LG374-6-SP-CO:
Sociolinguistic Perception
2023/24
Language and Linguistics
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Monday 15 January 2024
Friday 22 March 2024
15
18 December 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
In this module we introduce students to current research and methods in the field of sociolinguistic perception. We examine different kinds of social information that listeners may perceive based on the way that someone speaks. This includes where the speaker is from, as well as other aspects of their social and demographic background. We explore how listeners form judgements, categorisation and interpretations about another person based on the way that they speak.
This module introduces students to current theory on how listeners extract and evaluate social meaning from individuals and groups, as well as what affects their accuracy in doing so. We cover topics such as perceptual dialectology, language attitudes, dialect identification tasks, accent perception and the acquisition of sociolinguistic perception in children.
•To familiarise students with the fundamental principles and research into sociolinguistic perception
• To explore with students a range of issues and current debates in the field of sociolinguistic perception
•To equip students with the theoretical/conceptual knowledge to evaluate and/or critique previous experiments and research in sociolinguistic perception
• To provide students with the confidence and knowledge to design and interpret their own sociolinguistic perception experiments.
By the end of this module students should have:
1. Comprehensive knowledge of the fundamental principles of sociolinguistic perception
2. Ability to follow and contribute to discussions about the perception of language
3. Competence in reading and evaluating research papers on sociolinguistic perception
4. Confidence in designing and interpreting basic experiments in sociolinguistic perception.
This module aims to familiarize students with some key concepts in sociolinguistic perception. It is also designed to help students develop the skills for designing and developing their own experiments on sociolinguistic perception and to make links between theory and practice. The outline of weekly sessions is as follows:
SESSION 1: Introduction
SESSION 2: Perceptual dialectology 1: geographic identification and draw-a-map tasks
SESSION 3: Perceptual dialectology 2: dialect identification and classification tasks
SESSION 4: Accent perception and social meaning 1: regional variation
SESSION 5: Accent perception and social meaning 2: beyond regional variation
SESSION 6: Developing perceptual awareness: infants
SESSION 7: *Experiment week 1*: experiment design
SESSION 8: *Experiment week 2*: running experiments
SESSION 9: Attitudes towards non-native speakers
SESSION 10: Language and behaviour: socio-psychological considerations
There will be a two-hour class/zoom meeting per week for ten weeks. Each session will comprise of a mix of lecture-style elements and seminar-style student-centred activities. The lecture-style elements will introduce students to key themes and concepts of sociolinguistic perception. In the seminar-style elements, students will be encouraged to complete pair/group-work discussions and learning activities. In sessions 7 and 8 we will support the students to design and carry out their own sociolinguistic perception experiments. These two sessions will be carried out in a computer lab. The weekly readings listed on Moodle and the syllabus are compulsory as preparation for each session. All materials for the module will be uploaded in advance on Moodle, and all sessions will be recorded and made available through Listen Again portal.
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Campbell-Kibler, K. (2010) ‘Sociolinguistics and Perception’,
Language and Linguistics Compass, 4(6), pp. 377–389. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-818X.2010.00201.x.
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Leach, H., Watson, K. and Gnevsheva, K. (2016) ‘Perceptual dialectology in northern England: Accent recognition, geographical proximity and cultural prominence’,
Journal of Sociolinguistics, 20(2), pp. 192–211. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1111/josl.12178.
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Pharao, N.
et al. (2014) ‘Indexical meanings of [s+] among Copenhagen youth: Social perception of a phonetic variant in different prosodic contexts’,
Language in Society, 43(1), pp. 1–31. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404513000857.
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Bishop, H., Coupland, N. and Garrett, P. (2005) ‘Conceptual accent evaluation: Thirty years of accent prejudice in the UK’,
Acta Linguistica Hafniensia, 37(1), pp. 131–154. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/03740463.2005.10416087.
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Jenkins, J. (2009) ‘English as a lingua franca: interpretations and attitudes’,
World Englishes, 28(2), pp. 200–207. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971X.2009.01582.x.
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Drager, K. (2010) ‘Sociophonetic Variation in Speech Perception’,
Language and Linguistics Compass, 4(7), pp. 473–480. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-818X.2010.00210.x.
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Floccia, C.
et al. (2009) ‘Categorization of regional and foreign accent in 5- to 7-year-old British children’,
International Journal of Behavioral Development, 33(4), pp. 366–375. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025409103871.
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Purnell, T., Idsardi, W. and Baugh, J. (1999) ‘Perceptual and Phonetic Experiments on American English Dialect Identification’,
Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 18(1), pp. 10–30. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X99018001002.
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 |
Experiment research proposal |
|
40% |
| Coursework |
Essay |
|
60% |
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
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Marisa Brook, email: marisa.brook@essex.ac.uk.
Marisa Brook
marisa.brook@essex.ac.uk, Room: 4.207, Number: 2286.
Yes
No
Yes
Dr Sam Christian D'Elia
Available via Moodle
Of 20 hours, 20 (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), module, or event type.
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