The aim of the present seminar will be to examine the varieties of English used in small countries around the world. Instead of looking at Canadian, US or Australian English, the focus will be on places like Malta, Tristan da Cunha, Newfoundland, the Channel Islands, Shetland and Orkney or the various anglophone islands in the Pacific such as Hawaii, Fiji or Vanuatu. The reason for doing this is to see under what particular conditions the English language developed in these smaller places. How did English-speaking communities arise in these locations? What other languages were involved? What do these communities tell us about possible scenarios for language development? These are just some of the questions for which answers will be sought.
Literature on Lesser-known Varieties of English
There are various books / articles on lesser-known varieties of English. Literature on individual varieties will be provided to participants in the course when preparing their inclass work and / or term essays.
There is one volume which is dedicated specifically to the topic of the seminar:
Schreier, Daniel, Peter Trudgill, Edgar W. Schneider and Jeffrey P. Williams (eds) 2010. The Lesser-Known Varieties of English. An Introduction. Cambridge: University Press. |
