BeLing SS 07 (pdf, 958KB) - Institut für Sprachwissenschaft ...

Content: In this course we will tackle the notion of “style” as discussed in linguistics.
To quote Rickford and Eckert (2001: 1) on the importance of this concept: “Style is a
pivotal construct in the study of sociolinguistic variation. Stylistic variability in speech
affords us the possibility of observing linguistic change in progress … Moreover,
since all individuals and social groups have stylistic repertoires, the styles in which
they are recorded must be taken into account when comparing them ... . Finally, style
is the locus of the individual’s internalization of broader social distributions of
variation … .” As you will discover, style is not easily defined, nor easily studied.
Using Eckert and Rickford’s (2001) collection Style and Sociolinguistic Variation, you
will be introduced to different approaches to the study of linguistic variation: an
anthropological approach, the Labovian sociolinguistic approach, Accommodation
Theory and the approach propagated by Biber and Finegan, which has written and
spoken register shifts at its heart.
Texts: The course book will be available for purchase at the Uni Tobler bookshop:
Eckert, Penelope and John R. Rickford (eds.)
2001 Style and Sociolinguistic Variation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University
Press.
Aims: At the end of this course, students should be able to
- know and apply the key terminology of the field of study;
- define and critically compare different approaches to the study of style;
- read the assigned texts critically with respect to content and methods employed
Credit: Credits for the course are based on regular attendance and completion of all
course work and evaluations.
Evaluation (Leistungskontrolle):
Test/Exam
Written Assignment(s)
Oral Presentation
Other Class Work
Evaluation at end of entire Module only Other :
Date of Evaluation:
Throughout semester
Last week of semester
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