Spring 2017
Applied Linguistics
8470; CRN: 12575
| Instructor: | Dr. Stephanie Lindemann |
| Office: | 25 Park Place, Room 1528 |
| Phone: | 404-413-5177 |
| E-mail: | lindemann@gsu.edu
|
| Office Hours: | Thursday 3-4 and by appointment |
This is the official version of the syllabus.
Course Description:
This course is an
introduction to sociolinguistics, the study of the relationship between
language and society. We will look at variation at all levels of language and
how such variation constructs and is constructed by identity and culture. An
exploration of attitudes and ideologies about these varieties will be of
particular importance to understanding this relationship. We will also consider
some of the educational, political, and social repercussions of these
sociolinguistic facts.
Course
The textbooks for the course are available at the GSU bookstore:
Bell, Allan (2014). The Guidebook to Sociolinguistics. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell.
Lippi-Green, Rosina (2012). English with an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States. New York: Routledge.
All other
readings can be saved and/or printed from iCollege. Let me know right away if you're having
trouble accessing the readings.
Additional resources on the web can be found by accessing my "Linguistics Links" page at http://www2.gsu.edu/~eslsal/links.htm.
Evaluation:
10% Class participation (includes preparation
for class based on readings)
30% Observation project
25% Language description project
5% Presentation on final paper topic
30% Final Paper
The
grading scale is A+ 98-100, A 94-97, A- 90-93, B+ 87-89, B 84-86, B- 80-83, C+ 77-79, etc.
Participation:
Effective participation requires preparation. It is crucial to come to class having carefully read and thought about the day's reading. Discussion questions for the readings will be posted on the web syllabus each week to help guide you to think about the general ideas that I find particularly important about the readings. These will be a starting point for discussion, so you should take notes on and think about the questions before class. I may collect your answers to discussion questions if I am dissatisfied with class preparation & participation.
If you are shy and don’t like to speak in class, try to do it anyway. It’s useful for everyone to hear how each other’s varied experiences and viewpoints relate to the reading. If you are having real difficulty speaking up, it is a good idea to come talk to me about the discussion questions and your own questions and thoughts about the reading (preferably before the class period when they will be discussed so that you can still take part in the discussion, if only indirectly). If you know you will need to miss class, you should e-mail me your responses to the discussion questions, plus any additional comments and questions you have, before class.
Observation Project (due February 27th):
Work in pairs (of your choosing), or if necessary, alone, to prepare and submit an observation project that will explore variability in American English (if you are interested in looking at some other variety, come discuss it with me before your topic is due on January 30th). The purpose of the project is for you to:
a)
become more aware of the types of variation in English (across dialects in the US, within “Standard” American English in the US, and across and within world varieties of English)
b) gain experience in basic analysis of language variation data and learn about some of the complexities involved
c)
make you aware of issues of concern to the
ESL/EFL teacher, including the learner's target variety,
error/testing/assessment, and materials adaptation/lesson planning.
Working
in pairs is strongly recommended, as you will need to collect at least 40
tokens of some linguistic variable, and this is easier if you have two sets of
ears listening for them.
Observation
Project Instructions:
1. Choose
an item of American English that exhibits variability in the same linguistic
and social context. Some examples are:
"if I were" vs.
"if I was"
"real" and
"really" or "good" and "well" used as adverbs
the use of objective (e.g., me) vs.
nominative (e.g., I) case in object or subject position (particularly conjoined
NPs such as "between you and I" or "Me and my brother went")
pronouns used to replace singular nouns of
unspecified gender (e.g., "Someone has left their
books here.")
the use of "whom"
speech acts, such as greetings, responses to
"thank you," apologies, requests, etc.
These are only a few examples. You have many options to choose from--think of your pet grammar peeve and you're likely to find a good topic. The most important criterion is that the item that you choose must exhibit variability. That is, it must be the case that there is more than one form used in the same context. For example, some people would say "between you and me" and other people would say "between you and I". Or, the same person might say "between you and me" in some situations and "between you and I" in others. In addition, your item must be something that is typically taught in ESL classes.
2.
