ENG 251 Language and Society is a three-unit course that is available in the second semester of the second year for B.A. English and B.A. (Ed) English programmes. This course examines the several ways social factors influence language and the role language plays in structuring and representing social categories. Specifically, the topics to be covered include: socially determined variation in language styles, registers; language varieties as reflected in social and regional dialects; standard and non-standard, native and non-native speakers, slang, jargon, graffiti, etc. It will also examine factors affecting language choice, such as bi- multilingualism, code switching and code mixing and diglossia. Students will also study changes in language status over time; language shift, language maintenance, language death, and new language, such as Pidgins and Creoles.
- Teacher: Amina Abubakar