Sociolinguistics

Code:

CL025

Acronym:

SOCLIN

Instance: 2014/2015 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Portuguese and Romance Studies
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Language Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
CL	14	CL - Study Plan	3	-	6	4

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

The objectives of this CU are to lead the students to:

Recognize the various aspects of the relation between language and society;

Identify the factors of variation;

Recognize the situational factors and the language registers;

Acquire analytical methodologies of the socioverbal interaction.

Learning outcomes and competences

By the end of the semester, the students should be able to:

1. know the basic concepts and theoretical principles for examining the sociolinguistic phenomena;

2. distinguish the different methodologies developed in Sociolinguistics;

3. understand the linguistic varieties as a trace of the relationship between language and user; language and context of use; language and society;

4. practice the analysis of language in social contexts ;

5. apply the acquired knowledge to the analysis of discursive productions of Portuguese speakers.

 

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Not applicable

Program

1. From Linguistics to Sociolinguistics: key theoretical and methodological concepts

2. Variationist Sociolinguistics

2.1  Norm and Usage/ Norm and Variation

2.2. Synchronic variation

2.2.1 Language and Society

2.2.1.1 Social varieties: linguistic variants and dependent and independent variables; stable variation and ongoing change

2.2.2 Language and Geographic dimension

2.2.2.1 Geographical varieties or dialects

2.2.3 Language and Situation

2.2.3.1 Language registers

2.2.3.2 Linguistic competence and communicative competence

2.2.3.3 Determinism; controllability; linguistic insecurity; linguistic hypercorrection

2.2.4 Systematic variation - William Labov

2.3. Diachronic variation

2.3.1 Linguistic change

 3. Interactional Sociolinguistics

3.1 Allocution and interlocution: sociolinguistic interaction

3.2 Sociolinguistic interaction and face work: Erving Goffman

3.3 Linguistic politeness: positive politeness and negative politeness

Mandatory literature

BAYLON, Christian; Sociolinguistique – Société, Langue et Discours, 1991
BOYER, Henry; Eléments de Sociolinguistique – Langue, Communication et Société, 1991
CARVALHO, José Herculano de; “Individualidade e interindividualidade do saber linguístico”, Teoria da Linguagem, vol I, 1967
FERREIRA, Manuela B. e outros; “Variação linguística: perspectiva dialectológica” in Faria, I. H. e outros (orgs) Introdução à Linguística Geral e Portuguesa, 1996
GARMADI, Juliette; Introdução à Sociolinguística, 1989
JOOS, Martin; “The Isolation of Styles” in FISHMAN, Joshua (ed.), Readings in the Sociology of Language, 1968
LABOV, William; Sociolinguistique, 1976
Labov, William ; Padrões sociolinguísticos, Parábola Editorial, 2008
MARQUES, Maria Emília R.; Sociolinguística, 1995
Mollica, Maria Cecília e Braga, Maria Luiza (orgs); Introdução à Sociolinguísica: o tratamento da variação, Contexto, 2004
PEDRO, Emília, Ribeiro; “Interacção verbal” in Faria, I. H. e outros (orgs) Introdução à Linguística Geral e Portuguesa, 1996

Complementary Bibliography

Calvet, Jean-Louis; Sociolinguística: uma introdução crítica, Parábola, 2011
COUPLAND, Nikolas and JAWORSKI, Adam; Sociolinguistics : a reader and coursebook, 1999
FISHMAN, Joshua; Sociolinguistics, 1972
LESLEY, Milroy and GORDON, Matthew; Sociolinguistics: method and interpretation, 2003

Comments from the literature

Aditional bibliographical notes will be given during classes. The materials used in classes are available in Sigarra.

Teaching methods and learning activities

The teaching / learning process is based on lectures, theoretical/ practical sessions and tutorials in the following proportion:14 lectures; 28 theoretical/practical sessions and 14 tutorials. In lectures and theoretical/practical sessions, the theoretical description of contents is made, followed by the consideration of applied examples. In the tutorials the analysis of authentic cases and discourses is proposed.

The materials used in class are available on the Sigarra platform. The mode of evaluation of the CU consists of assessment with final exam.
The final grade for the module corresponds to a weighted average of the marks obtained in the components of practical work and written test, with weights of 40%/60% respectively.
The final exam is considered only in special cases, as the continuous evaluation is favored.
There is a compulsory 75% attendance.
The research work should be based on theoretical readings, but also contain a practical component of analysis of authentic situations and discourses.
The activities developed focus on acquiring linguistic methodologies for a competent analysis of the sociolinguistic phenomena, considering either linguistic variation and change and the analysis of socioverbal interaction.

 

keywords

Humanities > language sciences > Linguistics > Sociolinguistics

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Teste	60,00
Trabalho escrito	40,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	52,00
Frequência das aulas	56,00
Trabalho de campo	54,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Positive mark on the test / examination and on the research work.

Calculation formula of final grade

Test: 60%
Research paper: 40%
Examination (applicable to special cases): 60%

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not applicable

Internship work/project

Not applicable

 

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Not applicable

Classification improvement

In accordance with the Assessment Regulations in force.

Observations

Teaching language: Portuguese.