Global English

COURSE OBJECTIVE
Knowledge
You are able to describe the salient features of major varieties of English, and the way in which these varieties have evolved. You are able to describe theories of language variation and change, language acquisition, and language and identity, as well as methods in teaching English as a second or foreign language/lingua franca. Your are able to describe the use of corpus analysis as an empirical method for linguistic research. You are also able to name and describe some of the most important corpora that can be used for research in the area of Global English and research in the area of English linguistics more broadly.

Skills
You are able to apply this knowledge in analyses of concrete situations of the globalization of English, for instance English language-teaching or language policy-making in the domains of education, government and business. You are able to apply corpus linguistic techniques to the analysis of a number of issues in Global English.

Attitude
You are able to present a well-informed perspective of the nature of different Englishes and the impact of the globalization of English on speakers of English around the world.

Communication
You are able to present results of a small linguistic research project of your own on a Wiki page.

Competence
You are able to identify situations in which corpus analysis is useful.

COURSE CONTENT
In the lecture, we consider the world-wide spread of the English language. We begin with areas where English is spoken as a first language (England, the Celtic countries, the US, Australia, etc.). We then move on to regions where English is spoken as a second language (Africa and Asia) and from there to regions where English is used as a foreign language or lingua franca (e.g. Europe, the Netherlands). We will explore different issues in the globalization of English. These include linguistic aspects (variation in English, World Englishes), social issues (dialect perception, attitude to language, and language and identity), literary concerns (postcolonial literatures), and the impact on education, business and other domains (language policy).

In the seminar, we address issues that have arisen from the lectures or the reading, and we discuss assignments.

In the practicum you will be introduced to the field of corpus linguistics as a research method for analysing linguistic data. You will apply this to the study of Global English.

TEACHING METHODS
Lecture, seminar, and practicum.

TYPE OF ASSESSMENT
Exam (50%, individual mark) and a Wikipage on a variety of English (50%, group mark).

TARGET AUDIENCE
Second-year students CIW and Literature & Society, third-year minor students, and international students.