Collect
data. Each time you hear (or see) a variant of your item, write it down with
the utterance you heard it in (i.e. don't just write down "who", but write down
"I don't know who you're talking about"). Keep your ears open (or your
eyes--printed materials are sources too). Every time you record a token, also
record demographic information about the speaker and addressee(s) (sex, age,
race/ethnicity, place of origin, relationship between the two interlocutors)
and information about the setting. This is very
important. What you are trying to do is to uncover the patterns of usage of
your variable. These patterns typically reveal themselves in the categories
listed above. For example, Southerners may be more likely to say "y'all" for
plural "you" than Northerners, and Northerners might be more likely to say "you
guys". If you collected lots of tokens of ways to say plural "you", then you
could look at the characteristics of speakers or settings to see who was using
which variant in which setting.
3.
Once
you have collected at least 40 tokens/examples, look for variation. First,
identify all the variants you have found. Next, look for patterns. This means
that you will look at, for example, how often different social groups (for
example, groups by age or gender) used each of the variants and then compare
groups to each other (for example, men to women). You might find, for example,
that only women use "whom" and that men rarely do. You should also look at
other variables such as settings or regions of origin. You might find, for
example, that "whom" only occurs in print and never (or rarely) in spoken
language. Your data probably won't fall into discrete categories, but you will
notice tendencies for there to be factors that condition the occurrence of
specific variants.
4.
After
doing the analysis, prepare a written report to be handed in on the observation
project due date. I will provide a link to a sample paper here (not including the appendix with the full data set) once everyone has turned in their topics with their intial data. In fact here it is! (click here for a sample paper on ways of expressing liking). The report should describe:
a)
the
aspect of American English that you have collected your data on
b)
how
you collected your data
c)
the
variants you have discovered
d)
an
analysis of your data with a table for each
of the analytic categories that you found to demonstrate patterning (e.g.,
Table 1: the variant as it is distributed by gender, Table 2: the variant as it
is distributed by age, Table 3: the variant as it is distributed by setting)
e) how your results compare with explanations given in 3 different ESL textbooks (many different textbooks are available for your perusal in the library and in the AL GA lounge)
f)
the
implications of your findings for teaching ESL
g)
a table in an appendix that shows all the data that you have collected
(i.e. the variants and all the related demographic information for each token).
In
the discussion of your results, consider what you already know about variation
from the literature (i.e., what we've read in this course) and how your results
fit in. Notice that your report will have seven sections--the seven described
above--including an appendix. You and your partner will turn in one paper and both receive the same
grade for the project, so be sure that you pick someone with compatible work
habits and/or someone you know will share the work!
When
you turn in your topic,
you should include: what variable you are observing, at least 2 possible
variants of that variable, and all data on the first few tokens you have
collected.
***
This project is not one that you will
want to put off until the last minute. Students who have done this project
in the past have found that it was interesting and rewarding, but that the data
analysis in particular took a lot of time.
Language Description Project (due April 10th):
Collect
data on reactions to recorded speech by (at least) two friends or family
members. I will provide you with two sets of recordings in digital format (as .wav files). The purpose of the project is to:
a)
reflect
on the readings in a more personal way; relate the readings to your experience
with reactions to different varieties, considering whether your findings
support the claims made in the readings and how and why they might differ
b)
consider
the implications of reactions to language varieties for the speakers'
interactions with others and for language teaching
Human subjects training (Basic Courses in the Protection of Human Research Subjects, Social and Behavioral Focus) must be completed before you
can get the study materials (February 13th).
This is done on an online course at https://www.citiprogram.org/default.asp.
A handout will be given out with more specific instructions on how to choose
participants and conduct the study, a consent form, and a language background
form. The actual data should be collected by March 27th, when an
Excel spreadsheet with the quantitative data for your participants is due (Click here for the Excel template for entering data. The document name is to remind you to rename it to your own name before emailing the data to me.).
I will compile everyone's data and provide this information to the entire class
to be used in your write-ups of the project. The write-up will involve
answering questions I will give to you when I give you the compiled data. These
questions will require you to describe and reflect on your own experiences and
relate your findings and the overall class findings to the readings and the
discussions in class.
Paper (due April 27th, 11:59pm):
Write
a library research paper of ~15 (12-18) pages on a sociolinguistic topic of
your choice. The purpose of this assignment is to give you an opportunity to
explore in depth a topic that you have found interesting. For the presentation (April 24th), provide a handout for the class that clearly shows
what you looked at and what the main questions, findings, and/or problems are.
