Accents of English

elective courses

Classroom

The aim of the course is to make a smooth introduction to the topics of students’ interest. The participants can deepen their understanding of linguistics from the point of view of dialectology, which includes understanding of various accents of English.

COURSE CONTENT:

The course highlights a geographical variation of English dialects. It is focused on mostly native accents of English (i.e. Englishes being mother tongues to the speakers).

An in-depth discussion covers The British Isles dialects such as Received Pronunciation, London English (especially Cockney and Estuary English), northern accents (Liverpool and Newcastle), Welsh, Scottish and Irish English.

Accents used beyond the British Isles, also discussed during the course, include General American, Boston English, Southern American, Canadian, Australian and South African Englishes.

In order to present the whole spectrum of the diversification, the course introduces selected scientific facts concerning sociolects, different language registers and other factors influencing the English pronunciation.

FORMS OF WORK:

Numerous recordings illustrating diagnostics of particular dialects are presented during the course (audio recordings – for instance those taken from International Dialects of English Archive, as well as audiovisual materials). The course participants prepare also their own in-class presentations.

If classroom learning is impossible, the classes will be conducted with the help of distance communication tools: Zoom, Google Meet and others recommended by the University.

CREDIT REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance, activity in class, timely submitted, satisfactory in-class presentations, satisfactory performance at the final test.

The form and conditions of resits are the same as those for course credits obtained at the usual time, unless it is impossible due to organisational reasons (in such a case, the form of obtaining the course credit may change).

Recommended readings:

- Jennifer Jenkins

2003 World Englishes, London: Routledge.

- Joanna Przedlacka:

2005 Models and myth: Updating the (non) standard accents

English pronunciation models: A changing scene

2002 Estuary English? A sociophonetic study of teenage speech in the Home Counties. Frankfurt: Peter Lang.

2001 “RP and Estuary English: some recent findings”. In: Studia Anglica Posnaniensia 36. 35-50.

2000 “Estuary English: glottaling in the Home Counties”. In: Oxford University Working Papers in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics 5: 19 – 24.

1996 “Estuary English — the new standard accent?” In: E. Waniek-Klimczak, (ed.) Teaching English Phonetics and Phonology in Poland, Łódź: WUŁ. 31– 40.

- Peter Trudgill and Jean Hannah

1982 International English, A Guide to Varieties of Standard English, Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd

- Ewa Waniek-Klimczak

2008 Issues in Accents of English, Cambridge Scholars Publishing

- John C. Wells

1982 Accents of English, Cambridge University Press

Volume 1: An Introduction

Volume 2: The British Isles

Volume 3: Beyond the British Isles

- 2008 and 2009 Post-conference proceedings from “Accents”, University of Łódź: Łódź University Press

Knowledge: the graduate knows and understands:

-in-depth, the English phonetics

-in-depth, the complex structure of language as a system

-in-depth, cultural and communicative-social aspects of language use

-in-depth, specialized terminology in the fields of dialectology

-in-depth, fundamental problems of language use as an interlingual and intercultural phenomenon

-in-depth, the role of language in communication between people and cultures, and linguistic phenomena in a broader cognitive, communicative and social context

Skills: the graduate is able to:

-differentiate between and recognise English dialects on the basis of diagnostics

-use a foreign language to an advanced degree (C2 level) in specialized terminology in the field of dialectology

-communicate in an understandable way, including with non-specialists, on topics related to dialectology

-independently acquire knowledge in the field of dialectology and evaluate the usefulness of the learned methods, practices and procedures in their own professional activity

Social competences: the graduate is ready to:

-use their knowledge on dialectal differences and socio-geographical conditioning in their scientific work as well as in intercultural communication

-recognize the importance of the latest linguistic knowledge and critically evaluate research in dialectology, especially those published in scientific journals and monographs and popular science sources

-recognize the importance of linguistic knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems and to consult with experts

Grade for the in-class presentation; continuous assessment (on the basis of regular attendance, preparation for the class, participation in class discussions); grade for the final written test. Each requirement, if assigned, must be fulfilled independently, hence their share in the final mark is not determined.

The criteria of grading assignments:

99% – 100% – 5!

98% – 91% – 5

90% – 86% – 4.5

85% – 76% – 4

75% – 71% – 3.5

70% – 60% – 3

below this level – 2 (unsatisfactory).

Two absences are allowed. (If the limit is exceeded, the student should ask the teacher for compensation assignments; if the number of absences exceeds 50%, the student fails the course in accordance with the Rules of Study).