Syllabus
· Introduction into sociolinguistics
· Communication and society: models of communication
· Standard language and variety: regional and national varieties, social varieties and media varieties
· Language and society
· Language barriers
· Language and gender
· Language and politics
· Language and violence
Annotation
Sociolinguistics as a sub-discipline of linguistics moves languages as a social phenomenon into the centre of attention. Language behaviour in given situations considering social roles, will be analysed as N.
Dittmar puts it. The seminar will focus on questions of interdependence between language and society as well as language and social status, language system, standard language and its usage, standard language and language varieties, the societal explanation of language awareness and societal conditions for language change.
Also, the formation of speech communities, the relation between language and identity, former and still present language barriers and transitory as well as habitual language varieties will be discussed. This course is taught in German.