This lecture series is designed as an introduction to English in its global context. It will begin with an historical overview of the development of the English language in the British Isles from its beginnings to the onset of the colonial period in the early 17th century. Then the spread of English overseas will be dealt with and the manner in which colonies - and hence new varieties of English - were established will be discussed.
The discussion of English in the present-day world will be focussed on the role of the language in the many anglophone countries, i.e. where English is spoken as a native language. But those countries - especially in Asia - where English is a second or foreign language are also to be considered and the changing role of English there and elsewhere will be considered in detail.
Recommended literature
Blommaert, Jan 2010 The Sociolinguistics of Globalisation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chambers, J. K. and Natalie Schilling (eds) 2013. The Handbook of Language Variation and Change. Second edition. Malden, MA / Oxford: Blackwell.
Cheshire, Jenny (ed.) 1991. English Around the World. Sociolinguistic perspectives. Cambridge: University Press.
Crystal, David 1998. English as a Global Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Crystal, David 2004. Stories of English. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Beal, Joan 2006. Language and Region. London: Routledge.
Gramley, Stephan 2001. The Vocabulary of World English. London: Arnold.
Hickey, Raymond 2014. A Dictionary of Varieties of English. Malden, MA / Oxford: Blackwell.
Kortmann, Bernd et al. (eds) 2008. Handbook of Varieties of English. 4 Vols. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
McArthur, Tom 1992. The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
McArthur, Tom 2002. The Oxford Guide to World English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Students interested in the subject matter of this lecture series should consult the following website in advance:
Studying Varieties of English
Information on the history of English can be found on this website:
Studying the History of English
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