Shaban/ENG-715/Spring 19

Sociolinguistics
(ENG-715)

Program MPhil Applied Linguistics

Resource Dr Muhammad Shaban
Person
Contact shaban@umt.edu.pk
Counselling 1:30 pm to 3:30pm (Monday to Friday)
hours
LMS

Description
This course is aimed at building Sociolinguistic research knowledge and skills required primarily in
writing thesis in the area of sociolinguistics. The course begins by providing an introduction to micro and
macro aspects of sociolinguistics. The micro- sociolinguistics draws on how social structure influences
the way people talk and how patterns of use correlate with social attributes. The macro-structure, on the
other hand, explains what societies do with their languages. There is general argument that both
perspectives are indispensible for full understanding of language as a social phenomenon. Within micro
and macro dimensions of sociolinguistics, the course outlines major topics such as, language change,
variation, boundary marker, multilingualism, relativism, and applied sociolinguistics. In focusing on these
topics the course familiarizes you with a range of investigative methods have been used to address
research questions. Thus, the underlying approach while covering each topic is to move gradually from
theory to practice.

The course expands over 15 weeks. The first half of the course covers both the micro and macro aspects
of sociolinguistics as outlined in the table below. The course is designed to engage you actively in your
own learning, and thus in the second half you will select a topic for presentation from the handbook of
sociolinguistics. The approach will help you reading critically and consider how various theoretical
concepts are investigated/explored by lead researchers in the field. In this way, you will learn and
consolidate your understanding over various sub-fields of sociolinguistics.

Course objectives
 Enable you with the latest researches conducted in the area ofsociolinguistics, and
 To bequeath you with skills required to conduct applicable and publishable research in the field
of sociolinguistics independently.

Teaching arrangements
There will be 3-hour class in each week. This will consist of research based pedagogy, discussion and
group analysis of selected tasks. You will be involved into discussion through critical questions on each
topic for formative assessment. In the middle of your semester, you will lead an interactive discussion.
based on your presentation on one of thetopics ofsociolinguistics. By the end of this semester, you will
submit the end-term paper on the topic proposed below. You will be provided opportunity to ask
questions about things you do not understand. You are required to participate in the group
discussions/tasks not only for your own learning but of others also.
 Shaban/ENG-715/Spring 19

Teaching resources
Textbook

1. Wardhaugh, R., & Fuller, M.J. (2015). An introduction to sociolinguistics 7th Edition. Sussex:
Wiley Blackwell.

Essential reading

1. Ruth Wodak, Barbara Johnstone, and Paul Kerswill (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of
Sociolinguistics. London: Sage Publications Ltd. 2013

Supplementary reading
1. Hudson, R.A. (2011). Sociolinguistics: An Introduction. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge
University Press.
2. Trousdale, G. (2010). An introduction to sociolinguistics. Edinburgh: University of
Edinburgh Press.

UMT library resources

 You must browse through the following link for UMT library resources http://library.umt.edu.pk/

Week Topic Activities

I Foundation Reading: Introduction
 The Evolution of a Sociolinguistic by Wardhaugh and
Theory of language Fuller, pp. 1-22.
 Methodological concerns Assignment
II Languages and Communities Reading: Languages
 Languages, dialects, and varieties and Communities by
Wardhaugh and
Fuller, pp. 27-57.
III Languages and Communities Reading: Languages
 Defining groups and Communities by
Wardhaugh and
Fuller, pp. 62-79.
IV Languages and Communities Reading: Languages
 Language in Contact: Multilingualism and Communities by
as a Societal Phenomenon Wardhaugh and
Fuller, pp. 82-110.
Quiz I
V Languages and Communities Reading: Languages
 Contact languages: Structural and Communities by
consequences of social factors Wardhaugh and
Fuller, pp. 114-134.
VI Inherent Variety Reading: Inherent
 Language variation and change Variety by
Wardhaugh and
Fuller, pp. 141-221.
VII Language and Interaction Reading: Language
 Ethnographic approaches in and Interaction by
sociolinguistics Wardhaugh and
 Shaban/ENG-715/Spring 19

Fuller, pp. 225-245.

