ENG4159 – Accents of English in the British Isles

Course content

Regional and social accents of English in the British Isles are introduced. A general survey is given of the variation in pronunciation across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Some specific accents from each of these countries are studied in detail.

Learning outcome

After completing this course you will have:

  • acquired knowledge about accent variation in English, with emphasis on varieties spoken in the British Isles
  • gained an understanding of the correlation between pronunciation and its social and cultural significance
  • gained practice expressing aspects of English accents in writing

Admission

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisite knowledge

Students should have taken the course ENG1103 – English Phonetics and Intonation, ENG1101 – English Phonetics and Intonation, An Introduction (discontinued) or have equivalent knowledge of English phonetics.

Recommended previous knowledge

This course presupposes a good proficiency in written and spoken English. It is also necessary for students to have acquired a good knowledge of English phonetics or General phonetics. A course in English Pronunciation or Spoken English is not sufficient.

Overlapping courses

10 credits overlap with ENG2159 – Accents of English in the British Isles

Teaching

Seminar, 2 hours per week for 12 weeks, 24 hours in all.

Students are expected to attend all teaching and to participate actively in all seminars.

Obligatory activities:

  • Students are required to hand in one paper of an acceptable standard by a set deadline during the semester to be eligible to submit the term paper. Students are expected to participate by contributing to discussions in class, handing in written work and presenting topics orally.

Read more about rules concerning valid excuses and how to apply for approved absences or postponements.

Examination

The exam consists of a term paper. You are required to write 10 pages (a standard page consists of 2,300 characters). This does not include references and bibliography.

Previous exams and assessment guidelines (note that the exam form has changed)

Submit assignments in Inspera

You submit your assignment in the digital examination system Inspera. Read about how to submit assignments in Inspera.

Use of sources and citation

You should familiarize yourself with the rules that apply to the use of sources and citations. If you violate the rules, you may be suspected of cheating/attempted cheating.

Language of examination

The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

The results will be found on the StudentWeb within three weeks of the exam.

Explanations and appeals

Resit an examination

Withdrawal from an examination

It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

Special examination arrangements

Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.

Evaluation

The course is subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students to participate in a more comprehensive evaluation.

Reports from periodic evaluations (in Norwegian)

Facts about this course

Credits
10
Level
Master
Teaching
Autumn 2020

This course is not offered Autumn 2021

Examination
Autumn 2020
Teaching language
English