Course Description: This course is a graduate level introduction to the central concerns of Hispanic quantitative sociolinguistics. The course will focus on some of the major findings this type of research has yielded. The emphasis of this course will be placed on the analysis of linguistic variation, in particular at the morphosyntactic level. The class will be very hands-on, including training on software programs. Readings, exercises, and discussions will center on methods of data collection, variable rule analysis, and the interpretation of data.
Goals:
Learn about quantitative sociolinguistics
Become familiar with theories of linguistic variation
Learn how to use Varbrul
Required Materials:
Blas Arroyo, J. L. (2005). Sociolingüística del español. Desarrollos y perspectivas en el estudio de la lengua en contexto social. Madrid: Cátedra.
Tagliamonte, S. A. (2006).Analyzing Sociolinguistic Variation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Goldvarb X: http://individual.utoronto.ca/tagliamonte/goldvarb.htmt
Additional Materials:
Chambers, J.K. (2003). Sociolinguistic theory. Oxford: Blackwell.
Hudson R. A. (2001). Sociolinguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Meyerhoff, M. (2011). Introducing sociolinguistics. London: Routledge.
Milroy, L. & M. Gordon. (2003). Sociolinguistics: methods and interpretation. Oxford: Blackwell.
Silva-Corvalán, C. (2001). Sociolingüística y pragmática del español. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Tagliamonte, S. (2011). Variationist sociolinguistics: Change, observation, interpretation. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Attendance Policy:
Regular attendance is required. Only in the case of documented absences(s) will late work be accepted. Missing classes without a justification will affect the final grade.
Requirements:
Paper presentation (with handout) 10%
- The presentation should include an article’s summary and a brief reflection on its content (article’s strengths & weaknesses; questions for class discussion).
Mini-fieldwork projects (2) 25%
Homework assignments 25%
Variation Analysis Project 40%
- Conference-style abstract of the final paper (one page of text, single-spaced, 12 point font; additional page allowed for references/data).
- Presentation of final paper (in English or Spanish with handout) in mini-conference to be held at the end of course (20 minutes plus 5 minutes for questions).
- Final paper (min. 12 pages, double-spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins).
Grading Scale
Points Grade
93-100 A
90-92 A-
87-89 B+
83-86 B
80-82 B-
77-79 C+
73-76 C
70-72 C-
67-69 D+
63-66 D
60-62 D-
Less than 60 F
Canvas
Materials for this course will be regularly posted on Canvas, the UT online course management system.