ENG2159 – Accents of English in the British Isles

Course content

This course gives an introduction to the regional and social accents of English spoken in the British Isles. It provides an overview of the ways in which pronunciation varies in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and includes detailed study of some specific accents in each of these countries.

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

Admission to the course

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.

Formal prerequisite knowledge

Students should have passed the course ENG1103 - English Phonetics and Intonation, 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 ENG4159 – Accents of English in the British Isles (discontinued).

Teaching

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

Students are expected to attend all teaching. The quality of the teaching depends on active participation 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 here about rules concerning valid excuses and how to apply for postponements. Information about guidelines for obligatory activities.

• It is obligatory to show up for a minimum of 60% of the teaching. In this course you must? attend a minimum of 7 of 12 seminars. The requirement is absolute.?Attendance at 11 out of 11 seminars is strongly encouraged. If you miss a class it is your responsibility to catch up the work you have missed.?

The allowed absence limit will cover all absences, including illness. You will not be granted valid absences with documentation, even when the absence is due to something beyond your control.

In certain circumstances, i.e. serious or chronic illness, you could apply for special needs accomodations.

Fulfilled course requirements are only valid the semester you attend the course.

Examination

The grade will be based on a term paper of 10 standard pages (a standard page consists of 2,300 characters). This does not include references and bibliography. In the evaluation, both content and language are taken into account.

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.

Resit an examination

• A term paper or equivalent that is passed may not be resubmitted in revised form.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• How to use AI as a student
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.