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In this course we will analyze the vocabularies of different texts such as novels, magazines, dictionaries and music lyrics. After an introduction to lexicology (the study of the words in a language) and lexicography (the making of dictionaries), we will look at how the vocabulary shapes different texts to make them befitting of e.g. the regional or temporal setting, the age or gender of the audience, or of their respective genres. Key areas of analysis include word origins, word creation, semantic fields, collocations, regional variation, jargon, taboo words and more. The first part of the course will include the introduction and several sessions in which students complete sample analyses in class with different texts and foci. At home reading is required as preparation and all texts will be made available. The second half of the course is reserved for student presentations. Students are expected to introduce their term paper ideas and corpora and to provide a sample analysis. |
