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S: Language Variation and Change
TU Chemnitz | semesterübergreifend
Language Variation and Change
S: Language Variation and Change (271431-207)
B_AA_4, SELAEn4, Erasmus
Dr. Marina Beccard
Friday, 11:30-13:00, TBA
First meeting: 17.04.2026*
*Due to maternity leave, the sessions on 17.04 and 24.04.26 will be led by Cansu Akan, M.A.
Content
This seminar explores language variation in English, focusing on English as a foreign language. We will engage with relevant concepts, such as "English as a first/second/foreign language", “early/late bilingual”, and "native/non-native English." Topics of discussion will include individual versus group variation, the difference between varieties and stereotypes, and variation versus error/mistake. Students will identify differences in the phonetics, syntax, and semantics of learner varieties (e.g., German English and Italian English) in different modalities (e.g., spoken and written language). Practical exercises will be conducted using learner corpora. We will also zoom into the process of writing in English as a foreign language and work with data from keystroke logging experiments. Through this seminar, students will have the opportunity to reflect on the complex factors that influence the variation in perception and production of English as a foreign language.
Objectives
By the end of the course, students are able to:
- describe and compare learner varieties of English
- identify differences in the perception and production of phonetics/phonology, syntax, lexis, and semantics across selected learner varieties of English
- analyse quantitative and qualitative data from learner corpora and keystroke logging experiments
- use their linguistic research skills to conduct independent analyses of learner varieties
Prerequisites
Completed modules Foundations of English Linguistics and Applied and Cognitive Linguistics
Requirements for credits
Portfolio (10-12 pages) about content of and own contributions to class (e.g., brief presentation, exercises and discussions in class).
Literature
Mauranen, A. (2012). Exploring ELF: Academic English shaped by non-native speakers. Cambridge University Press.
Mukherjee, J., & Hundt, M. (2011). Exploring second-language varieties of English and learner Englishes: Bridging a paradigm gap. Benjamins.
Schlüter, J. (2022). Language corpora and the teaching and learning of English as an international language. In Pluricentric Languages and Language Education (pp. 166-189). Routledge.
Registration
Please register via OPAL by 10 April 2026:
Lade Bewertungsübersicht
Lade Übersicht