230480 Accents and Dialects in Britain (S) (WiSe 2022/2023)

English has become an extremely diversified language through its global spread, but you need look no further than Britain itself to find a number of different accents and dialects of English. In this class, we will investigate some of these varieties, both regional ones like Cockney and trans-regional ones like British Creole. We will be working with scientific literature for each of these but also observe them in action through authentic recordings and in artistic expression, such as film and music. The class will cover a broad range of linguistic features, including phonetics and phonology, semantics and lexis. We will describe these features and pay special attention to the social meanings and implications of English variation in Britain.

At the end of this class, you will:

• Be able to tell apart different varieties of British English
• Gain insight into the cultural significance of these varieties
• Learn to reflect the social meanings of speakers’ usage of these varieties’ features

Requirements for participation, required level

This class assumes knowledge of the topics covered in the two introductory classes from BM3. Especially knowledge of the basics of phonetics and phonology will be crucial. Ideally, you should have passed the BM3 exam, though this is a strong recommendation rather than a requirement.

Bibliography

Readings will be made available in the Lernraum. Please check the Lernraum before the first session for announcements. Also make sure to come to the first meeting if you want to participate or let me know if you can’t make it to the first session. Otherwise, your spot may be given to other students who need it. Requirements for course credit will be laid out in the first session.