English 209
Language in the United States
Spring 2010
Note that this is last year’s syllabus. There may be some changes, but the readings will all be accessible online, either through D2L or e-reserve.
Instructor: Patricia Mayes
Office Hours: R 3-5 & by appointment
Office: 486 Curtin Hall
Phone: (414) 229-6992
E-mail:
Course Description
Have you ever wondered how many varieties of American English there are? (Why use good morning, why not w’s up?) Have you ever wondered why we have different varieties of speech, or why it’s easy to tell a speaker from the south from a Midwesterner? Is there really a standard spoken language, or are language standards only for writing? How do people perceive the different varieties and accents of American English, and what do people in other parts of the country think about the Wisconsin accent? (Is it really just about cheeseheads and bubblers?) What is the role of other languages in our changing multicultural society? And what do our ways of speaking say about our identities? (Are ya a Yooper, eh?) We’ll explore these and other questions in English 209. We’ll also investigate the future of our language: What’s the likely effect of new forms of technology and global communication? We’ll use short readings, discussion boards, and web sites like “Do You Speak American?” to look at these and other important issues affecting our evolving American speech patterns.
Course Materials
Because this is an online course, you will need access to a computer and to be able to use D2L. If you are having technical difficulties, contact the help desk at or (414) 229-4040.
There are three types of course materials: Readings, audio or video clips, and PowerPoint slides or handouts. These materials are accessible from the course D2L site. Click on the ‘Content’ button, and there will be folders for each week that contain the materials. The readings are listed in the schedule by the authors’ last name.
Office Hours
I will be in my office during the hours stated above. You can stop by, phone me, or e-mail me. I will be checking e-mail during that time. You can also make an appointment if my office hours are not convenient.
Course Requirements
Each week you will need to log into the course D2L site, interact with the materials, and do the assignments. The types of activities you will be doing on a weekly basis are listed below:
1. Reading assignments: In some cases readings will be posted on the D2L site. In others, you will need to link to a web site and read the material posted on the site. The links will be available through the D2L site, but they are also listed on the syllabus. Read the material carefully and make notes about your responses to it. Your notes will help you complete the assignments or do the quizzes.
2. PowerPoint slides or handouts: Each week there will be PowerPoint slides or handouts to supplement the other materials and help you understand and integrate the points. These will also be helpful in completing assignments and quizzes.
3. Audio or video clips: Often there will be audio or video material that further discusses the points in the readings and/or provides examples.
4. Assignments: There will be an assignment about every two weeks (8 total). They will usually consist of posting responses to the course materials on the discussion board and then responding to your classmates’ posts. In general, initial posts will be due by 11:00 pm on Thursdays, with responses to classmates due by 11:00 pm on Saturdays. Note that these are deadlines – if they are not convenient for you, feel free to complete your assignments earlier in the week. More information on specific assignments is in the assignment handouts on the D2L site.
5. Quizzes: In the weeks that there is not an assignment, there will be a quiz concerning the material covered since the last quiz (6 quizzes). The format will be true/false, and multiple choice. You will need to take the quiz by 11:00 pm Friday of the relevant week.
6. Final Exam: There will be a comprehensive final exam with two parts. The first part is true/false and multiple choice, and the second part consists of an essay that you will write in response to one of the readings. More information about the final exam will be made available later in the semester.
Grading
Assignments 1/3
Quizzes 1/3
Final Exam 1/3
Grades will be recorded on the D2L site, and you will be able to access your grades for individual assignments and quizzes throughout the semester.
Course Policies
Students with Disabilities: If you will need accommodations in order to meet any of the requirements of this course, please contact me as soon as possible.
Late Assignments: Because assignments and quizzes are strictly timed by the D2L programs, you need to plan accordingly. Allow yourself adequate time to get your assignments in before the deadline. In most cases, I have set a deadline of 11:00 pm. Do not wait until 10:59 to start your assignment! It will not be accepted!
Listed below are three important UWM policies that I would like to draw your attention to:
Incompletes: A notation of "incomplete" may be given in lieu of a final grade to a student who has carried a subject successfully until the end of a semester but who, because of illness or other unusual and substantiated cause beyond the student's control, has been unable to take or complete the final examination or to complete some limited amount of term work.
Discriminatory conduct (such as sexual harassment): Discriminatory conduct will not be tolerated by the University. It poisons the work and learning environment of the University and threatens the careers, educational experience, and well-being of students, faculty, and staff.
Academic misconduct: Cheating on exams or plagiarism are violations of the academic honor code and carry severe sanctions, including failing a course or even suspension or dismissal from the University.
More information about University policies is available at http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/SyllabusLinks.pdf
Tentative Schedule
Note that PowerPoints and handouts are not listed here, but they are available in the materials for the relevant week.
