The existence and constitution of a ‘Standard English’ is widely and critically discussed by educators, linguists, policy makers and the media. In fact, everyone seems to have a set opinion on what type of English should be taught at school and on the English that should be spoken by certain people in specific contexts. It is for example considered equally inappropriate of Prince Harry to use racially sensitive terms like ‘Paki’ as it is nowadays seen as incorrect to say “ain’t” or “you was” in formal situations although these forms were once used by the Kings and Queens of Britain. In this course we will explore language ideology of the past and present, look at different forms of variation and see how non-standard English and varieties of English are used as a means to create national and in-group identity or used to represent such groups prototypically in literature. |
