Kommentiertes Vorlesungsverzeichnis Anglistik Heidelberg SS 2008

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insight into the fascinating world of the English word. To register, please put your name on the list
outside office 232.
Texts: Katamba, Francis. 2005.² English Words – Structure, History, Usage. London: Routledge
Jackson, Howard & Etienne Zé Amvela. 2000. Words, Meaning and Vocabulary. London: Cassell.
Stockwell, Robert & Donka Minkova. 2001. English Words: History and Structure. Cambridge:
CUP.
Course Requirements: Regular and active participation (1 CP); oral report (1 CP);
homework/assignment (1,5 CP); term paper (2 CP).
Introduction to Sociolinguistics
Nina Lötsch Mittwoch 14:15 – 15:45 108 2st.
Broadly speaking, the topic of sociolinguistics can be described as “the relationship between
language and the social context in which it is used” (Holmes 2001: 373). Thus, speakers from
different social groups, different regions and of different age differ in their speech. Even one
speaker does not always speak the same way, but uses different phonemes, morphemes, syntactic
constructions or even different languages when speaking in various social contexts. The linguistic
choices speakers make are determined by so-called ‘social variables’, characterising the speaker
himself and his or her interlocutor(s) (i.e. their age, relative status, gender etc.), but also by other
factors, such as the degree of familiarity between speakers, the will to accommodate to the
interlocutor(s), etc.
In this course, we will analyse the factors determining language use in society and the types and
functions of linguistic variation. We will also have a look at the attitudes people hold towards
languages or varieties of a language, which are a further issue sociolinguistics deals with.
Examining older and more recent studies in sociolinguistics, we will also discuss the methodology
of this discipline.
Texts for preparation: Holmes, Janet 2001. An introduction to sociolinguistics. Harlow²:
Longman. / Wardhaugh, Ronald 2006. An introduction to sociolinguistics. Malden, Mass. 5 :
Blackwell.
Course Requirements: Regular attendance and active participation (1 CP); course
preparation/homework assignments (1,5 CP); oral presentation with detailed handout (1 CP); term
paper (2 CP).
Introduction to text linguistics
Nina Lötsch Freitag 11:15 – 12:45 333 2st.
Description see online at http://www.as.uni-heidelberg.de/kvv/index.php4.
Course Requirements: Regular attendance and active participation (1 CP); course
preparation/homework assignments (1,5 CP); oral presentation with detailed handout (1 CP); term
paper (2 CP).
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