It should also include a list of the references you are planning to use. The
presentation itself should be no longer than 5 minutes (in order to allow
everyone to have time to present).
General requirements for written work:
1.
All
work should be typed and double-spaced. Each paper should be turned in as
a Word attachment to an email, with your last name as the first part of the file name. Papers should be emailed to me from
your student email accounts before the class period that they are due.
2.
Use APA
format (you can use a paper published in any major applied linguistics journal
as an example to follow and/or find resources on the web), including non-sexist language. If you need more
information about what constitutes sexist language and how to avoid it, you can
consult the APA manual or talk to me.
3.
Any
material taken from a source needs to be identified as such, even if you have
changed the wording. Failure to attribute material to its original author will
be considered plagiarism and will result in a zero grade. Read the university
policy on academic honesty online at http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfhb/sec409.html.
Make sure you understand the appropriate use of sources in your work; if you
still have questions after reading the policy, be sure to ask!
4.
Assignments
will be graded on depth of coverage
(comprehensive/ thorough treatment of the topic reflecting a clear
understanding of the subject), presentation
(clear, concise, readable prose), and argument
(strength of evidence, and attention to counter arguments where necessary).
5.
In
case of an emergency that interferes with your work in this class, talk to me
as soon as you can. I normally don't accept late assignments; when I do, I may
take off points for each day late.
|
Program learning outcomes |
Evaluation |
|
Demonstrate knowledge of the
linguistic systems of English phonology, grammar, and discourse |
Observation project, possibly final paper
(depending on topic) |
|
Use cultural knowledge in second
language learning and teaching |
Class discussion, possibly final paper (depending
on topic) |
|
Analyze
and critique theory and practice of L2 teaching and learning |
Class discussion, observation project, possibly
final paper (depending on topic) |
Connect theory and practice
|
Class discussion, observation project, possibly
final paper (depending on topic)
|
|
Communicate
effectively in both written and oral language |
All assignments
|
|
Use technology effectively in research |
Research for final paper using online databases |
Schedule*
*This schedule is subject to change. For example, we may spend more or less time covering some topics, based in part on your feedback. This means that you can play a role in deciding what is covered in class and in what detail, but it also means that you are responsible for making sure you know what you need to do for each class.
Gumperz, John J. (2001). Contextualization and ideology in intercultural communication. In Aldo DiLuzio, Susanne Günthner, & Franca Orletti (eds), Culture in Communication: Analyses of Intercultural Situations. Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 35-53.
Jenkins, Jennifer (2009). English as a lingua franca: Interpretations and attitudes. World Englishes 28 (2), 200-207.
Kachru, Braj B. & Cecil L. Nelson (1996). World Englishes. In Sandra Lee Mc Kay & Nancy H. Hornberger (eds.), Sociolinguistics and language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 71-102 (pp.71-80 are assigned).
Labov, William (1972). The logic of nonstandard English. Language in the Inner City.
Lindemann, Stephanie (2002). Listening with an attitude: A model of native-speaker comprehension
of non-native speakers in the
Lindemann, Stephanie (2011). Who's
"unintelligible"? The perceiver's role. Issues in Applied Linguistics 18(2), 223-232.
Ostermann, Ana Cristina (2003). Localizing power and solidarity: Pronoun alternation at an all-female police station and a feminist crisis intervention center in Brazil. Language in Society 32, 351-381.
Pavlenko, Aneta (2004). Gender and
sexuality in foreign and second language education: Critical and feminist
approaches. In Bonny Norton and Kelleen Toohey (eds) Critical pedagogies and language learning.
Pennycook, Alastair (2000). The social politics and the cultural politics of language
classrooms. In Joan Kelly Hall and William G. Eggington (eds) The Sociopolitics
of English Language Teaching.
Snell, Julia (2010) From
sociolinguistic variation to socially strategic stylisation. Journal of
Sociolinguistics 14(5), 630-656.
Tannen, Deborah (1981). New York Jewish conversational style. International Journal of Society and Language 30: 133-149.
Wardhaugh, Ronald (2010). An introduction to sociolinguistics, 6th edition. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Chapter 15, 378-412.
End-of-term course evaluations
Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping education at Georgia State University. Upon completing the course, please take the time to fill out the online course evaluation. Comments and suggestions are especially helpful.
The course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary.