This module will consider how language and, more specifically, dialect are used in literature and film. The approach will focus primarily on sociolinguistic aspects rather than stylistic ones, and will aim to allow students to assess how literature and film reflect actual language and what this may tell us about linguistic attitudes and use.

The module will give students a grounding in the main features and characteristics of a range of British and North American dialects, and will provide a general historical introduction to dialect use in (English) literature, in terms of both literary dialect and dialect literature. Students will also be introduced to the basic methods of corpus linguistics work, so that they are able to conduct small-scale analyses themselves. In terms of language in film, the module will focus particularly on the representation of accents, for example, how speakers of foreign accents are portrayed.

Explain and assess terminology appropriate to the subject, such as dialect, accent, eye dialect, literary dialect and dialect literature.
-       Identify and analyse some of the main features of English, Scottish, Welsh, American and Canadian varieties of English
-       Develop basic methods of corpus linguistics and data analysis
-       Debate why authors may choose to use dialect for their characters and how this has changed over time
-       Explain what particular features are commonly used for characterisation
-       Evaluate key concepts in sociolinguistics and how they can be applied to media other than natural language
-       Establish how corpus linguistics can be used to extract data from literature to study dialect in use.
-       Judge the potential difficulties of writing in dialect with regards to audience, accuracy and so on.
-       Debate how linguistic features used in literature may provide insight into general attitudes towards dialects.

Timetabled sessions include 2 lectures and 1 seminar per week. During seminars, you may be required to make presentations and lead discussion.  Lectures are usually supplemented with PowerPoint slides and handouts summarising content at a reasonable level of detail. These are usually made available on Learning Central during or immediately after the session. Audio and video are used in this module. Transcripts are provided where the audio or visual texts are analysed in detail or are a core element of the lecture or seminar.

This module develops a range of descriptive, analytic and critical skills and abilities which students will have first begun to build in years 1 and 2 of their degree. It will also help develop a range of practical and transferable skills.

-       Analyse and evaluate written and spoken language data
-       Comprehend the principles which help us understand to what effect language and dialect can be used in literature and film
-       Read and understand advanced scholarly works in the field, and apply the knowledge so obtained to analyse real cases
-       Discuss, orally and in writing, aspects of dialect use in literature and film using appropriate terminology and with valid reference to individual case studies
-       Distinguish some of the main linguistic features which characterise varieties of English in the British Isles and North America
-       Apply this knowledge to the analysis of specific cases and issues
-       Discuss complex issues with clarity and cogency, both orally and in writing
-       Write clearly, succinctly, grammatically and idiomatically
-       Organise study time effectively
-       the module is also relevant to all the employability pathways

Written Assessment (Textual Analysis) - 25%

Written Assessment (Essay) - 75%

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REASSESSMENT IN THIS MODULE:

In accordance with University regulations, students are allowed two attempts at retrieval of any failed essay, for a maximum module mark of 40%.  Resit assessments are held over the summer.

The following syllabus is indicative of the topics that may be covered in the module.

-       A brief history of dialect in literature
-       Using dialect in literature
-       Literary dialects vs. dialect literature
-       An introduction to corpus linguistics
-       Extracting and analysing data
-       Common features – phonetic
-       Common features – morphosyntactic
-       Common features – lexical
-       Dialect in Pre-Victorian Literature
-       Dialect in Victorian Literature
-       Language in Dickens
-       Dialect in contemporary writing
-       Translating dialect
-       Accent in Disney cartoons
-       Acting with or putting on a foreign accent in film

The textbook for the module will be Hodson (2014) and will be supplemented by online chapters and articles.  

The volumes and articles below are a selection of texts likely to be included on the module, either in full or as extracts.

Berthele, Raphael. (2000). Translating African-American Vernacular English into German: The problem of ‘Jim’ in Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Journal of Sociolinguistics 4(4): 588-614.

Blake, Norman. (1981). Non-standard Language in English Literature. London: Andre Deutsch.

Bleichenbacher, Lukas.(2008). Multilingualism in the Movies: Hollywood Characters and their Language Choices. Narr Francke Attempto Verlag Gmbh. KG, Schweizer Anglistische Arbeiten, Band 135.

Ferguson, Susan. (1998). Drawing fictionallines: dialect and narrative in the Victorian novel. Style 32(1): 1-17

Hodson, Jane. (2014). Dialect in Film and Literature. Basingstone: Palgrave Macmillan.

Ives, Sumner. (1971). A theory of literary dialect. In J. V. Williamson & V. M. Burke (Eds.), A various language. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. 145–177.

Lippi-Green, Rosina (2011). English with an accent: Language, ideology and discrimination in the United States. London: Routledge.