ENGL 533
Section 001
BILINGUALISM AND LANGUAGE CONTACT
Spring 2011
Instructor: Dr. Agnes Bolonyai
Class Time: 4:30-5:45 pm TTH
Office: Tompkins Hall 203 A
Classroom: Tompkins Hall OG 115
Tel.: 919-368-6914 (cell)
Office Hours: TTH 3:30-4:15, T 6:00-6:30
E-mail: bolonyai@unity.ncsu.edu
or by appointment
_____________________________________________________________________
Restrictive Statement: Graduate standing or consent of instructor is required for
advanced undergraduate students
Course Description:
This course offers a broad introduction to the study of bilingualism and language contact.
We explore the most important and fascinating aspects of individual and societal
bilingualism, focusing on both theoretical and practical issues. The goal of the course is
to better understand the linguistic, cognitive, cultural, and socio-political dimensions of
bi- and multilingualism and its role in our lives. Some of the questions we will ask
include: How do people become bilingual? Is it harder for a child to learn two languages
at once? Is the bilingual brain different from the monolingual brain? Why do bilinguals
code-switch? What happens when one language encroaches on the other? Can language
shift and loss be predicted? What is the role of language ideologies and attitudes in nation
building? Does bilingualism threaten English in the U.S.? Is English as a global lingua
franca a threat to multilingualism? Topics to be covered include:
▪ bilingual language acquisition in children and adults ▪ language in the mind:
mental representation and processing of two languages ▪ bilingualism as social
practice ▪ bilingual identity ▪ talking bilingual: social meanings and functions of
code-switching ▪ the grammar of code-switching ▪ the politics of language choice
in multilingual communities ▪ transmigration, language planning, and language
rights ▪ globalization, global English, and intercultural communication
Examining empirical data from a variety of languages, we look for universally applicable
explanations for how and why bilinguals use two (or more) languages the way they do.
Questions that sometimes arouse controversy are also addressed—such as the question of
bilingual education and whether there is a relationship between bilingualism and a child’s
cognitive and social development.
Course Objectives: By the end of the course, you will be able to:
▪ understand the key issues, theoretical approaches and methods in the study of
bilingualism, language contact, and social change
▪ understand the linguistic, cognitive and socio-cultural factors and their complex
interaction when languages and their speakers come into contact
▪ evaluate strengths and weaknesses of theoretical concepts and frameworks
proposed to account for various aspects and forms of bilingualism
▪ conduct original research on some aspect of bilingualism (preferably in a local
community), including collecting, transcribing, and analyzing bilingual data and
present research findings in a scholarly format
▪ appreciate bi- and multilingualism as a normal and complex phenomenon both
at the individual and societal level, as a global resource of linguistic and cultural
diversity
▪ explain the relevance of bilingual practices in their own lives and reflect on the
impact of bilingualism in the political and cultural economy of the 21st century
Textbooks:
Required: ▪ Myers-Scotton, C. 2006. Multiple Voices: An Introduction to Bilingualism.
Blackwell. ($36.95) ▪ Grosjean, F. 2010. Bilingual Life and Reality. Harvard University
Press. ▪ Readings on Moodle and Library e-reserve.
Recommended: ▪ Wei, Li. (2nd.ed.) 2007. The Bilingualism Reader. Routledge. ($33.25)
Heller, Monica (ed.). 2007. Bilingualism: A social approach. Palgrave. ($28.60)
▪ Gardner-Chloros, P. 2009. Code-switching. CUP. ▪ Wei, Li & Melissa Moyer (eds.)
2008. The Blackwell guide to research methods in bilingualism and multilingualism.
Blackwell. ($49.95)
Class Format:
Much of the course will be organized as a seminar; it will consist of short lectures,
student presentations on assigned readings, and class and group discussions. Everyone is
responsible for the material covered in the readings and everyone is expected to
participate in all class activities.
Course Requirements:
▪ You are expected to have read all the material before class and be ready to participate in
class discussions, provide critical interpretation of readings, and illustrate theoretical
issues with examples from your own life experience.
▪ You will give an oral presentation and lead a critical discussion on a selected required
reading on E-reserve. The presentation should be about 15 minutes. You will be required
to prepare a handout for students in class.
▪ There will be two short papers (an article review and a book review) and a few smaller
homework assignments.
▪ There will be a small-group presentation on a research topic of your choice in
bilingualism.
▪ There will be a midterm exam. The answers to questions will require an analysis and
synthesis of our readings and class discussions.
▪ You will write a 15-20 page research paper on any topic relevant to the course content.
The paper should be based on original, empirical research. You will present a shorter,
‘conference’ version of your paper (15 minutes) at the end of the semester. You will be
required to meet with me at least twice during the semester to discuss progress on the
paper.
Attendance: You are expected to be in class regularly. If you miss a class, you need to
contact someone in the class and find out what you missed. Excused absences will only
be given in cases of anticipated activities or documented emergencies. For scheduling
make-up work, please contact me. You are permitted 3 unexcused absences. If you miss
more than 3 classes, your final grade will be reduced by 1 point for each additional class
missed. (For more information, please see the university attendance policy at
ttp://www.ncsu.edu/policies/academic_affairs/pols_regs/REG205.00.4.php).
