Dialects and Accents module (PY42004)

Everyone speaks a particular dialect and with a particular accent, but some accents and dialects are viewed more positively by society and others less so.

This module will introduce you to the topic of dialects and accents. It will examine dialects and accents from the perspective of language learners and users as well as from a societal perspective, looking at topics like lexical organisation, accent bias, and discrimination.

What you will learn

In this module, you will:

• learn how languages, dialects, and accents are defined and learn about the challenges associated with defining these terms
• learn how children learn to discriminate between different regional accents of their language and how adult speakers process their regional dialect or accent, especially if these are non-standard
• learn about bias and discrimination targeting non-standard dialect and accent speakers, focusing on educational and employment sectors
• learn about the common methodologies used to investigate dialects and accents

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• understand the challenges surrounding research in this field
• understand the theories of language learning and usage, and how they apply to dialects and accents
• understand the social psychological context surrounding non-standard dialect usage
• critically evaluate and analyse the evidence relating to these topics and construct an argument

Assignments / assessment

• open- book essay (33%)
  • typed and timed essay conducted during class time
• two-hour written unseen exam (67%)
  • you will answer two questions from a pool of five
• formative assessment
  • in-class small-group presentations

Teaching methods / timetable

Classes will be interactive and student-led with limited lecture content.

This module is delivered through weekly two-hour student-led seminars. You will be expected to read key articles beforehand and discuss them in small groups during class, before engaging in a class-wide discussion.