University of Essex

LG355-6-SP-CO:
English Around the World

The details

Year: 2024/25

Department: Language and Linguistics

Campus: Colchester Campus

Term: Spring

Level: Undergraduate: Level 6

Status: Current

Start date: Monday 13 January 2025

End date: Friday 21 March 2025

Credits: 15

Last updated: 24 April 2024

Requisites for this module

Pre-requisites: (none)

Co-requisites: (none)

Pre and / or co-requisites: (none)

Prohibited modules: (none)

Key module (requisite for): LG353

Key module for

BA QQ13 English Language and Linguistics,
BA QQ15 English Language and Linguistics (Including Placement Year),
BA QQ16 English Language and Linguistics (Including Foundation Year),
BA QQ3D English Language and Linguistics (Including Year Abroad),
MLINQA15 English Language and Lingistics (Including Placement Year),
MLINQA16 English Language and Linguistics (Including Year Abroad),
MLINQQ14 English Language and Linguistics,
BA QP10 English Language with Media Communication,
BA QP11 English Language with Media Communication (Including Year Abroad),
BA QP12 English Language with Media Communication (Including Placement Year),
BA QP13 English Language with Media Communication (Including Foundation Year)

Module description

The module looks at a wide range of variation in the English Language as it is spoken outside the British Isles, and discusses associated historical and sociolinguistic issues. The focus is on phonological variation, although salient syntactic, morphological and lexical features are also covered, illustrating with recordings wherever possible. We cover the following regions: North America (USA and Canada), the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa), and the Caribbean.

Module aims

• To familiarise students with varieties of English spoken in different parts of the world
• To introduce students to phonological, syntactic, morphological and lexical features of these varieties
• To compare and contrast the different varieties of English in focus and to shed light on their origins
• To enable students to develop an informed view of the varieties of English that exist across the world
• To provide practice in linguistic analysis, phonetic transcription and elementary auditory training

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able ...
• to identify accents of the regions covered, and to describe the differences between them.
• to read research papers on variation in English and understand them within a broader perspective.
• to conduct original research of your own into variation in English.

Module information

No additional information available.

Learning and teaching methods

2-hour lecture, with in-class activities each week.

Bibliography

Wells, J. C. (1982) Accents of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wells, John C (1982) Accents of English, Volume 2. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511611759.
Wells, J.C. and Cambridge Books Online (1982) Accents of English: beyond the British Isles, Volume 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at: https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511611766.
Peter Trudgill and Jean Hannah (2017) International English: a guide to varieties of English around the world. Sixth edition. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. Available at: http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781351756570.
Walt Wolfram and Natalie Schilling-Estes (2016) American English: dialects and variation. Third edition. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell. Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1084381.
Diane Davies (2005) Varieties of modern English: an introduction. Harlow: Pearson Longman. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315838861.
Dillard, J.L. (1992) A history of American English. London: Longman. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1798500.

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam	Description	Deadline	Coursework weighting
Coursework	Essay	22/04/2025

Exam format definitions

Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Reassessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Module supervisor and teaching staff

Supervisor: Prof Enam Al-Wer, email: enama@essex.ac.uk.

Teaching staff: Professor Enam Al-Wer

Contact details: Professor Enam Al-Wer, Room: 4.131, Number: 2240, enama@essex.ac.uk

Availability

Available to incoming Essex Abroad / Exchange students: Yes

Available to Outside Option: Yes

Available to Audit: No

External examiner

Name: Dr Sam Christian D'Elia

Name: Dr Roxanne Taylor

Institution: University of Huddersfield

Academic role: Lecturer in English

Resources

Teaching materials: Available via Moodle

Lecture recording: Of 24 hours, 24 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).

Further information

Department website: Language and Linguistics

Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements, industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.

The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.

Module Directory

LG355-6-SP-CO:English Around the World