Sociolinguistics
LIN 6601 . Section 2309 . Fall 2015. W 6-8 (12:50-3:50) . MAT 03
Instructor: Dr. Fiona Mc Laughlin
Office: 4131C Turlington
Hours: Thursday 1:30-3:30 & by appt.
E-mail: fmcl@ufl.edu
Phone: 294-7458 or 392-2183
Lu nekk mëneesna ko toxal, mu mel ni mu meloon ba mu des wax1
Wolof proverb
Course description
This is an introductory graduate course in sociolinguistics designed to cover the main concepts, themes, and
methodological approaches of the field. While we will read a selection of classic, foundational texts, our focus
will be on more recent developments that are reshaping the field and which will help prepare students to
undertake original research in sociolinguistics.
Format
This is an introductory course, so approximately one third of class time will be in lecture format. It is also a
graduate class, so students will be responsible for much of what we accomplish this semester. You will be
asked to make presentations on various topics, discuss and critique others’ presentations, and to be an integral
part of the learning culture of our class.
Objectives
By the end of the semester you will have a general understanding of the scope of contemporary sociolinguistics
and the themes it encompasses. You will be able to identify the principal theoretical trends within the field and
be familiar with the main methodological approaches to sociolinguistics. You will also be able to identify and
analyze sociolinguistic variables and know how to critically evaluate sociolinguistic studies. This knowledge
will culminate in the ability to design a research project that can serve as the basis of an original sociolinguistic
study.
Readings
The texts for this course include the following books, as well as some supplementary readings available on the
course website on Canvas.
Bell, Alan. 2014. The guidebook to sociolinguistics. Malden MA: Wiley Blackwell.
Meyerhoff, Miriam. 2011. Introducing sociolinguistics (Second edition). New York & London: Routledge.
Blommaert, Jan. 2010. The sociolinguistics of globalization. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
Meyerhoff, Miriam & Erik Schleef, eds. 2010. The Routledge sociolinguistics reader. New York & London:
Routledge.
Requirements
You are required to complete the readings in advance of the class for which they are assigned and come to class
prepared to discuss them. You will be required to write three short papers over the course of the semester, and
to make a number of oral presentations in “pecha kucha” format (20 slides, 20 seconds each. See
http://www.pechakucha.org). Some of these will be on empirical, theoretical and thematic issues from the
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Anything can be moved and it stays the same, except speech.
assigned readings, while others will be on readings that inform your own research. There will be a mid-term (or
just after mid-term) take home exam, and your semester’s work will culminate in an original research design,
suitable as the basis for an original sociolinguistic study, which you will present to the class at the end of the
semester.
Grades
Grades will be calculated on the following basis:
Short papers
20%
Pecha kucha presentations
20%
Mid-term exam
20%
Class discussion
10%
Research project design + presentation 30%
Academic (dis)honesty
Academic dishonesty, including cheating or collaborating on exams and plagiarism, will not be tolerated. Any
student engaging in such activities will be dealt with in accordance with University policy and receive a failing
grade for the course (www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/procedures/academicguide.php) It is your responsibility to
understand what constitutes plagiarism. If you have any questions about it, please consult the professor.
Students with disabilities
If you have a disability that may affect your performance in this class, you should contact the Dean of Students
Office (www.dso.ufl.edu/drp/) and let me know in any way that you are comfortable with so that I can make
arrangements to accommodate you.
SCHEDULE (subject to change according to class needs)
Week 1 (August 26): Introduction to the field of sociolinguistics
Readings: Bell Ch. 1, Meyerhoff Ch. 1
Week 2 (September 2): Multilingualism: the natural state of things
Readings: Bell Ch. 2, Meyerhoff Ch. 6
Assignment: Short paper on multilingualism (due September 11)
Week 3 (September 9): No class (I will be participating in the British Academy Conference on African
Multilingualism http://www.britac.ac.uk/events/2015/African_Multilingualism.cfm) and will fill you in
on it when I get back!
Week 4 (September 16): Language shift and maintenance
Readings: Bell Ch. 3
Week 5 (September 23): Language birth and death
Readings: Bell Ch. 4
Week 6 (September 30): Borrowing, codeswitching, code-mixing: asking the right questions
Readings: Bell Ch. 5; Meyerhoff Ch. 6
Assignment: Short paper on language contact (due October 5)
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Week 7 (October 7): Language and society, language in society
Readings: Bell Ch. 6
Blommaert, Jan. 2008. The sociolinguistics of globalization. Cambridge: Cambridge UP (selections)
Week 8 (October 14): Introduction to variationist sociolinguistics
Readings: Bell Ch. 7; Meyerhoff Ch. 2 & 3
Assignment: Short paper on variationism (due October 19)
Week 9 (October 21): Language over time
Readings: Bell Ch. 8, Meyerhoff Ch. 7 & 8
Take-home mid-term exam (Due October 28)
Week 10 (October 28): Language in space
Readings: Bell Ch. 9
Blommaert, Jan. 2008. The sociolinguistics of globalization. Cambridge: Cambridge UP (selections)
Pennycook, Alastair 2010. Language as a local practice. Routledge (selections)
Week 11 (November 4): Language ideology
Readings: Bell Ch. 10
Week 13 (November 18) Identity
Readings: Bell Ch. 11
Week 14 (December 2) Research design presentations & feedback
Week 15 (December 9) Research design presentations & feedback
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