| CODE | LLT2161 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Lingua Francas | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | We use language all the time to negotiate our way through different communities, but the drive to interact ever more widely as our global community tightens means that we are often faced with using multiple - or at least two - languages, one of which often has the role of a lingua franca. This study unit invites students to consider the notion of a lingua franca, to critically evaluate how lingua francas such as English develop, and how communities use them for wider engagement in negotiating the world. In investigating the uses and characteristics of a lingua franca alongside other languages we will inevitably think carefully about some of the benefits that ready access to a lingua franca might have for speakers of other languages which might not be so widely spoken, or well-resourced, and, conversely, what happens when individuals, or communities, do not have ready access to a lingua franca. The study-unit will be shaped by well-grounded, open, discussion on such issues as linguistic identities and ideologies, verbal hygiene and social justice, and language practice and policy in multilingual communities, with specific reference to the use of lingua francas. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit aims to: - engage students in open discussion on a number of issues related to English operating on a global scale; - raise a critical understanding of the key concerns with respect to a multilingual context involving international or major languages alongside minority or less widely used languages; - clarify some key concepts with respect to living in multilingual environments; - raise awareness of the intersection between lingua francas and social justice. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - identify key concepts relating to the development and characteristics of lingua francas, with particular reference to English; - identify key theories, approaches and some of the terminology relevant to understanding how communities use lingua francas alongside other languages to negotiate meaning in different contexts; - shape an argument relevant to a discussion on lingua francas using appropriate terminology, frameworks and theories. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - present a more nuanced understanding of how people engage in their communities through (different varieties of) language; - approach with sensitivity and awareness issues relating to language planning, language use and language choices on both an individual and on a public level; - contribute with knowledge and understanding to some of the debates concerning choices of languages and the associated implications of such choices, in a range of settings including schools, public services, or places of entertainment. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Blommaert, J. (2013). Citizenship, Language, and Superdiversity: Towards Complexity. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, 12(3), 193–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2013.797276. [Available in library] - Cameron, D. (2012). Verbal Hygiene. Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203123898. [Available in library] - Coupland, N. (2010). The handbook of language and globalization (Blackwell Handbooks in Linguistics) (1st ed., Vol. 64). Wiley. [Available in library] - Crystal, D. (2012). English As a Global Language (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. [Available in library] - Fabricius, A. H., Mortensen, J., & Haberland, H. (2017). The lure of internationalization: Paradoxical discourses of transnational student mobility, linguistic diversity and cross-cultural exchange. Higher Education, 73(4), 577–595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9978-3. [Available in library] - Hultgren, A. K. (2020). Global English: From “Tyrannosaurus Rex” to “Red Herring”. Nordic Journal of English Studies, 19(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.35360/njes.574. [Available in library] - Nelson, C. L., Proshina, Z. G., & Davis, D. R. (2019). The Handbook of World Englishes. Wiley. [Available in library] - Ostler, N. (2011). The Last Lingua Franca: The Rise and Fall of World Languages. Penguin Books. [Not available in library] |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Sarah Grech |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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