Bachelor’s Degree Lecture: What makes bad language? A sociolinguistic perspective

obligatory courses

The student should have knowledge of basic linguistic concepts (language B/C and know language B at the B2 + / C1 level.

Classroom

The course is intended for students of the third year of BA studies. Their goal is to familiarise students with basic aspects of sociolinguistics (we will focus on those aspects of language that are often regarded as examples of "bad language" (lexicon of slang or swearing, language sexism, etc.).

The course focuses on the following topics:

1. Sociolinguistics as a branch of linguistics.

2. Language as a tool used in the examination of social interaction.

3. Sociolect

4. What make bad language?

5. Slang (definitions, typology, examples)

6. Taboo language (ways to avoid taboo; euphemisms, political correctness)

7. Language of swearing - then and now (typology, examples, motivation)

8. Language sexism

Bauer, L. & P. Trudgill. (1999) Language Myths. Penguin Books.

Bergen, B. K. (2018) What the F: What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves. Basic Books.

Coleman, J. (2008-2010) A History of Cant and Slang Dictionaries. (4 volumes). Oxford: OUP.

Coleman, J. (2014) The Life of Slang. Oxford: OUP.

Green’s Dictionary of Slang (https://greensdictofslang.com)

Hughes, G. (1998) Swearing: A Social History of Foul Language, Oaths, and Profanity in English. Penguin Books.

Hughes, G. (2006) An Encyclopedia of Swearing: The Social History of Oaths, Profanity, Foul Language, and Ethnic Slurs in the English-Speaking World. M.E. Sharpe.

Mohr, M. (2016) Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing. Oxford: OUP.

Tannen, D. (2007) You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation. William Morrow Paperbacks

Trudgill, P. (2001) Sociolinguistics: An Introduction to Language and Society. Penguin Books.

KNOWLEDGE:

The student:

- has the knowledge of the language at C1 level (CEFR), understands its structure and specificity (K1_W01);

- knows morphosyntactic structures, understands oral statements at C1 level, interprets general and specialized written texts at C1 level, knows word definitions, synonyms and idioms, has a grounded knowledge of lexical, grammatical and phonetic issues regarding the English language, as indicated in the course description(K1_W01);

- understands the complexity of the English language at C1 level (CEFR) (K1_W03);

- knows and understands the elements of selected English-speaking countries’ culture, understands the role of language in intercultural and cultural communication (K1_W07, K1_W10);

- knows and understands cultural differences, constituting important factors in the process of creating multicultural societies in the modern world, has a general knowledge of the reality, socio-economic and legal conditions of selected English-speaking countries (K1_W11)

SKILLS

The student:

- possesses linguistic skills at C1 level (CEFR), also in typical professional situations which require the knowledge of techniques, strategies and different communication channels (K1_U05, K1_U09);

- is able to critique cultural texts, search for, analyse, evaluate and select authentic general, specialized and academic texts in English and further develop professional skills in English (K1_U01);

- can identify characteristic cultural elements and correctly interpret phenomena regarding the English language, react properly in every communicative situation while considering the cultural context and using customary expressions (K1_U03);

- can differentiate between the British and American variant of English pronunciation (K_U05);

- can prepare written assignments on academic level in English on discussed specialized and scientific subjects (K1_U06);

- can prepare speeches in English using properly selected scientific and academic source materials (K1_U07);

- can set priorities and plan activities in order to perform specific linguistic, communicative and academic professional tasks in English, understands the need of self-study and the necessity of continuous development of skills (K1_U12);

- can solve problems and perform linguistic tasks in English at C1 competence level in conditions which are not fully predictable, through assessing the situation and choosing appropriate methods and tools (K1_U13)

SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCIES

The student is:

- prepared to cooperate and work in a group, assume various roles and respect rules of good communication in English (K1_K06);

- prepared to identify and properly solve communicative dilemmas between English and Polish, which result from the asymmetry in linguistic systems and cultural variety (K1_K01);

- prepared to participate in cultural life in Poland and selected English-speaking countries, promote their cultures while using both traditional and modern forms of communication and media (K1_K03).

- prepared to take measures in inter-linguistic communication in order to preserve the cultural heritage of Poland and England (K1_K04)

Didactic methods: interactive lecture, tasks, questions and answers, case studies, presentations.

Methods of work: group work, individual work, discussions.

Work assessment methods: written test - 60%

Assessment criteria:

60% -70% = 3

71% -76% = 3+

77% -83% = 4

84% -89% = 4+

90% -100% = 5