Week 1 (1/25) Introduction to the Course
Assignment 1: Introductory exercise in which students explore their own attitudes toward linguistic varieties
Week 2 (2/1) American Dialects/Historical Development of American English
Readings
· Wolfram & Schilling-Estes, “Language evolution or dying traditions? The state of American dialects”
· Algeo, “Language myth 21: Americans are ruining English” (http://www.pbs.org/speak/ahead/change/ruining/#myth)
Audio/Video
· Dialect map of the United States http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGxlxOcS-tE
· William Labov discusses recent changes that resulted in a divergence of American and British varieties of English:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W68VaOuY6ew&feature=related
Assignment 2
Week 3 (2/8) Language Ideology: Attitudes toward Language/Metalinguistic Awareness
Readings
· Preston, “Language myth 17: They speak really bad English down South and in New York City” (http://www.pbs.org/speak/speech/prejudice/attitudes/)
· Esling, “Everyone has an accent but me”
Audio/Video
· Preston discusses his work on language attitudes in the U.S:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kW3K3OclnE
· Excerpt from American Tongues, in which people discuss their attitudes about other dialects: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vF9g37FCmk
Quiz 1
Week 4 (2/15) Language Ideology: Prescriptivism
Readings
· MacNeil & Cran, “The language wars”
· Pinker, “Oaf of office” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/opinion/22iht-edpinker.1.19593600.html
Audio/Video
· Chief Justice Roberts administering the Oath of Office to President Obama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeFRfcQ2RtA
Assignment 3
Week 5 (2/22) Is There a Standard American? Tracking Changes in Progress
Readings
· “Standard American English” http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/standardamerican/
· Fought, “Rful Southern” http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/southern/
· Gordon, “Vowel shifting: The sounds they are a shiftin’” http://www.pbs.org/speak/ahead/change/changin/
Audio/Video
· “The vanishing verb” (PBS The News Hour 8/24/01) Link to this segment from “The Vanishing Verb” page http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/july-dec01/verb_8-24.html
Quiz 2
Week 6 (3/1) Regional Dialects: The South
Readings
· Bailey & Tillery, “Sounds of the South” http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/southern/sounds/
· Anderson, “Voices of the South” http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/powerprose/south/
· Mallinson, Childs, Anderson, Hutcheson, “Smoky Mountain speech: If these hills could talk” http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/smokies/#
Audio/Video
· “Appalachian English” Link to this segment on the “Smoky Mountain speech” page http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/smokies/#
· “Ray Hicks, Storyteller” Link to this segment on the “Smoky Mountain speech” page http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/smokies/#
· “Jack and the Three Steers” Story Segment by Ray Hicks https://uwm.courses.wisconsin.edu/d2l/lms/content/preview.d2l?tId=1242739&ou=200831
· “A Hidden America: Children of the Mountain” ABC Video Clip https://uwm.courses.wisconsin.edu/d2l/lms/content/preview.d2l?tId=1242740&ou=200831
Assignment 4
Week 7 (3/8) Regional Dialects: The Northeast
Readings
· Roberts, Nagi, & Boberg, “Yakking with the Yankees (New England)”
· Newman, “New York tawk (New York City)”
· Finegan, Edward, Labov’s “department store study” of r-less speech in New York City (excerpt)
Audio/Video
· “R-less New York” Link to this segment on the “New York Style” page http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/newyorkcity/#
Quiz 3
Week 8 (3/15) Regional Dialects: The Midwest
Readings
· Gordon, “The Midwest accent”
http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/midwest/
· Basu, “Linguists set sights on ‘Skahnsin’ English” http://www.news.wisc.edu/12293
· Wisconsin English (structures) (http://csumc.wisc.edu/wep/Structures.html)
· Simon, “Sayin ‘ya’ to the yoopers” (Michigan’s Upper Penisula)
Audio/Video
· Labov discusses the Northern Cities Vowel Shift http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UoJ1-ZGb1w
· News clip that discusses linguistic varieties in WI and MN http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8MsdcFNUE8
· DARE Project podcast (Concerns background of project and words and expressions unique to Wisconsin) http://csumc.wisc.edu/wep/podcasts/WEP_003.mp3
Assignment 5
March 22-28 Spring Break
Week 9 (3/29) Regional Dialects: The West
Readings
· MacNeil & Cran, “Language from a state of change” (California)
· Conn, “Pacific Northwest” http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/pacificnorthwest/