Grading:
Oral presentation on reading:
Group presentation:
Research paper & presentation:
Mid-term exam:
Short papers:
Homework, class participation:
5%
10 %
35 %
30 %
10 %
10 %
Grading scale: 98-100 = A+ 88-89 = B+ 78-79 = C+ 68-69 = D+ less than 60 = F
93-97 = A
83-87 = B 73-77 = C 63-67 = D
90-92 = A- 80-82 = B- 70-72 = C- 60-62 = DAcademic Integrity: The NCSU Code of Conduct defines academic dishonesty ‘the
giving, taking, or presenting of information or material by a student that unethically or
fraudulently aids oneself or another on any work which is to be considered in the
determination of a grade or the completion of academic requirements or the enhancement
of that student’s record or academic career.’ It is my understanding and expectation that
your signature on ANY test or assignment means that you neither gave nor received
unauthorized aid (see Honor Pledge below). The least penalty for academic dishonesty is
to be placed on academic integrity probation for the remainder of the student’s academic
career. For further information please refer to the Code of Student Conduct.
Honor Pledge: "I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this test or
assignment."
ADA: North Carolina State University seeks to fully comply with the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA). Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with
verifiable disabilities. In order to take advantage of available accommodations, students
must register with Disability Services for Students at 1900 Student Health Center,
Campus Box 7509, 515-7633. http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/offices/affirm_action/dss/
For more information on NC State's policy on working with students with disabilities,
please see the Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Regulation
(http://www.ncsu.edu/policies/academic affairs/courses undergrad/REG02.20.1.php)
Class evaluation: http://www.ncsu.edu/UPA/classeval/syllabus_info.htm
Tentative Class Schedule
(♣ = take your pick)
Week 1
Jan 11, T
Overview of course content and objectives
▪ CMS, Chapter 1
Jan 13, TH
What is language? What is language contact? What is bilingualism?
▪ CMS, Chapter 3
▪ Wei, Introduction: Dimensions of bilingualism, ER
▪ Grosjean, Chapters 1-3
______________________________________________________________________________________
Week 2
Research methods in bilingualism
Jan 18, T
▪Wei, Methodological questions in the study of bilingualism, ER
▪ Moyer, Research as practice: Linking theory, method, and data, ER
▪ Nortier, Types and sources of bilingual data, ER
♣ Codo, Interviews and questionnaires, ER
♣ Pavlenko, Narrative analysis, ER
Jan 20, TH
Language contact and its outcomes: The big picture
▪ CMS, Chapter 4: Language maintenance and shift
▪ Gal, Peasant men can’t get wives, ER
▪ Bentahila & Davis, Convergence & divergence: two cases of language shift in
Morocco, ER
___________________________________________________________________________________
Week 3
Language maintenance and shift: Another look
Jan 25, T
♣ Gafaranga, Medium request: Talking language shift into being, ER
♣ Canagarajah, Language shift & the family: Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora, ER
♣Stoessel, Investigating the role of social networks in lang. maint. & shift, ER
Jan 27, TH
Bilingual practice, language ideologies and attitudes
▪ CMS, Chapter 5: Ideologies and attitudes
▪ Grosjean, Chapter 9: Attitudes & feelings about bilingualism
▪ Gal and Irvine, The boundaries of languages & disciplines: How ideologies
construct difference, ER
♣ Gardner-Chloros et al, Lang. attitudes & use in a transplanted setting, ER
______________________________________________________________________________________
Week 4
Transmigration, bilingualism, biculturalism
Feb 1, T
▪ Grosjean, Chapter 10: Bilinguals who are also bicultural
▪ Krzyzanowski & Wodak, Multiple identities, migration and belonging, ER
▪ Bolonyai, Different spaces, spaces of difference (ppt)
▪ Caldas-Coulthard , Mongrel selves, ER
Feb 3, TH
The political economy of code choice: The difference historical & socio-political
conditions make
▪ Gal, The political economy of code choice, ER
▪ Canagarajah, The political economy of code choice in a “revolutionary society”:
Tamil-English bilingualism in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, ER
▪ Heller, Code-switching and the politics of language, ER
________________________________________________________________________
Week 5
Feb 8, T
Social motivations for bilingual interaction
▪ CMS, Chapter 6: The social motivations for language use
▪ Grosjean, Chapter 4: Language mode and language choice
▪ Gumperz, Conversational code switching, ER
Feb 10, TH
Identity negotiation and code-switching
▪ Myers-Scotton, Code-switching as indexical of social negotiations, ER
▪ Grosjean, Chapter 11: Personality, thinking, & emotions in bilinguals
♣ de Fina, Codeswitching & the construction of ethnic identity in a CofP, ER
♣ Koven, Two languages in the self/the self in two languages, ER
______________________________________________________________________________________
Week 6
The conversational structure of code-switching
Feb 15, T
▪ Auer, The pragmatics of code-switching: A sequential approach
▪ Li Wei, What do you want me to say? CA approach to bilingual interaction, ER
♣ Li Wei, The why & how in the analysis of conversational CS, ER
♣ Gafaranga, Linguistic identities in talk-in-interaction, ER
Feb 17, TH
Code-switching as a rational choice
▪ Myers-Scotton & Bolonyai, Calculating speakers: CS in a RC model, ER
▪ Bolonyai, “Who was the best?”: Power, knowledge & rationality in bilingual
girls’ code choices, ER
♣ Myers-Scotton, Frequency and intentionality in (un)marked choices in CS, ER
Week 7
Feb 22, T
Code-switching in modernity: Hybridity, dialogism, performativity
♣ Woolard, Simultaneity and bivalency as strategies in bilingualism
♣ Stroud, The performativity of codeswitching, ER
♣ Bhatt, In other words, ER
♣ Piller, Identity constructions in multilingual advertising, ER
♣ Sarkar & Winer, Multiling.CS in Quebec rap: Poetry, pragms, performativity ER
Feb 24, TH
Socio-pragmatics of CS: An optimality-theoretical model
▪ Bhatt & Bolonyai, Code-switching and the optimal grammar of bilingual use, ER
Week 8
March 1, T
Linguistic aspects of language contact and bilingualism
▪ CMS, Chapter 8: Lexical borrowing
▪ Grosjean, Chapter 5, Code-switching & borrowing
March 3, TH
Grammar(s) of code-switching
▪ CMS, Chapter 9: What happens to grammars in bilingual contact 233-270
▪ Gardner-Chloros, Grammatical aspects of CS, ER
Week 9
Spring Break
March 8, T
No class
March 10, TH
No class
______________________________________________________________________________________
Week 10
Language acquisition and bilingualism
Midterm due
March 15, T
▪ CMS, Chapter 11: Age of acquisition and success with a second language
▪ Grosjean, Ch. 14-16: In & out of biling., Acquiring 2 langs,, Ling. aspects of biling.
▪ Paradis, Early bilinguals & multilingual acquisition, ER
March 17, TH
Language attrition
▪ CMS, Chapter 9: What happens to grammars in bilingual contact 271-287
▪ Bolonyai, In-between languages, ER
▪ Bolonyai, Codeswitching, imperfect acquisition, and attrition, ER
♣ Ecke, Language attrition and theories of forgetting: A cross-disciplinary review, ER
Week 11
March 22, T
Bilingualism and education
▪ CMS, Chapter 12: Language policies & globalization 397-414
▪ Grosjean, Chapter 19: Education & bilingualism
▪ Garcia, Education, multilingualism & translanguaging in the 21 st century, ER
♣ Shannon, The debate on bilingual education in the U.S., ER
♣ Wiley, Language planning, language policy, & the English-Only Movement, ER
March 24, TH
Code-switching in the classroom
♣ Martin-Jones et al, Turn-taking, power asymmetries in classroom discourse, ER
♣ Jaffe, CS and stance in a Corsican classroom, ER
♣ Camilleri Grima, Language values & identities: CS in classrooms in Malta, ER
♣ Gutierrez, Rethinking diversity:Hybridity & hybrid ling. practices in the 3 rd space
______________________________________________________________________________________
Week 12
March 29, T
No Class ? (Conference)
March 31, TH
Globalization, Global English, English as a Lingua Franca
♣ Bhatt Experts, Dialects, and Discourse, ER
♣ Canagarajah, The place of WE in composition, ER
♣ Bhatt, World Englishes, globalization and the politics of conformity, ER
♣ Seidlhofer et al, English as a Lingua Franca in Europe, ER
♣ Kachru, The bilingual’s creativity: Discoursal and stylistic strategies, ER
♣ Bokamba, The Africanization of English, ER
Week 13
Apr 5, T
Multilingualism & the Internet
▪ Dorleijn & Nortier, Code-switching and the internet, ER
▪ Androtsoupolous, CS in computer-mediated communication, ER
♣ Deumert & Masinyana, Mobile lang. choices in text messages, ER
♣ Tsiplakou, Doing bilingualism: Lang. alternation for online identities, ER
♣ Androtsoupolous, Multilingualism, diaspora & the internet, ER
♣ Spilioti, Graphemic representations as identity in Greek CMS, ER
Apr 7, TH
Workshop on Paper
▪ Research Topic, Question, Hypotheses
Week 14
Apr 12, T
Workshop on Paper
▪ Literature Review, Theoretical Framework
Apr 14, TH
Workshop on Paper
▪ Methods
Week 15
Apr 19, T
Workshop on Paper
▪ Data Analysis & Interpretation
Apr 21, TH
Spring holiday
No Class
Workshop on Paper
▪ Final draft due
Week 16
Apr 26, T
Apr 28, TH
Student paper presentations
Research paper due
______________________________________________________________________________________
Final exam day: May 12, Thursday, 1:00-4:00pm