Fall 2007

E 321L • American English

Course Description

In this class we will examine the development of American English from colonial times through the present. Topics we will cover include: the influence of Native American languages; American post-colonial nationalism and attitudes toward British English; the origins and diffusion of regional dialects; language use in Texas and the south as regional dialect areas. We will also look at modern and modern social and ethnic dialects, including African American Vernacular English, and at the emergence of new varieties of American ways of speaking and writing in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries in the wake of emerging computer technology and networked communication.

Grading Policy

Two short (3-5 page) essays with required drafts 25% each
End-of-semester research paper (8-10 pages) with draft and oral presentation on a topic of your choice 40%

Short oral presentation 8%
Peer evaluation 2%

Texts

Readings packet (available at Jenn's)

back