E-mail: Kuzmack AT uchicago.edu
Office hours: Mon. 12:30-1:30, and by appointment.
Office hours will be held in the Linguistics Department lounge, Classics 312.
Course title: Colonial Englishes: Similarities and Differences
Course description: This course is concerned with varieties of English that have evolved in the former British settlement colonies. There will be an emphasis on the varieties of English found in the United States, but we will also examine the varieties spoken in other polities, including some varieties that are less commonly discussed, such as Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand English. As we go, we will consider the following questions: Why does variation in language develop? How do people in different regions view their own speech, and the speech of other areas? How different are nonstandard varieties of English from “standard” English, and why do people consider them nonstandard? How do the nonstandard varieties differ from one another, and in what ways are they similar?
No prerequisites.
Readings: American English, 2nd ed. by Walt Wolfram and Natalie Schilling-Estes is our primary textbook, and is available at the Seminary Co-op Bookstore. In addition to the primary textbook, there will be articles and selections from other books, which will be available as either .PDF files or as photocopies.
Course requirements:
To earn a grade in this course, a student will have to meet the following requirements:
Discussion and participation: 10%
Homework: 40%
Term paper: 50%
Your participation grade will be based on your participation in class discussions, and on your attendance. Please notify me in advance of any necessary absences. Unexcused absences will lower your participation grade.
Homework assignments must be typed. Assignments will be accepted late for partial credit.
Term paper: The term paper may be on any subject related to the topic of this course, and should be approximately 8-10 (double-spaced) pages long, not counting the Works Cited section. You should use the Times New Roman font, 12 pt. Margins should be 1 inch on each side.
A short summary of your paper topic is due by the beginning of the 7th week: Monday, May 8. At the end of the quarter, everyone will present their papers to the class.
The final paper is due on the Monday of finals week: June 5th. If your paper is complete before then, I encourage you to turn it in early. Extensions may be requested, but expect only one or two extra days.
Citing sources: You are welcome to use whatever citation style you’re accustomed to for the Works Cited section. If there is no style you prefer, use the one that the journal Language uses. You can look it up at Refworks, an online tool for creating bibliographies that you can find on the library’s website.
However, for in-text citations, I would like you to use parenthetical references (not footnotes or endnotes), with the author’s name, the date of publication and the page number, following the pattern: (Smith 2000: 55).
Schedule:
(This schedule is a general outline, and subject to change.)
Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Dialect perception
Week 3: American English
Week 4: African American English
Week 5: Social and ethnic variation in American English
Week 6: Canadian English
Week 7: Australian English
Monday, May 8: Summary of paper topic due.
Week 8: New Zealand English
Week 9: Applications and importance of studying dialects; paper presentations
Week 10 (Wednesday only): Paper presentations
Monday, May 29: Memorial Day. No class.
Friday, June 2: Reading Day. No class.
Monday, June 5th: Term paper due.