Accents are defined as particular ways of pronouncing a language. Unlike L1 accents, L2 accents do not necessarily reveal one's social status and are usually determined by articulatory or phonotactic characteristics of one's native language. English in use comes in an incredible range of different varieties, dialects and accents which have grown tremendously, comprising New Englishes in Asia and Africa as well as English-based pidgins and creoles all around the world. In this light, one of the most intriguing questions of sociolinguistics arises: since L2 varieties of English differ at all linguistic levels and accents are used to refer to the breakthrough of native language phonology into the target language, where does accent end and dialect begin? The aim of this course is to discuss the complex nature of L2 English accents by providing an overview of the phonological properties of a number of selected L2 varieties of English, with a particular focus on India and Africa. In addition, we will look into language attitudes towards L2 accents and delve into the notions of non-accentedness and neutral accentedness. Requirements for course credits: regular reading, oral presentation, written term paper (approx. 4000 words).
In the world outside linguistics, people who are not engaged in any study of language talk about it constantly. Folk linguistics is the study of how laypeople perceive variation in language and how they believe it functions. From a scholarly perspective, folk beliefs about language have long been considered as innocuous misunderstandings or as the basis of prejudice. However, a close examination of stankos, a term Leonard Bloomfield used pejoratively to describe the linguistic knowledge of laypeople, provides evidence that folk beliefs contribute to the exploration of the breadth and depth of language theory. This course aims to provide first-hand experience and critical discussion of seminal works of earlier folk linguistic theory and methodology as well as more recent studies relevant to World Englishes research. Requirements for course credits: regular reading, oral presentation and handout. For BA, LA Gym and MA students (only ELG-M6.1 and ELG-M8.1) it is obligatory to write a term paper.
This course is designed to deepen students’ knowledge of and skills in academic writing, i. e. in conducting and organising advanced linguistic research, in identifying and evaluating sources as well as in summarising and discussing research positions. The focus will be on composing linguistic theses and the individual steps involved in this form of academic writing, from getting started to the final product. We will zoom in on different writing techniques, including stylistic questions as well as formal aspects. By the end of this course, students should be able to (1) evaluate and discuss the structure of scientific texts, (2) apply this knowledge to their own writings, and (3) develop their own research projects.
Course requirements: active participation in class, regular assignments and writings (portfolio).
The aims of the module are:
1. Describing the structure of academic research texts and apply to own writing,
2. Providing tools for structuring academic essays,
3. Give proofreading and editing tips to polish own writing
2. Being able to compare and apply different methods in the collection, analysis and interpretation of linguistic data,
3. Being able to come up with and critically evaluate a research concept and write it up in a structured wa
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