ANGLISTIK/AMERIKANISTIK

Current Affairs (Übung) 4002068
2 SWS ab 5. Sem. Fr 10-12 R 24 James Fanning
In this course we shall read about a variety of topics from current affairs (mainly, but not
exclusively, from the Anglophone world) in the Anglophone press, as a basis for discussion.
The overall mark for the course will take continuous assessment of participation in
discussions into account as well as marks for an oral presentation (about 10 mins) and an
essay. It is essential to be present in the first session of the semester.
maximum participants: 22
ENGLISCHE SPRACHWISSENSCHAFT
Visiting Lecturer (ERASMUS), English Linguistics April 11- 16, 2010:
Dr. Inesa Šeškauskienė (University of Vilnius, Lithuania) will teach classes in “Cognitive
Linguistics.”
Dates and rooms: check English Linguistics notice board.
Lexicology: synchronic and diachronic aspects (Hauptseminar) 4002071
2 SWS ab 5. Sem. Mo 14-16 R 23 Sebastian Knospe & Amei Koll-Stobbe
In this seminar, we shall study the structure and evolution of the English lexicon, bringing
together synchronic and historical aspects. As to Present-Day English, we shall cover issues
such as word formation, sense relations, lexical fields and theories of cognitive representation,
but also analyse lexical variation in varieties of World English. From a diachronic point of
view, we shall focus on meaning change, on processes and results of language contact (e.g.
with Latin, French, but also with more ‘exotic’ languages) as well as on factors that lead to
linguistic expressions becoming obsolete. Last but not least, we shall have a look at
dictionaries available for past and present English and at the work of lexicographers.
Schein requirements include regular and active participation, a presentation and a term paper.
maximum participants: 30
English in India: Language and Identity in a multilingual Asian nation (Hauptseminar)
4002072
2 SWS ab 5. Sem. Di 16-18 R 23 Amei Koll-Stobbe
In this Hauptseminar we are going to study the particularities of English in India from
different points of view, bringing together historical, linguistic and sociolinguistic aspects.
Students will thus not only gain knowledge on the specific phonological, grammatical, lexical
and pragmatic characteristics of Indian English, but also follow the road the language has
taken from the times of its ‘transplantation’ by the British colonizers up to the present day.
Here, the focus will be on the status of English as a second language/dialect in a multilingual
country, its relation to autochthonous languages like Hindi and Urdu and various local
varieties as well as on questions of identity and linguistic competence which arise particularly
in the light of code-switching and code-mixing practices that occur both in everyday life and
in postcolonial literature. Work in class will be largely project-based.
maximum participants: 30
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