Course Objectives:

1.     Expanding the students’ knowledge and understanding of sociolinguistic theories, concepts and terminologies.

2.     Creating an interest in sociolinguistic research and its methodologies.

3.      Applying sociolinguistic theories and concepts by observations in their sociolinguistic environment which are accounted for and discussed in exercises and assignments.

Course Outcomes:

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1.     Understand the above mentioned sociolinguistic theories, concepts and terminologies.

2.     Know about some sociolinguistic research methods.

3.     Apply sociolinguistic theories and concepts by means of assignments and exercises that entail data collection and analysis.

Course Content:

1.     The history of sociolinguistics and sociolinguistic research.

2.     Relations between language and society, prescriptivism, standardization, speech vs. writing, societies and speech communities

3.     Regional and social dialectology with fieldwork methods.

4.     Language choice and code-switching.

5.     Language in interaction.

6.     Language and gender.

7.     Language policy and planning, with focus on the present language policy of Sudan.

8.     Language and power discuss critical language awareness, the language of the super powers, and resistance to powerful language (anti-language).

9.     Sociolinguistics and education.

10.  The social implications of linguistic analysis and research.

Methods of Assessment:

1.     Course Work (Assignments, Homework, Mid-Term Test)        30%

2.     Final Exam                                                                                 70%       

References/Text books:

1.     Mesthrie, R., Swann, J., Deumert, A. and Leap, W.L. (2000). Introducing Sociolinguistics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

2.     Meyerhoff, M. (2006). Introducing Sociolinguistics. Routledge: London and New York.

3.     Wiegand, H. E. (2004). Sociolinguistics. An International Handbook of the Science of Language and Society. HSK 3.1 2nd ed. Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter.