Varieties of English: Africa
| Fact sheet | |
|---|---|
| Faculty: |
Faculty 05 - Language, Literature, Culture |
| Department: | Department of English |
| Title: | Varieties of English: Africa |
| Code: | 0519 |
| Lecturer: | Prof. Dr. Magnus Huber |
| Type of course: | Seminar (BA) |
| Description: | The English language has seen an enormous world-wide spread since British overseas expansion started in the 17th century. Today, there are many more speakers of English outside than inside the language’s original “home”, England. It is no wonder that this geographical diversity has led to linguistic variety, so that today linguists speak of different “World Englishes”. This course will focus on the historical development, the sociolinguistic functions and the structure of varieties of English in Africa. A theory-related component will be devoted to models of evolution and classification of these varieties. We will then look at countries like Ghana or Kenya, where English has (quasi-) official status and fulfils important national functions but where nevertheless most of the people have a different mother tongue. Another emphasis will be contact languages like Nigerian Pidgin English or the creole Krio in Sierra Leone, i.e. new languages born as a result of the contact of English with other languages. |
| Date/Time: | Monday, 02.15pm – 03.45pm CET / asynchronous |
| Language: | English |
| Target group: | BA |
| Requirements for participation: | Basic knowledge of English Linguistics |
| ECTS: | 4 |