ENGL 479

Language Variation in North America

Gail Stygall

Required Books:

Finegan and Rickford, Language in the USA

Lippi-Green. English with an Accent, 2nd edition

Packet (all articles but one available online)

Recommended Book:

Hill, The Everyday Language of White Racism

This course is a survey and overview of language communities, language structures, and language policies in North America. The course satisfies VLPA, I&S, and Diversity requirements and may also satisfy the Writing requirement. Language in the USA and English with an Accent will provide the backbone of the course, but each week, there will be an additional article or legal case to read and a short writing assignment to complete, based on the week’s readings, either a response to reading questions or a reaction paper. We’ll study perceptions of language differences, types of Spanish-English variations, African American English, bilingualism in Canada, U.S. legal cases about language, the range of Native American languages, and the impact of Asian languages. We’ll also carefully examine issues such as Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070 and various proposals for English as a national language. You will also select one of two options for a final: either take a final examination or read Jane Hill’s The Everyday Language of White Racism and conduct a study and write a paper on the topic.