VIII Language and Interaction Reading: Language
 Pragmatics and Interaction by
 Discourse Analysis Wardhaugh and
Fuller, pp. 248-305.
Quiz II
Presentation
IX Sociolinguistics and Social Theory Reading: Ruth
 Social Stratification by Christine Wodak, Barbara
Mallinson, pp. 87-99. Johnstone, and Paul
 Social Constructionism by Anthea Kerswill (Eds.), The
Irwin, pp. 100-112. Sage Handbook of
 Globalization Theory and Migration Sociolinguistics.
by Stef Slembrouck, pp. 153-164. London: Sage
Publications Ltd.
2013

X Language Variation and Change Reading: Ruth

 Social Structure, Language Contact Wodak, Barbara
and Language Change by Peter Johnstone, and Paul
Trudgill, pp. 236-248. Kerswill (Eds.), The
Interaction Sage Handbook of
 Doctor-Patient Communication by Sociolinguistics.
Florian Kotthoff, pp. 330-344. London: Sage
Publications Ltd.
2013
XI Interaction Reading: Ruth
 Discourse and Schools by Luisa Wodak, Barbara
Martin Rojo, pp. 345-360. Johnstone, and Paul
 Courtroom Discourseby Susan Kerswill (Eds.), The
Ehrlich, pp. 361-374. Sage Handbook of
 Analyzing Conversation by Christian Sociolinguistics.
Matthiessen and Diana Slade, pp. 375- London: Sage
395. Publications Ltd.
2013
Quiz III
XII Multilingualism and Contact Reading: Ruth
 Code-switching/mixing by Peter Auer, Wodak, Barbara
pp. 460-478. Johnstone, and Paul
 Language Policy and Planning by Kerswill (Eds.), The
Anne-Claude Berthoud and Georges Sage Handbook of
Ludi, pp. 478-495. Sociolinguistics.
London: Sage
Publications Ltd.
2013

XIII Multilingualism and Contact Reading: Ruth

 Language Endangerment by Julia Wodak, Barbara
Sallabank, pp. 496-512. Johnstone, and Paul
 Global Englishes by Alastair Kerswill (Eds.), The
 Shaban/ENG-715/Spring 19

Pennycook, pp. 513-526. Sage Handbook of

Sociolinguistics.
London: Sage
Publications Ltd.
2013

XIV Applications Reading: Ruth

 Forensic Linguistics by Malcolm et Wodak, Barbara
al., pp. 529-544. Johnstone, and Paul
 Language Migration and Human Kerswill (Eds.), The
Rights by Ingrid Piller and Kimie Sage Handbook of
Takahashi, pp. 583-597. Sociolinguistics.
 Literary Studies by David Barton and London: Sage
Carmen Lee, pp. 598-611. Publications Ltd.
2013

XV Recap and the end-term

End-term paper
A shift from the traditional media to social media for recreating political content and seeking
information and entertainment is increasingly becoming a point of contestation and debate in
Pakistan and elsewhere. Researchers argue that Internet-based form of political participation has
consolidated in recent years with social media providing public space for free expression and
opinion formation and as a resource for mobilizing people for collective action. This noticeable
shift in the communication dynamics has a significant effect on political knowledge and political
participation in Pakistan. Following the guidelines given below write an assignment of not more
than 5000 words on “Political Discourse on Social Media in Pakistan”.

Guidelines:
1. Introduction
 Purpose
 Implications
 Objectives
 Research questions
2. Research methodology
2.1. Theoretical Underpinning
2.2. Data Collection
2.2.1. Sample and Demographics
2.2.2. Nature of the Data
2.2.3. Ethical Considerations
2.3. Data Analysis
3. Results / and Discussion
4. Conclusion
5. References
 Shaban/ENG-715/Spring 19

Follow APA style for in text references and bibliography. Here is a link to detailed guidelines for APA
citation style: http://www.waikato.ac.nz/library/learning/g_apaguide.shtml

Tables:
Tables should be included in the text of the paper. Each table should have a caption and the body. The
caption and body of the table should be single-spaced.
Figures:
Images and photos should be at least 300 dpi and should be in TIFF, EPS, or Photoshop formats only.
Jpeg or digital image must be embedded in the text.

Phonetics:
All phonetic characters should be provided within limited to the International Phonetic Alphabet.

DEADLINE
The paper must be submitted along with the similarity report maximum by the 13th week of this semester.
Assessments
Quiz 30
Presentation 10
Penal Discussion 10
End-term 50

Grading criteria
Relative, however the passing marks are 60 percent.

