Prospectus

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Sociolinguistics and dialectology of Brazilian Portuguese

Course
2016-2017

Admission requirements

Students need to have completed the Propedeuse in Latin American Studies. This course can be followed by students in both tracks Spanish and Portuguese.

Description

This course serves as an introduction to the study of how the Portuguese language is used in society, including the study of language variation in general and in particular varieties of Brazilian Portuguese. Particular attention will be paid to how the field of sociolinguistics emerged and its contributions to the larger field of linguistics. In addition, the course will look at the study of dialects, or dialectology (i.e., geographic linguistic variation).

Course objectives

  • Students will be able to discuss the principal contributions of the field of sociolinguistics, including quantitative sociolinguistics (i.e., variationist studies), to the larger field of linguistics;

  • Students will be able to describe characteristics of various dialects of Brazilian Portuguese;

  • Students will be able to carry out basic linguistic research in the field of sociolinguistics;

  • Students will be able to apply the main concepts studied in class to carry out basic linguistic analyses in Portuguese.

Timetable

Timetable LAS

Mode of instruction

Lecture

Course Load

Total load for the course (5 EC =140 hours) is the following:

  • 28 hours = Hours spent on attending lectures and seminars;

  • 24 hours = Hours spent preparing and taking tests;

  • 88 hours = reading and preparation for lectures; completing assignments.

Assessment method

  • Final Exam = 40%;

  • Weekly reflections on the readings = 20%;

  • Final Research Paper = 30%;

  • Final Oral Presentation = 10%.

The written examination may include closed questions (for example multiple choice), open ended questions and short essay questions.

Weighing

The final grade for the course will be established by determining the weighted average.

Resit

Re-sit: Relevant Component.
Only students with less than a 6 will be allowed to take the resit (for the relevant component).

Blackboard

Blackboard will be used for:

  • providing study materials

Reading list

Bortoni-Ricardo, S. M. (2014). Manual de sociolinguística. São Paulo: Editora Contexto.

Outros Textos
Azevedo, M. M. (2005). Portuguese: A linguistic introduction. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Bagno, M. (2003). A norma culta: Língua e poder na sociedade brasileira. São Paulo: Parábola Editorial.
Ilari, R. & Basso, R. (2006). O português da gente: A língua que estudamos, a língua que falamos. São Paulo: Editora Contexto.
Mollica, M. C. & Braga, M. L. (2004). Introdução à sociolinguística: O tratamento da variação. São Paulo: Editora Contexto.

Registration

Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.

General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Not applicable

Contact

Coordinator of Studies: M.A.G. van Leeuwen MA

Administrations Office: van Wijkplaats

Remarks

The choice of textbooks used may be changed in case of difficulty in finding/purchasing the above-mentioned texts. Please contact the instructor before purchasing any materials.

Minimum 80% attendance required.