Sociophonetics lies at the intersection between sociolinguistics and phonetics. This is a relatively new field of study, that explores both linguistic production (how pronunciation is associated with social categories, such as age, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status, as well as attitudes and aspirations) and perception (the kinds of judgments and assumptions we make about people from the way they speak). In this course, you will be introduced to quantitative methods and associated tools for analysis, which you will apply in a sociophonetic research project on a topic related to language variation and change.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:1. Examine language variation and change using techniques and theories from experimental phonetics;
2. Use software to analyze data pertaining to language variation and change;
3. Critically assess the appropriateness of various methodological approaches in published sociophonetics articles;
4. Write a detailed literature review logically leading to a formulation of an original research question;
5. Design, carry out and present (in both a written and oral format) a detailed project on language variation and change.
Indicative Assessment
Practical exercises, 4 x 500 words (5% each for a total of 20%) Learning Outcomes 1, 2Research proposal, 1500 words (20%) Learning Outcomes 3, 4
Research paper, 3000 words (50%) Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4
Presentation, 10 minutes (10%) Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4
In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle.
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks, consisting of lectures and tutorials (averaging 3 hours per week)
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Thomas, E.R. (2011). Sociophonetics: An Introduction. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.Assumed Knowledge
Knowledge of introductory Phonetics and SociolinguisticsFees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $3570 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $5460 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
