230210 Models of World Englishes (S) (WiSe 2023/2024)

Over the past centuries, English has spread from the British Isles to all continents except Antarctica. The circumstances under which Englishes have arisen are different for each one: some saw large-scale migration from Britain (such as Canada or Australia), while in other places, natural resources were exploited by the colonisers without a large number of English speakers moving to the area (as was the case for most British colonies in Africa and Asia).

This has resulted in considerable variation between the emerging Englishes (such as Indian English, Nigerian English, Canadian English, and many more), which has, in turn, attracted researchers’ attention. Over the past few decades, several attempts to model the differences between these so-called World Englishes have been made, from static categorisations over descriptions of general developmental patterns to models of influence between the varieties.

In this class, we will look at different models that have gained traction in the research community. We will discuss their foundations, differences, what they predict, and what view of different World Englishes they imply. By the end, you will have learned about several things:
• some of the most crucial differences between World Englishes,
• how researchers have attempted to categorise them, describe their development, and their influence on each others (which we call models), and
• how these models frame, form, and influence scholarly inquiry.

Requirements for participation, required level

Students in the old programme (who started before SoSe2023): it is strongly recommended that you have completed BM1 (by passing the language proficiency test) and BM3 (by passing the exam). If you have taken a variation-focussed class (such as Accents and Dialects in Britain/''the US'', Multilingual Britain, etc.), that will be an advantage.

Students in the new programme (who started in SoSe2023 or later, or switched programmes voluntarily) are required to have completed Basis1 (by passing the language proficiency test). I also strongly recommend that you have completed Basis3 – especially the introductory lectures.

If you are in the M. Ed., these requirements are not relevant for you.

Bibliography

Readings will be made available in the Lernraum/moodle