Identifying Data 2022/23
Subject (*) Variation and Change in English Code 613505108
Study programme
Mestrado Universitario en Estudos Ingleses Avanzados e as súas Aplicacións (2019)
Descriptors Cycle Period Year Type Credits
Official Master's Degree 2nd four-month period
 First Optional 3
Language
English
Teaching method Hybrid
Prerequisites
Department Letras
Coordinador
Crespo Garcia, Maria Begoña
 E-mail
begona.crespo.garcia@udc.es
Lecturers
Crespo Garcia, Maria Begoña
Moskowich-Spiegel Fandiño, Isabel
 E-mail
begona.crespo.garcia@udc.es
isabel.moskowich-spiegel.fandino@udc.es
Web http://www.imaes.eu/?page_id=31
General description The aim of this module is to familiarise students with the major issues and methodologies of variationist research as well as to equip them with the necessary skills and tools to identify, analyse and interpret particular cases of variation and/or linguistic change at the different levels of analysis (phonological, morphosyntactic, lexical and semantico-pragmatic).

Study programme competencies
Code Study programme competences / results

Learning aims
Learning outcomes Study programme competences / results

Contents
Topic Sub-topic
Introducing language variation and change: Linguistic variation as a condition for linguistic change. The idea of language change
The idea of language variation
Language classifications: typological, geographical, genealogical
Diachrony, synchrony, diatopy and diaphases in language.
Basic types of linguistic change Simplification and elaboration
Factors determining variation and change: Internal and external factors.
Materials for the study of variation and change in English. The nature of the evidence and its limitations
Variation and change in the different linguistic components Phonology
Lexis
Semantics
Morphology
Syntax
An overview of approaches to the study of language variation and change

Planning
Methodologies / tests Competencies / Results Teaching hours (in-person & virtual) Student’s personal work hours Total hours
Guest lecture / keynote speech 5 0 5
ICT practicals 5 10 15
Document analysis 2 12 14
Mixed objective/subjective test 1 9 10
Seminar 7 7 14
Oral presentation 2 10 12
 
Personalized attention 5 0 5
 
(*)The information in the planning table is for guidance only and does not take into account the heterogeneity of the students.

Methodologies
Methodologies Description
Guest lecture / keynote speech Students will be given examples from different languages so that they may think about any phenomena observable at first sight
ICT practicals Use of different platforms, dataases, tee-banks, corpora and other electronic tools for linguistic research that are good bases for empirical studies
Document analysis Critical reading of recommended sources
Mixed objective/subjective test Mixed test to be solved either in class or at home
Seminar
Oral presentation Presentation containing the concepts and competences acquired

Personalized attention
Methodologies
ICT practicals
Description
Students will receive persional attention either at the teachers' offices or via e-mail.

Assessment
Methodologies Competencies / Results Description Qualification
Mixed objective/subjective test Test or tests to be taken in class or submitted by any electronic platform as recommended by the teacgers 25
Oral presentation Oral presentation and/or paper (1,500 words, excluding references). 50
ICT practicals Use and command of electronic linguistic tools and resources 20
Document analysis Critical reading of different sources 5
 
Assessment comments

1. % Active participation inthe sessions. Please note that attendance to thesessions is compulsory. (Assessed competences: G04,G06, G07)

2. 45% Exercises(e.g. in-class or home assignments) to be submitted via the teaching platform. (Assessedcompetences: G01, G02, G03, G04, G05, G06, G07, G08, E01, E02, E06)

3. 50% Oral presentation and paper (1,500 words,excluding references). (Assessed competences: G01, G02, G03, G04, G05, G06, G07,G08, G09, G10, E01, E02, E06)

In order to pass this module,students must obtain at least a mark of 50 (out of 100) in items 2 and 3.

Second opportunity:

Students will have to repeat only those parts (exercise(s) and paper)in which they did notreach a pass in the first opportunity.

IMPORTANT

All exercises and tests will be done in English. Overall correctness in language and in the use of formal conventions is indispensable. Therefore, grammatical and orthographicmistakes will be penalised.

Academic misconduct (including cheating, plagiarism, collusion or fabrication of results) will not be toleratedand will be penalised.

Second opportunity:

Students will have to repeat only those parts (exercises and case study)in which they did not reach a pass in the first opportunity. In the secondopportunity the case study will be submitted as a written essay (between2,000-3,000 words, excluding references).

Students officially exempt from class attendance:

All exercises and tests will be done in English. Overall correctness inlanguage and in the use of formal conventions is indispensable. Therefore,grammatical and orthographic mistakes will be penalised.

Those who are officially registered as part-time students, and have been granted permission not to attend classes, as stipulated in the regulations of this University, will be assessed in either of the opportunities according to the same criteria specified for the second opportunity.

Part-time students who have been granted a "dispensa académica" must contact the teacher at the beginning of the semester in order to design the necessary changes and adjustments relating to the different activities to be carried out along the academic year.

LINGUISTIC ACCURACY

Both the theoretical and practical examination must meet the minimum requirements of linguistic correctness (spelling and grammar, punctuation, syntax concordance, lexical precision, or formal register). The level in English language expected of students is equivalent to a C1 level. Deficiencies in this area will be penalized in qualifying.

Essays and written work may be tested through Turnitin in order to detect wrong citations, plagiarism or any other type of fraud. Should this occur, the rules for plagiarism will be applied. (Normasde avaliación, revisión e reclamación das cualificacións dos estudos de grao emestrado universitario). Turnitin recognises papers previously turned in by other people (or the student him/herself) at this university or other universities, as well as other material found on Internet.

Sources of information
Basic

Aitchison, Jean.1981. Language Change: Progress or Decay? London: Fontana Paperbacks.

