This is a course especially designed to train students in the quantitative analysis of linguistic variation and change in variation linguistics.
This course covers the development of sociolinguistic theory through the discussion of leading literature in the field. By exploring the effects of region, status, gender, race, and education on language use, students will gain a greater understanding of how society intersects with language. We will study the relationship between - and the attitude towards - variation and change in English from a range of methodological approaches. At the end of the course, students will have the opportunity to apply their knowledge by conducting real-world sociolinguistic research.
Structure and History of English (SHE) Part III, Language contact in early English, deals with multilingualism and transfer of linguistic features in the early history of English (Old and Early Middle periods), focusing particularly on contact with speakers of Brythonic Celtic and Old Norse. Topics covered will include the sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic nature of the contact situations, and their effects on different linguistic levels: syntax, morphology, phonology, and the lexicon. The course will also provide the opportunity to deepen reading knowledge of Old and Middle English texts.
This course discusses the linguistic structure and the history of the English language, including internal changes as well as historical changes due to language contact. We will focus on changes in Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English as well as during the Modern period right up to the present day. Besides this, we will have a look at the Indo-European and Germanic ancestors of English.