Is there really one correct English? Do bilingual children become confused? Are some accents more intelligent than others? What language do multilingual people think in? This seminar explores widespread beliefs and misconceptions about language through the lens of modern linguistic research. Through the discussion of empirical studies, student presentations, and real-world examples, participants investigate what linguists actually know about these and other common claims. Topics include Standard English and prescriptivism, language variation and dialects, bilingualism and multilingualism, language acquisition, language attitudes, language change, and the relationship between language and thought. The seminar introduces key concepts and research methods from sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and related areas of linguistics, while equipping students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills to distinguish popular beliefs from linguistic evidence.
- Kursleiter/in: Svitlana Rettweiler