Required reading:

Graddol, Leith and Swan (eds.),
English: History, Diversity, Change.
New York: The Open University, 1996.
Available at Stud. BG Unitobler (CHF 46.00)

online materials

Various group assignments

English Today

Aspects of Present-Day English

  • Language Description and Language History
  • Local and Global Forms of English
  • English Language Imperialism
  • English as L1 and English as L2
  • Standards of English
  • British, American, Non-Native English
  • English in Switzerland
  • Codification and Dictionary Making
  • Accents and Varieties
  • Spellings and Spelling Rules
  • History, Diversity, Change

    		• English Today

    Unit 1: English Voices
    Graddol/Leith/Swann: chapter 1
    Reading Assignment:Swann, pp. 3-28
    In groups:
    summarize and prepare for discussion:
    Reading A; Crystal
    Reading B: Lamy
    Reading C: Quirk

    Unit 2: Manuscrips and spelling
     Graddol/Leith/Swann: chapter 2
    Reading Assignment:Graddol, pp. 41-80
    In groups:

  • summarize and prepare for discussion:
    Reading A; Abercrombie
    Reading B: Webster
    Spelling rules and Present-day spelling changes
    Attempts at Spelling Reforms
    In groups:
  • find examples of spelling changes
  • find an English spelling rule

    Unit 3: Language History
     Graddol/Leith/Swann, chapter 3
    Reading Assignment: A Sketch History of English

    Unit 4: Elaboration, Codofication and Standardization
    Graddol/Leith/Swann, chapter 4
    Reading Assignment: Leith and Graddol, pp. 136-166
    In groups:

  • Reading A: Harris and Taylor
  • Reading B: Graddol
    Reading Assignment: Standardization and Dictionary Making (Dan Mosser)
    Making English "better" (Dan Mosser)
  • Notes on Authoritarian English and Text Campbell
  • Standardisation"

    Unit 5: Colonial English and Language Imperialism
    Graddol/Leith/Swann, chapter 5
    Reading Assignment: Leith, pp. 180-112
    In groups:

  • Reading A: Ramson
  • Reading B: Bamgbose
  • Reading C: Romaine
  • Effects of Language Imperialism
    Mosser

    Unit 6: Global English
    Reading Assignment:
    In groups:

  • House, Stateless Language
  • Walsh, Minority Voices
  • Jenkins/S, E in classroom
    .. ..

    Unit 7: English in Switzerland
     Reading Assignment:
    English in Switzerland
    The Swiss Experience
    In groups:

  • Examples of English/Bernese (or other) contact linguistics

    Unit 8: English in India
    Reading Assignment:
    Hohenthal

    Unit 9:Accents of English
    Graddol/Leith/Swann, chapter 7
    Reading Assignment: Wright, pp. 259-288
    In groups:

  • Reading A: Guy and Vonwiller
  • Reading B: Kerswill

    Unit 10: Switching
    Graddol/Leith/Swann, chapter 8
    Reading Assignment: Swann, pp. 301-324
    In groups:

  • Reading A: Coupland
  • Reading B: Heller
  • Reading C: Myers-Scotton

    Unit 11: Good and Bad English
    Graddol/Leith/Swann, chapter 9
    Reading Assignment: Mackinnon, pp. 338-364

  • Joseph W Shepherd, Advertising and Language
    In groups:
  • Reading A: Times
  • Reading B: Grove
  • Reading C: Aitchison

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