Presentation Communication Content Covered Understanding Responses to

& Panel (4 marks) (4marks) of Content questions
Discussion (8marks) (4 marks)
(20 marks)

Poor* 1 1 2 1

Satisfactory** 2 2 4 2

Proficient*** 3 3 6 3

Distinguished 4 4 8 4

End-term Task achieved Coherence and Lexical resource Grammatical

(30 marks) (10 marks) Cohesion accuracy
(6 marks) (7 marks) (7 marks)

Poor 2 1 1 1

Satisfactory 5 3 3 3
 Shaban/ENG-715/Spring 19

Proficient 8 5 5 5

Distinguished 10 6 7 7
*Poor:Functionsat ability below the grade level. Learn skills and tasks slowly.
**Satisfactory: Performance is lower than what had been anticipated.
***Proficient: Good at the assigned tasks.
****Distinguished: Well advance at the assigned tasks.

Program brief (MPhil Applied Linguistics)

Applied linguistics is concerned with the practical application of the scientific knowledge of language. It
is an interdisciplinary field of study which identifies, investigates and offers solutions to language-related
real-life problems. The MPhil Applied Linguistics program aims to provide students with an awareness of
key issues and latest researches conducted on these issues, as well as to bequeath them with skills
required to make considerable professional contributions in the field. The structure of this program also
provides an opportunity to the students to investigate the structure of language and wish to acquaint
themselves the theories of language acquisition. The MPhil Applied Linguistics program remains one of
the most successful research programs of the university and a large number of graduates have
successfully completed their MPhil program from DELL.

Program mission statement

Our mission is to produce scholars who can make a difference in solving problems concerned with the use
of language.

Program objectives
1. Equip the students with the latest knowledge and skills required in the field.
2. Enable the students to solve real-life problems related to language in a professional way.
3. Enable the students to reflect on the structure of language and theories of language acquisition
and to make original contributions to them.

Rationale of the program

Pakistan is a diverse multilingual and multicultural country. There are multiple regional languages spoken
across the country apart from the national language Urdu and official language English. Some of these
languages are documented and codified while others are not. This sort of linguistic diversity and the use
of multiple languages alongside each other for different professional and communicative purposes
warrant careful language policy and planning. It also provides space for research in the field of language
teaching, language documentation and codification, as well as an ample opportunity for linguists to do a
comparative and contrastive analysis of the structure of different languages, their functions and
interaction in the context of Pakistani society. Hence, the need of degree program designed to study
language structure and language use is imperative. In this regard, the MPhil Applied Linguistics program
at Department of English Language & Literature is indispensable.

DELL Policies
 Attendance at lectures is mandatory. Students may not arrive late or leave the class early
without the instructor’s permission or they may be marked absent for the class.
 Shaban/ENG-715/Spring 19

 Students are expected to prepare for the upcoming class by consulting the course outline
or the instructor and come to class having read the material to be discussed. They must
also bring the text(s) being studied to class that day in the form prescribed by the
instructor (for example, a hard copy instead of an electronic one).

 Students must proofread their assignments for errors before handing them in.

 Plagiarism (intended or unintended) will lead to a failing grade. Students must familiarize
themselves with ways to avoid plagiarism at:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/

 Deadlines for assignments are to be strictly followed. Instructors reserve the right to
reject late assignments. If, in exceptional circumstances, an instructor accepts late work at
his or her discretion, a minimum of one mark will be deducted from the assignment for
each day that the assignment is late. Instructors may set more rigorous guidelines for their
respective courses.

 Students are strictly prohibited from approaching instructors regarding the grading of
assignments and/or trying to influence them in any way by means of excessive pleading,
repeated emails, accusations or threats. Instructors reserve the right to report such cases
to University administration. For further details please refer to The Participant’s
Handbook at:
https://www.umt.edu.pk/org/Academics-and-Academic-Affairs/Participant-
Handbook.aspx

UMT policy
 You must adhere to UMT policy and code of conduct. For detail, you must read the participant’s
handbook:
http://umt.edu.pk/org/Academics-and-Academic-Affairs/Participant-
Handbook.aspx
 All communication from the Department, School and University will be sent to your UMT
account. You are responsible for the content of the University.