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Description
The study of language and ideology has developed as a subfield of sociolinguistics and is linked to issues of power, identity, and ethnicities. As part of the learning outcomes of this module students will:
- develop an understanding of the role of language in the development of cultural identity and nation states,
- critically interrogate ideologies about language and analyse how language can be used as a vehicle for ideology,
- acquire an understanding of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and be able to apply the theory as a tool for analysis of specific texts and genres,
- learn about key concepts in public discourse (such as 鈥済lobalization鈥� and 鈥渘eoliberalism鈥�) and understand how such concepts carry different connotations across different linguistic contexts and over time. Students will also gain a basic understanding of digital tools that can be used to track changes in meaning of concepts over time.
In the first part we will look at the role language has historically played in the development of regions, nation states and of supra-national institutions such as the EU; its application in state-funded language and cultural institutions and the production of codification material; as well as language policy (e.g., education in multilingual settings, language requirements for newcomers).
Block two will focus on analysing popular discourses about language regarding the acceptance of standard languages versus regional, social, or ethnic variation, and attitudes towards minority languages and their speakers, as well as the role of English.
Block three will consider the role language plays today in the perpetuation of (mainstream) ideologies (e.g., neo-liberalism, racism) by taking a critical discourse analysis approach to examples of popular discourse and representation. We will discuss themes such as the abortion debate and interrogate how such controversial political topics are framed in specific ways to gain credibility in public debates. In addition, we will discuss key concepts from public debates, and discuss how and why they gain paradigmatic status at certain moments in time.
Students will be given the opportunity to conduct independent research into their respective language backgrounds and use them as case studies in the assessment.
Please note that some of the issues we will be discussing in this module relate to issues around racism and to abortion. If you think you are likely to find engaging with such material in an academic context difficult, please feel free to discuss this with me beforehand.
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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