Course Textbook: Fasold, Ralph

• The Sociolinguistics of Society
• The Sociolinguistics of Language.

Course Description:

An exploration of the interests that lie toward the societal end of the language and society spectrum and the implications of sociolinguistic research for the study of language and linguistic theory. Besides original research, students will be exposed to the major issues in sociolinguistics by being assigned topics upon which there is disagreement in the field. The class will be divided so that each half takes opposite views on the issue. Different view points will be presented in class and students will be encouraged to discuss them (in a debate form) in class.

Issues on Sociolinguistic methodology such as: data gathering techniques (including subject selection, questionnaire preparation and administration, interview construction and participant observation, researcher and interviewer roles, data selection), the influence of theory on analysis, and data transcription strategies will be discussed. Specific topics include: Multilingualism and Diglossia, Methodologies, Language Attitudes, Language Choice, Language Maintenance and Shift, Language Planning and Standardization, Address Forms, Ethnography of Communication, Discourse, Language and Sex, Pragmatics, Pidgin and Creole Languages, and Linguistic Variation.