production
Skip to Content

LN2509: VARIETIES OF ENGLISH (2016-2017)

Last modified: 28 Jun 2018 10:27


Course Overview

The English language spoken in different places and by different groups of people varies hugely and this variation is a perennial topic of interest whenever people from different backgrounds meet. This course will survey a range of varieties of English, both from across the British Isles and from around the world, and will explore how these varieties differ from each other as well as what unites them. In order to do this, we will consider the sounds of English, standard and non-standard word morphology, variation in sentence structure and differences in lexical choice.​​​​​

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 2
Session Second Sub Session Credit Points 30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus Old Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Will Barras

Qualification Prerequisites

None.

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Either Programme Level 1 or Programme Level 2
  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

This course will focus on the structured ways in which varieties of English differ from each other. Students will build on their existing knowledge of the structure of English including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and lexis, and will develop analytical skills in these areas. In addition, each week a particular variety of English will be explored and discussed. By the end of the course students will have 1) a wide-ranging knowledge of varieties of English from around the world and 2) the ability to compare and contrast these varieties with reference to different aspects of linguistic structure.​

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 31 August 2023 for 1st half-session courses and 22 December 2023 for 2nd half-session courses.

Summative Assessments

1st Attempt

  • 1000-word homework exercise on phonology (20%)
  • 1000-word homework exercise on morpho-syntax (20%)
  • 2000-word essay (40%)
  • Tutorial participation mark (20%)
Resit
  • 2-hour examination (100%)

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Feedback

Feedback on written homework exercises and the essay will be provided in a timely manner and will be focused on pointing out where students have gained or lost marks, highlighting areas which were particularly successful and those which could be improved in future work. Thus, while these assessed pieces are summative, the feedback is part of the formative assessment of the course. Additional formative feedback will be given each week to the students who lead that week's tutorial (see 29 and 37).

Course Learning Outcomes

None.

Compatibility Mode

We have detected that you are have compatibility mode enabled or are using an old version of Internet Explorer. You either need to switch off compatibility mode for this site or upgrade your browser.