AN34001BA
ASPECTS OF AMERICAN ENGLISH
Fall 2016 3rd YearVenue: MainXIVTime: 14-15.40 Th Instr.:Pál Csontos
Office Hours: 12-1Mo2-3Fr (Main 11 / DSS CB)e-mail:
Required Texts:Kövecses, Zoltán. American English: An Introduction. Budapest: DAS, ELTE, 1995. (or Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2000.
Lecture notes
Recommended: (on hold in the library)
Bragg, Melvyn. The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2003.
Bryson, Bill. Made in America.New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1994.
Dillard, J.L. A History of American English.London and New York: Longman, 1992.
McCrum, Robert et. al. The Story of English. London: Guild Publishing, 1986. (chapters 1, 3-4, 6-7)
MacNeil, Robert. The Story of English. Cassette series (Episodes 1, 3-4, 6-7)
Mencken, H.L. The American Language.New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962.
Cooke, Alistair. Alistair Cooke’s America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1975.
(websites)
Description: The lecture course will examine the nature, variety, and development of American English. Students will consider some scholarly and scientific observations about the people, language, culture, and subcultures of the US, including such topics as regional, social, and ethnic variations; differences between British and American English; and styles of self-presentation such as straightforwardness, informality, and prudery. Assessment: written or oral exam given at the end of the semester.
Schedule of Lectures: Textbook chapter:
Week 1 (9/22) Introduction, orientation. The mechanics of the course. Why Study English / American English? 1
Course introduction; review of schedule, evaluation and resources;
The Story of English: “An English-Speaking World” video excerpts (general and AmE intro); DYSA? video (title sequence & intro);
“Global American” at
“Born in the USA: The Global Spread of American Slang” at
Week 2 (9/29) Historical Influences on American EnglishI 2
Periodizations, Elizabethan English, archaic features in and the influence of other languages on AmE;
Elizabethan English pronunciation and vocabulary forms from Bill Bryson audiotape and outline;
“Loan Word Examples in American English” with explanatory analysis from
and
The Story of English: “Muse of Fire” and “The Guid Scots Tongue” excerpts (East Anglian and Scots-Irish influence);
Week 3 (10/6)Historical Influences on American English II 2
The process of naming, the frontier and the West, technological developments, institutions, people & misc.;
Alistair Cooke excerpt on Lewis & Clark with transcript; “Pioneers...” selection for vocabulary development;
“The People’s English” excerpts from Part 05 (7:20-9:00) of The Adventure of English;
Examples of later influences: “The Huddled Masses”
Week 4 (10/13) Regional Dialects of American English 4
The variety of Am. regional varieties: a comparison of sources; dialect profiles & general regional markers;
National Map + Regional Dialects homepage + “A Dialect Map of AmE” at
DARE homepage + quizzes;
“Arthur the Rat” audio illustr. + AmE Regional Speech and Dialect Samples at
Intro into Episode 1 of Do You Speak American? (a journey from Maine to Detroit thru Boston, NYC, Philly, Pittsburgh, Ohio & SC);
Week 5 (10/20)Social Dialects of American English( 5
Social vs. Regional variation; Factors in Social Variation; Standard and Nonstandard AmE; Attempts at Standardizing:
U.S. English, Inc. at Lg & Cult-al Stereotyping:
“Dialect and Identity” in AmE at
Language change and the media at
Intro into Episode 2 of Do You Speak American? (a journey into the Deep South, Appalachia, LouisianaTexas);
Week 6 (10/27) Ethnic Dialects of American English (The Ebonics Debate) 6
Native American English, Hispanic American English, and the Black English Vernacular;
Poets in Person demo: “We Real Cool” and “Mexicans Begin Jogging” audio illustrations;
The roots of African-American English: “Black on White”; Music illustration: Manse Lipscomb, “Sugar Babe”
“Hooked on Ebonics” and “The Teacher’s Guide to Ebonics” illustrations; Examples of Black Am. Lit. transparency;
“American Black English” at
Intro into Episode 3 of Do You Speak American? (a look into Spanglish, Chicano, and Ebonics);
(11/3)Consultation Week (no class)
Week 7 (11/10) American Slang (Sources, subject matters, and distinctive properties of American slang) 7
Slang Definitions and Classifications; The Alternative English Dictionary and other slang dictionaries;
Rhyming slang or slang that rhymes; Street Talk: audiotape illustration; Cal Poly Pomona list;
“Brief Sports Terminology Reference”; “The Power of Slang” at
“Campus Talk: Slang and Sociability” at
Week 8 (11/17)Divided by the Same Language (?):British English vs. American English 8-9
Pronunciation, spelling, grammar, syntax, punctuation, general usage at
Bridge One audio illustration; “Words that could be confusing...” and other comparative vocabulary lists;
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone versions compared at
“Potentially Confusing and Embarrassing Differences between Am. and British English” at
Week 9 (11/24) American “Clipped” English: Economy, Rationality, Iconicity & the Curious Influence of the Media 10-11
“Initials” practice sheet and Crazy English transparency on spelling; Homepages on spelling differences;
“The Vanishing Verb” at + watch the report;
Week 10(12/1)The American Character and the English Language (I: Straightforward and Casual) 12, 14
Sincerity, clarity, informality, style mixing; Bridge One audio illustration;
Some American Styles and Straightforward Quotations transparencies; The Official PC Dictionary and Handbook sample;
Week 11 (12/8)The American Character and the English Language (II: Democratic) 13
Standardization, tolerance, anti-sexism, the role of the media; The American Heritage Dictionary usage panel illustrations;
“Sexism in English” transparency and task sheet; “Talk the Talk?” at
The example of William Safire in TNYT; “Are Dialects Fading?” at
Week 12 (12/15)American Prudery in Language (Swearing, death, the human body & sexuality) 15
BAD and Made in America transparency for illustration; The Official SC Dictionary and Dating Guide illustration and sample;
“Euphemisms and Jargon in American English” at
“Cursing: Obscenities, Expletives and ‘Forbidden Words’” at
Week 13(12/22) The Inventiveness Imaginativeness of Am. English (Ways, causes, nature of inv/imaginativeness) 17-18
American Dialect Society: Words of the Year; Bushisms-selection; Biz Talk demo; “Kedves Bözsi Ángyom” excerpts from
“Kiduage” by Safire; “World Wide Web of Words: Language in Cyberspace” at
Summary. Orientation for the exam 20