Studying at York
Advanced Topics in Language Variation & Change - LAN00057M
Module summary
This module introduces you to a range of advanced topics in the field of language variation and change. The topics can change from year to year, but there is usually a focus on language and dialect contact (how is the way you speak determined by the people you come into contact with?), plasticity and lifespan change (in what ways do we modify our accents depending on short- and long-term changes in our social situations?) and methods in dialectology (how has the study of dialectology developed over the years, and what insights can be gained from modern methods?).
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2024-25 |
Module aims
The module demonstrates how a sociolinguistic approach can benefit our understanding of language change. It emphasises language contact, dialect contact, demography and social structure. There is a focus on the critical analysis of advanced case studies in a number of areas of language variation and change, and there are opportunities to develop skills in data analysis and the option to put those into practice for a small-scale research project.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
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demonstrate knowledge and understanding of qualitative and quantitative approaches in the domains of language contact, dialect contact, and sociolinguistic models of change
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give a critical account of linguistic phenomena arising from contact, describing and contrasting them based on data contained in published articles.
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show an understanding of the problem of language change from several standpoints, including change derived from contact, the transmission of language from adults to children, and change within individuals during adulthood
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perform analysis on sociolinguistic datasets of natural language use, including appropriate basic statistical techniques and the interpretation of results
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show awareness of how methods in the study of dialectology have developed over the years, and of the various strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to the study of regional variation
Module content
The exact topics covered in this module sometimes differ from year to year, but here are some indicative topics that are often covered:
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Internal/external motivations for language change
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The role of contact in language change
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How changes move through time and space
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Methods in dialectology
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Plasticity and lifespan change
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
Although the formative deadline is set for Week 11, you will be able to submit an extract from your essay well before then to ensure that you can benefit from written feedback when preparing your summative essay. Week 11 is the final date by which the excerpt may be submitted, but you are advised to submit it before the end of Week 11 to receive written feedback.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Written feedback will be provided within 25 days of submission. For the formative assignment, feedback will be a combination of written feedback returned via email and oral feedback during the essay-writing workshop seminars in Week 11.
Indicative reading
Hazen, Kirk (2011). Labov: Variation and change. In Wodak, Ruth, Johnstone, Barbara & Kerswill, Paul. SAGE handbook of sociolinguistics. London: Sage. 24–39.
Kerswill, Paul (2004). Social dialectology. In Klaus Mattheier, Ulrich Ammon & Peter Trudgill (eds.) Sociolinguistics/Soziolinguistik. An international handbook of the science of language and society, 2nd edn., Vol 1. Berlin: De Gruyter. 22–33.
Tagliamonte, Sali (2011). Variationist sociolinguistics: Change, observation, interpretation. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. [Chapter 2, but especially pp. 25–38].