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Language and Society (220-0-20)

Instructors

Annette D'Onofrio
847/491-8052
2016 Sheridan Rd,, Room 106
Office Hours: By appt.

Meeting Info

University Hall 122: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

This course will focus on the study of linguistic variation and change from a variety of perspectives on the social. We'll examine how linguistic variation corresponds to large-scale social categories like age, gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic class, as well as how individual speakers use language to construct identities, portray stances, and achieve interactional goals. We'll explore how language is a social practice that is situated in history, and how language can reflect, reinforce, create, and contest societal power structures. Students will participate in hands-on quantitative research in sociolinguistic variation to examine directly how the social and linguistic are intertwined.

Learning Objectives

Through successfully completing this course, you will know the difference between descriptive and prescriptive views on language, understand the ways that language can vary, and the social factors that can condition this variation, learn to conduct and present quantitative linguistic variation analysis, and understand the broader implications of sociolinguistic variation and linguistic discrimination.

Teaching Method

Lecture and Discussion

Evaluation Method

Quizzes, discussion posts, project papers.

Class Materials (Required)

No required texts (all will be provided by instructor)

Class Attributes

Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area