· “Angry Rises” (A short excerpt from Language Log concerning “Uptalk”) http://158.130.17.5/%7Emyl/languagelog/archives/002823.html
Audio/Video
· “Linguistics on the Playground” (Interview with Penelope Eckert) http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1693373
· “Valley Girl” Link to this segment on the “California English” page http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/californian/
Quiz 4
Week 10 (4/5) Ethnic Dialects: AAVE
Readings
· Baugh, “Bridging the great divide” (African American English)
· Wolfram & Torbert, “When worlds collide” http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/AAVE/worldscollide/
· Baron, “Hooked on Ebonics” http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/AAVE/hooked/
Audio/Video
· Video produced by the North Carolina Language & Life Project (North Carolina State University) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTt07IVDeww
· “Jeopardy! (with a twist)” Link to this segment from the “Standard American English” page http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/standardamerican/#
Assignment 6
Week 11 (4/12) Ethnic Dialects: Chicano English & the Lumbee Dialect
Readings
· Carter, “Spanish in the U.S.” http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/spanglish/usa/
· Fought, “Talking with mi gente” http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/chicano/
· Wolfram, “From the brickhouse to the swamp” (Lumbee Vernacular English)
Audio/Video
· “Chicano English” Link to this segment on the “Talking with mi gente” page http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/chicano/
· Lumbee English 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cVnhWSMLn4&feature=PlayList&p=C021703FA220DE57&playnext=1&index=9
· Lumbee English 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BLzH8UGZrE&feature=PlayList&p=C021703FA220DE57&playnext=1&index=10
Quiz 5
Week 12 (4/19) Language and Gender
Readings
· Language Myth 6: “Women Talk to Much” http://www.pbs.org/speak/speech/prejudice/women/
· TBA
Audio/Video
· TBA
Assignment 7
Week 13 (4/26) Technology and Language Change
Readings
· “Talk to the screen” http://www.pbs.org/speak/ahead/technology/talking/
· Nass, “Machine voices” http://www.pbs.org/speak/ahead/technology/voiceinterface/
· McFedries, “World wide web of words” http://www.pbs.org/speak/ahead/globalamerican/cyber/
Audio/Video
· “Virtual relationships” Link to this segment on the “Machine Voices” page http://www.pbs.org/speak/ahead/technology/voiceinterface/
· “Matched guise” Link to this segment on the “Machine Voices” page http://www.pbs.org/speak/ahead/technology/voiceinterface/
Quiz 6
Week 14 (5/3) Slang
Readings
· Androutsopoulos, “Born in the USA” http://www.pbs.org/speak/ahead/globalamerican/slang/
· Dalzell, “The power of slang” http://www.pbs.org/speak/words/sezwho/slang/
Audio/Video
· “Surf’s up” Link to this segment from the “California English” page http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/californian/
Assignment 8
Week 15 (5/10) American Influence on Global Englishes
Readings
· Rohde, “Global English” http://www.pbs.org/speak/ahead/globalamerican/global/
· Kachru, “World Englishes: Agony and ecstasy”
Audio/Video
· “Global English” (Chicago Public Radio interview with David Crystal) Click on the link to this segment at http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/audio_library/wv_rasep06.asp#11
Final Exam Schedule: To Be Announced
References
Baugh, John. (2006). “Bridging the great divide (African American English).” In American Voices: How Dialects Differ from Coast to Coast (pp. 217-224).
Esling, John. (2007). “Everyone has an accent but me.” In Goshgarian, Gary (Ed.), Exploring Language, Eleventh Edition (pp. 558-563). New York: Pearson/Longman.
Kachru, Braj B. (1996). “World Englishes: Agony and ecstasy.” Journal of Aesthetic Education 30, 2: 135-155.
MacNeil, Robert and Cran, William. (2005). Do You Speak American? New York: Doubleday.
Newman, Michael. (2006). “New York tawk (New York City, NY).” In American Voices: How Dialects Differ from Coast to Coast (pp. 82-87).
Roberts, Julie, Nagy, Naomi, and Boberg, Charles. (2006). “Yakking with the Yankees (New England).” In American Voices: How Dialects Differ from Coast to Coast (pp. 57-62).
Wolfram, Walt. (2006). “From the brickhouse to the swamp (Lumbee Vernacular English).” In American Voices: How Dialects Differ from Coast to Coast (pp. 244-250).
Wolfram, Walt and Torbert, Benjamin. (2006). “When linguistic worlds collide (African American English).” In American Voices: How Dialects Differ from Coast to Coast (pp. 225-232).
Other Resources
Web Sites
Do You Speak American? http://www.pbs.org/speak/
North Carolina Language and Life Project http://www.ncsu.edu/linguistics/ncllp/
Wisconsin Englishes http://csumc.wisc.edu/WiscEng/
Videos
American Tongues
Do You Speak American?
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