Language in multilingual contexts

3 ECTS credits
75 h study time

Offer 2 with catalog number 1023795ANR for all students in the 1st semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

English

Faculty

Faculty of Languages & Humanities

Department

Linguistics and Literary Studies

Educational team

Wim Vandenbussche (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
25 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

Presentation and discussion of variation and diversity in language use, i.e. both regional dialects and varieties stemming from the social and geographic position and background of the language users (sociolinguistics). Important topics include language and communication, geographic and stylistic variation, awareness of standards, language contact, bi and multilingualism. Besides the theoretical introduction a number of representative case studies will be discussed in great depth.

Course material

Digital course material (Required) : Inleiding tot de variatielinguïstiek, R. Willemyns, Canvas

Additional info

Information for 2020/2021: the relevant chapters from the recommended course text and the digital course materials will be made available for free via Canvas. Students are, accordingly, *not* expected to buy the course text.

This subject is taught in Dutch.

The required digital material will be supplied via Canvas.

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

Students

-acquire insight in a number of crucial basic concepts of sociolinguistics
-familiarise themselves with the basic principles of social, geographical and situation-dependent language variation
-familiarise themselves with the major currents of the discipline which will be addressed in the remainder of their study trajectory (multilingualism, language contact, language planning, language variation, historical sociolinguistics)
-are able to apply general sociolinguistic principles on everyday situations in their lives, especially in the Belgian/Brussels contexts
-are able to make logical cross-references between the various sociolinguistic dimensions of a communicative situation
-are able to perform (under guidance) (aspects of) sociolinguistic research and can report on this research in a short paper of acceptable quality
-master Dutch on the academic level that can be expected from Ba1-students

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Written exam with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Note: Discussion of the subject matter and discussion of case studies.
An assignment *can* be given throughout the academic year.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Written examination: combination of multiple choice questions and open questions, focussed on the subject matter and the case studies.
An assignment *may* be given during the academic year that counts for a quarter of the final mark.

The partial result of the paper will be transferred to the second exam session, if this result was 10/20 or higher. Students wishing to submit a new version of the paper send an email to the course titular (with the new paper) at the very latest before the start of the second exam session.

The partial result of the paper will be transferred to the next academic year, if this result was 10/20 or higher. Students wishing to submit a new version of the paper send an email to the course titular (with the new paper) at the very latest before the start of the first exam session of the next academic year.

Absence for a required part of the evaluation (either the examination or the paper) will result in an 'absent' grade code for the course.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context