230415 Linguistic Variation and Representation in North American Film & TV (S) (SoSe 2026)

The focus of this class lies on the phonetics and phonology of North American Englishes. To investigate the different accent phenomena, we will look at and discuss representations of different North American Englishes in the media (primarily TV & film). While regional variation throughout North America is a major aspect of this course, sociolinguistic implications and variation will be equally important.
Additionally, we will get to know different methodologies of the area of variationist sociolinguistics (e.g. dialectological approaches as well as (socio-)phonetic analyses) and discuss the notion of standard English(es).

Teilnahmevoraussetzungen, notwendige Vorkenntnisse

Ideally, students have already completed BM3/Basis3 (or a similar introduction to linguistics and sociolinguistics) before taking this course.
Also, module Basis1 (i.e. the LPT) must have been completed before enrolling into this course (for British & American Studies FSB 2022)!

Literaturangaben

e.g.

Hodson, J. (2014). Dialect in Film and Literature. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Labov, W., Ash, S. & Boberg, C. (2008). The Atlas of North American English. Phonetics, Phonology and Sound Change. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton.
Lippi-Green, R. (2012). English with an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States. Second Edition. London: Routledge.
Schneider, E. (Ed.) (2008). Varieties of English Vol. 2: The Americas and the Caribbean. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton.