Sociolinguistics

Teacher(s)

Hambye Philippe;

Language

French

Prerequisites

Completion of an introductory course in linguistics and of a course on the phenomena of variation in contemporary French. 

Main themes

This course covers the objects, concepts and methods of sociolinguistics. It will provide an overview of the major approaches in this discipline (e.g. variationism, interactional sociolinguistics, studies of language ideologies, critical sociolinguistics), highlighting how each of them articulates specific questions, theories and methods. 

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Know and explain the specificities of the sociolinguistic approach to language phenomena;
2	Identify and characterise the different approaches of sociolinguistics, understand what distinguishes them at different levels and master the concepts that are specific to them;
3	Question a given linguistic reality from a sociolinguistic perspective (by formulating an appropriate research question) and select appropriate methodological approaches accordingly.
This learning unit contributes to the development and command of the following skills and learning outcomes of the ELAL programmes: 1.4, 1.6, 2.6, 3.5, 3.6.

Content

The course will present sociolinguistics as a specific discipline within the language sciences. It will begin by proposing a definition of the discipline, characterizing its issues, objects, and preferred fields of investigation. Different approaches within sociolinguistics will then be presented, again highlighting their specific characteristics, with an emphasis on the differences in their objectives and methods. Among these approaches, we will successively address variationism, interactional sociolinguistics, research on linguistic ideologies, and critical sociolinguistics.

Teaching methods

Lectures based on reference articles and case studies.

Evaluation methods

The course will be assessed on the basis of a written exam. For the September session, the assessment will take the form of a written or oral exam, depending on the number of students involved.

Faculty or entity

> ELAL