The English language in multilingual contexts

3 ECTS credits
90 u studietijd

Aanbieding 1 met studiegidsnummer 1023802ANR voor alle studenten in het 2e semester met een inleidend bachelor niveau.

Semester

2e semester

Inschrijving onder examencontract

Niet mogelijk

Beoordelingsvoet

Beoordeling (0 tot 20)

2e zittijd mogelijk

Ja

Onderwijstaal

Engels

Faculteit

Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte

Verantwoordelijke vakgroep

Linguistics and Literary Studies

Onderwijsteam

Alexis Housen (titularis)
Bastien De Clercq
Georgia Knell

Onderdelen en contacturen

26 contacturen Hoorcollege
12 contacturen Zelfstudie en externe werkvormen

Inhoud

Please note: The following course content description is provisional.  Changes are possible depending on, amongst others,  the size and composition of the class.  Any changes from the course content described below will be clearly communicated at the beginning of the course.

This course explores the nature, development and role of the English language since its early origins in the 6^thcentury to the modern era characterised by increasing cultural and linguistic diversity, economic and political globalisation and massive migration flows. The English language was born in a multilingual context and has been a contact language ever since. We start by charting how English, the language of a relatively small island off the European mainland, became the dominant global lingua franca of the 20th and 21^st centuries. We examine both how the English language was shaped and changed by the various peoples and their languages that it came into contact with in the last 1500 years, as well as the impact that the English language had on these other peoples and their societies and languages as it spread across the globe through (political, economical and cultural) colonialism and via popular (mass) media. As an example in case, we explore the role and status of English in the city of Brussels, the officially bilingual but in reality hyper-diverse,  multilingual capital of Belgium and the unofficial de facto capital of the European Union. The choice of English as lingua franca in multilingual contexts, from education, business to popular culture, illustrates the significance and power of English in many walks of life. The social, cultural and economic opportunities offered by the knowledge and use of English, and the implications for those who don’t have access to the language, are critically discussed.

We further look at how the English language continues to be shaped by its global spread and the growing number of people who speak English as a native, second or foreign language in a wide range of settings and domains,  from the home to education, science, work and entertainment.  These factors are giving rise to the emergence of new varieties of English (including pidgins, creoles, and ‘new’ or ‘world Englishes’) and other linguistic contact phenomena such as borrowing and code-switching.

The contents of this course will be illustrated by watching, reading and listening to English language samples from a wide variety of contexts, including contexts where English is used as a native, second or foreign language, alongside one or more other languages. Illustrations of English-based pidgins and creoles and New Englishes are also given. 

The choice of English as a lingua franca in multilingual contexts and in domains such as  education, business and popular culture will illustrate the significance and power of English. The social, cultural and economic opportunities offered by the knowledge and use of English, and the implications for those who do not have access to English, are critically discussed.

 

 

Bijkomende info

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Leerresultaten

Leerresultaten

• Students have an understanding of the history and development of English, and its contemporary role alongside and impact on other languages in a globalised, linguistically diverse world
• Students are aware of, and undestand,  the diversity of English as determined by the nature of its users and the contexts in which it is used
• Students have a critical appreciation of contemporary uses of English alongside other modes of communication in a range of social, cultural, political and educational contexts
• Students can use appropriate scientific tools and apply conceptual frameworks for the study of linguistic contact phenomena present in the English language
• Students can critically reflect on their own experiences with the English language along the other languages that they know and use
• Students have a more developed communicative competence in English, allowing them to be more efficient communicators in English in a range of contexts of use.

 

Doelstellingen

The overall goal of the course is to enable students to observe and critically reflect upon how the English language functions and varies between individuals and between diverse cultural, political and national contexts, and how it both shapes and is shaped by the various languages it is in contact with.

 

 

Beoordelingsinformatie

De beoordeling bestaat uit volgende opdrachtcategorieën:
Examen Mondeling bepaalt 30% van het eindcijfer

Examen Schriftelijk bepaalt 70% van het eindcijfer

Binnen de categorie Examen Mondeling dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:

• Mondeling examen met een wegingsfactor 30 en aldus 30% van het totale eindcijfer.

Binnen de categorie Examen Schriftelijk dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:

• Schriftelijk examen met een wegingsfactor 70 en aldus 70% van het totale eindcijfer.

Aanvullende info mbt evaluatie

Please note:  The description of the assessment and evaluation is provisional and subject to changes depending on the size and composition of the class.  Any changes in the assessment and evaluation procedure described below will be clearly communicated to the students at the beginning of the course.

The final mark will be determined by the weighted average calculated as follows:

a)  Written exam: 70% of final mark

b)  Oral exam: 30% of final mark

 

Toegestane onvoldoende

Kijk in het aanvullend OER van je faculteit na of een toegestane onvoldoende mogelijk is voor dit opleidingsonderdeel.

Academische context

Deze aanbieding maakt deel uit van de volgende studieplannen:
Bachelor in de taal- en letterkunde: Nederlands-Engels
Bachelor in de taal- en letterkunde: Engels-Duits
Bachelor in de taal- en letterkunde: Engels-Frans
Bachelor in de taal- en letterkunde: Engels-Italiaans
Bachelor in de taal- en letterkunde: Engels-Spaans
Bachelor of Linguistics and LiteraryStudies: Dutch-English (enkel aangeboden in het Engels)
Bachelor of Linguistics and LiteraryStudies: English-German (enkel aangeboden in het Engels)
Bachelor of Linguistics and LiteraryStudies: English-French (enkel aangeboden in het Engels)
Bachelor of Linguistics and LiteraryStudies: English-Italian (enkel aangeboden in het Engels)
Bachelor of Linguistics and LiteraryStudies: English-Spanish (enkel aangeboden in het Engels)
Schakelprogramma Master of Arts in de taal- en letterkunde: Standaard traject
Schakelprogramma Educatieve Master of Science in de talen: Standaard traject