Objectives and competences
The objective of this course is to become familiar with the variety of English dialects spoken in the British Isles, to become aware that dialects relate not only to region but also to sociological factors such as education, social status, gender and the like, to get an insight into British urban dialects, which are rapidly spreading and changing, and thus to enable the students to better understand native speakers of English in their native town.
Content (Syllabus outline)
Pronunciation and language features of standard and regional dialects of English in the British Isles:
Scottish English,
North Irish English,
Welsh English,
Northern English,
Midlands English.
Pronunciation and language features of the dialects of South East England:
Estuary English,
Cockney.
Socio-regional dialects (the speech of speakers of a certain social class from a certain region).
Urban dialects in England.
Learning and teaching methods
lectures (method of explanation and clarification with final discussion)
problem solving tasks
homework assignments
Intended learning outcomes - knowledge and understanding
Knowledge and Understanding
On completion of this course the student will be able to:
identify the main sociological and regional variants of English in the British Isles,
analyse accents and dialects in the broader framework of language variation, including the phonetic, phonological and partial grammatical and lexical differences in this region,
apply certain aspects of descriptive dialectology will also be introduced.
Intended learning outcomes - transferable/key skills and other attributes
On the British example students will learn that it is essential to maintain dialects, as they are perfectly efficient as language systems within their own speech communities and should thus not be subordinate to the standard variants, but treated as equals. This is best achieved by the so-called “bidialectal” approach, which could also be a model for Slovenia.
Readings
• Hughes, A. & Trudgill, P. 1996: English Accents and Dialects, An Introduction to Social and Regional Varieties in the British Isles, Hodder Arnold.
• Trudgill, P 1999: The Dialects of England, Blackwell Publishers.
• Upton, C. & Widdowson, J. D. A. 2006: An Atlas of English Dialects, Routledge, Taylor & Francis.
• Foulkes, P. & Docherty, G. J. 1999: Urban Voices: Variation and Change in British Accents, Hodder Arnold.
Prerequisits
Class attendance and participation in tutorials are prerequisites for taking the written exam.
Additional information on implementation and assessment Type (examination, oral, coursework, project):
• 80 % class attendance - 10 %
• active class participation - 40 %
• written exam - 50 %
