World Englishes, postcolonial Englishes, N/new Englishes – all these terms refer to the varieties of the English language that are spoken around the world. In this class we will focus on the linguistic and sociolinguistic features of these varieties, as well as their historical development and cultural environment. Related topics such as English as a lingua franca and contact languages like English-based pidgins or creoles that are spoken around the world, will be touched upon too.
Students wishing to obtain a Leistungsnachweis have to give a presentation in class and write an essay on the topic of the presentation. Teilnahmenachweise require active participation and the completion of a small linguistic survey.
There will be no single course book but we will rather work with texts from various books on the subject. Students wishing to prepare for the class can have a look at these books:
Jenkins, J. 2003. World Englishes: A Resource Book for Students. London: Routledge.
Melchers, G. & Shaw, P. 2003. World Englishes. Abingdon: Hodder.
Mesthrie, R. & R. M. Bhatt. 2008. World Englishes: The Study of New Varieties. Cambridge: CUP.
Schneider, E. W. 2007. Postcolonial English. Cambridge: CUP. |
