120157 AR Linguistics course (interactive) 223 - Language and Identity (2008W)

Language and identity

This course introduces a number of approaches to understanding the way in which language is involved in the construction and indexing of social identity. The role of language in the identities associated with discourses of nation, ethnicity, gender and sexuality are examined. Language is also crucial to the ongoing performance of identity in face-to-face interaction, and the question of the way in which larger social identities are mediated within the face-to-face environment is discussed. The implications of these theories for processes and outcomes of language learning are considered, with particular reference to the learning and spread of English.