Barber, Charles.2000. The English Language: A Historical Introduction . Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.

Bergs,Alexander, Brinton, Laurel J. (eds.). 2012. English Historical Linguistics.An International Handbook . Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.

Blake, Norman(ed.). 1992 . The Cambridge history of the English language. Vol.2: 1066-1476 .Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Brinton,Laurel J. (ed.). 2017. English HistoricalLinguistics. Approaches and Perspectives . Cambridge: Cambridge UniversityPress.

Brinton, Laurel J. & Leslie K. Arnovick. 2011. The English Language. A Linguistic History . 2nd edn. Oxford: OxfordUniversity PressBurchfield,Robert (ed). 1994

Burnley, David.2000. The History of the English Language: A Source Book . London:Longman.

Burridge, Kate & Alexander Bergs. 2017. Understanding Language Change . London: RoutledgeCable, Thomas.2002.

Campbell, Lyle. 1999/2004. Historical Linguistics. An Introduction . Cambridge, Ma: The MIT Press.

Chambers, Jack,Peter Trudgill & Natalie Schilling-Estes (eds.). 2004. The Handbook ofLanguage Variation and Change . London: Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Chen, Matthew A.1975. "Sound Change: Actuation and Implementation, Language, 51/2: 255-281.

Coates, Jennifer. 2004. Women, Men, and Language: A Sociolinguistic Account ofGender Differences in Language . London: Pearson Longman.

Conde-Silvestre, Camilo.2016. A ‘third-wave’ historical sociolinguistic approach to late Middle Englishcorrespondence: Evidence. from the Stonor Letters. InRussi, Cinzia (ed.) Current Trends in Historical Sociolinguistics . Berlin: Walter de Gruyter (46-66)

Coupland, Nikolas. 2007. Language Variation and Identity . Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press.

Fairclough, Norman. 2001. Language and Power . London: Longman.

Fasold, Ralph W.& Schiffrin, Deborah (eds).1989. LanguageChange and Variation , Washington DC: Georgetown Univ. Press.

Fischer, Olga. 2007. Morphosyntactic Change .Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Gumperz, John J.1976. “Social Network and Language Shift", Working Paper 46, Berkeley (Language Behaviour ResearchLaboratory).

Hickey, Raymon.2003 (ed.). Motives for Language Change . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hock, Hans Henrich & Brian D. Joseph. 1996. Language History, Language Change and Language Relationship. An Introduction to Historical and Comparative Linguistics . Berlin & New York: Mouton deGruyter.

Hogg, Richard & David Denison (eds.). 2006. AHistory of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Holmes, Janet.2008. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics . London: Longman.

Joseph, Brian D. & Richard D. Janda (eds.). 2003. The Handbook of Historical Linguistics . Oxford: Blackwell.

Jucker, Andreas H. & Irma Taavitsainen. 2013. English Historical Pragmatics .Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Jucker, Andreas H. & Irma Taavitsainen (eds.). 2010. Historical Pragmatics . Berlin & New York: De Gruyter.

Kay, Christian & Kathryn Allan. 2015. English Historical Semantics . Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

King, Robert Desmond.1969. Historical linguistics and Generative Grammar. Prentice Hall.

Krishnamurti, Bh. 1978. “Areal and Lexical Diffusion of Sound Change", Language , 54, 1-20.

Kytö, Merja & Päivi Pahta (eds.). 2016. The Cambridge Handbook of English Historical Linguistics . Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press.

Kytö, Merja,John Scahill & Harumi Tanabe (eds). 2010. Language Change and Variationfrom old English to Late Modern English: A Festschrift for Minoji Akimoto .Berlin: Peter Lang.

Labov,William. 1994. P rinciples of LinguisticChange. Volume 1: Internal Factors . Oxford: UK & Cambridge USA:Blackwell.

Labov, William. 2001. Principles of LinguisticChange. Volume 2: External Factors . Oxford: UK & Cambridge USA: Blackwell.

Lass, Roger. 1997. Historical Linguistics and Language Change . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Los, Bettelou. 2015. A Historical Syntax of English . Edinburgh: EdinburghUniversity Press.

McMahon, April. 1994. Understanding LanguageChange . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Minkova,Donka. 2013. A Historical Phonology of English . Edinburgh: EdinburghUniversity Press.

Nevalainen, Terttu & Helena Raumolin-Brunberg. 2003. Historical Sociolinguistics . London: Longman.

Ringe, Don. 2021. A Historical Morphology of English . Edinburgh: EdinburghUniversity Press.

Samuels, Michael L. 1972. Linguistic Evolution,with Special Reference to English . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Schendl, Herbert. 2001. Historical Linguistics .Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Trask, Robert Lawrence. 1994. Language Change . London & New York: Routledge.

Trask, Robert Lawrence. 1996. HistoricalLinguistics . London: Arnold.

Traugott, Elizabeth C. & Richard B. Dasher. 2002. Regularityin Semantic Change . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Complementary


Recommendations
Subjects that it is recommended to have taken before

Subjects that are recommended to be taken simultaneously

Subjects that continue the syllabus

Other comments

 Students are expected to complete all assignments and readings suggested by the lecturer(s), and to come to the sessions prepared to discuss them. Students must visit the eLearning platform for the course regularly. Students are expected to check their university email on a regular basis: announcements and last-minute changes will be notified via email.  Academic misconduct (including cheating, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion or fabrication of results) will not be tolerated and will be penalised. 



(*)The teaching guide is the document in which the URV publishes the information about all its courses. It is a public document and cannot be modified. Only in exceptional cases can it be revised by the competent agent or duly revised so that it is in line with current legislation.