the methods of observing and analysing linguistic change in progress.
Intellectual skills
Students should develop skills in critically judging and evaluating evidence, recognising flaws in arguments, and assessing the merits of contrasting explanations.
Practical skills
Students should be able to conduct sociolinguistic interviews and to analyse linguistic data quantitatively and to evaluate the methodologies used in the studies within the field. They should be able to apply standard data analysis techniques and background concepts to new data.
Transferable skills and personal qualities
Students should develop skills in making high-quality audio recordings; they should develop skills in interpreting information presented in the form of diagrams, tables and graphs; they should be able to present new data in the form of tables and graphs; they should be able to apply and interpret the chi-quare test of statistical significance; they should also develop skills of successful self-directed study and research, with appropriate time-management.
Employability skills
- Other
- The students acquire data analysis skills in MS Excel. They learn methods of data visualisation in MS Excel, and acquire skills in multivariate data analysis (logistic regression). The students develop skills in group work.
Assessment methods
Research paper | 90% |
Quantitative analysis assignment | 10% |
Sociolinguistics interview | N/A (formative) |
Data coding: transcription of two interviews in Praat, forced-alignment in DARLA, and coding of linguistic variables using the Handcoder script, in Praat; | N/A (formative) |
Group presentation of research article | N/A (formative) |
Statistics quiz on Blackboard | N/A (formative) |
Feedback methods
Feedback method | Formative or summative |
| Formative + summative |
Recommended reading
Tagliamonte, S. 2006 Analyzing sociolinguistic variation. Cambridge: CUP.
Articles and book chapters to be specified at the beginning of the course unit.
Study hours
Scheduled activity hours | |
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Seminars | 33 |
Independent study hours | |
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Independent study | 167 |
Teaching staff
Staff member | Role |
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Maciej Baranowski | Unit coordinator |