9:05-9:55A   MW  BH 003

Overview
Differences in language are inevitable in a society composed of numerous
social and ethnic groups. These differences in language serve as one of
the most obvious indicators of social and regional affiliation.
Consequently, they affect the impressions we have of those we meet around
us every day. In this course students will consider what it means to talk
about dialects in general and Indiana dialects in particular. One focus
throughout the course will be the speech of young adults in Indiana: how
it might be investigated, how it differs from that identified in other
studies, whether current dialect differences match former dialect
boundaries.

Readings
The text for the course is American English by Walt Wolfram and Natalie
Schilling-Estes. Supplementary readings for discussion sections will be
available in a course packet.

General and discussion sections
Two general class sessions per week will be devoted to lecture,
discussion, and small group activities concerning dialects and use. The
honors discussion session will focus on discussing issues noted in the
general sessions in more detail. Students will also use this small group
section to plan and carry out a research project on Indiana dialect use or
variation.