Ling 390

Introduction to Sociolinguistics

Winter 2010

Assignments and Grading:

3 Research assignments 15% each = 45%

Reading comments/questions, participation = 10%

Midterm = 15%

Final = 30%

TB: Holmes, Janet. 2008. An introduction to sociolinguistics, 3^rd ed. Longman.

List of topics and readings:

1. What is sociolinguistics? Kinds of variation.

1/5

TB: Chapter 1

Lippi-Green, Rosina. 1997. English with an accent. Routledge. Pp.30-40.

1/7 An illustration of variation and attitudes towards it: American Tongues (video to be watched in class)

2. Prescriptivism & language ideology

1/12

Lippi-Green, Rosina. 1997. English with an accent. Routledge. Pp.7-29.

Language Myths: Change is baaad: Myths 1, 8

Language Myths: Some language varieties are better than others: Myths 2, 10-12

1/14

Language Myths: Myths 14, 16, 20

TB: pp.405-17 in Chapter 15

OPTIONAL: Gorrell, Robert. 1994. Watch your language! Mother tongue and her wayward children. University of Nevada Press. pp.117-39.

Research assignment 1 assigned

3. Social consequences of prescriptivism

1/19

Gorrell, Robert. 1994. Watch your language! Mother tongue and her wayward children. University of Nevada Press. pp.140-47.

TB: pp.420-427 in Chapter 15

Wolfram, Walt, & Natalie Schilling-Estes. 1998. American English: Dialects and variation, Ch. 10. (pp.263-95). Blackwell.

Munson, Ben. In press. Pathology or social indexing? In C. Bowen, ed. Children's Speech Sound Disorders, pp. 342-346. Blackwell.

4. Prescriptive vs. descriptive approaches: a case study

1/21

D’Arcy, Alexandra. 2007. Like and language ideology: Disentangling fact from fiction. American Speech, 82, 386-419.

5. Judging people by the way they speak: Perceiving variation

1/26

Preston, Dennis R. 2002. Language with an attitude. In The handbook of language variation and change, pp.40-66. Blackwell.

TB: pp.417-420

Assignment 1 due

Assignment 2 assigned

1/28

6. Midterm

7. Talking like where you are from: Regional variation

2/2

TB: pp.128-35.

Wolfram, Walt, & Natalie Schilling-Estes. 1998. American English: Dialects and variation, Ch. 5. (pp.125-50). Blackwell.

8. Talking like people like you: Social class

2/4

TB: pp.136-53, 251-54.

Labov, William. 1972. Sociolinguistic patterns. U Penn Press. Chapter 2: The social stratification of (r) in New York City Department Stores.

2/9 Midterm review

9. Talking like people like you: Sex, gender, sexual orientation

2/11

TB: pp.157-73

Assignment 2 due

Assignment 3 assigned

2/16

TB: Chapter 12

10. Social networks, accommodation and stance: Language as a virus vs. fashion

2/18

TB: pp.193-200, 235-246.

Labov, William. 1972. Sociolinguistic patterns. U Penn Press. pp.1-14, 24-40.

Drager, Katie. 2009. Language, stance, and identity at Selwyn Girls’ High. 5th International Gender and Language Association Conference (16 pp.)

11. Language change: Talking like your generation

2/23

TB: Chapter 9, pp.175-80.

2/25 Guest lecture: Style and authenticity

Eckert, Penelope. 1996. Vowels and nail polish: The emergence of linguistic style in the preadolescent heterosexual marketplace. In N. Warner, J. Ahlers, L. Bilmes, M. Oliver, S. Wertheim, & M. Chen, eds. Gender and Belief Systems. Berkeley: Berkeley Women and Language Group.

12. Guest lecture: Speaking more than one language

3/2

TB: Chapter 2, pp.83-93.

Gal, Susan. 1978. Peasant men can't get wives: Language change and sex roles in a bilingual community. Language in Society, 7, 1-16.

Assignment 3 due

13. Guest lecture: Language maintenance and shift

3/4

TB: Chapter 3

Zentella, Ana Celia. 1997. Growing up bilingual: Puerto Rican children in New York City. Blackwell. Chapter 4.

14. Wrap-up and review

3/9

Discussion of data from assignments

3/11

TB: Chapter 16

3/16 8:00 AM Final exam