Accents of English 3201-LST-AE
COURSE CONTENT:
The course highlights a geographical variation of English dialects. The range of
accents discussed concerns established English dialects, although it also addresses
the issue of being understood in relation to the concepts of Intelligibility,
Comprehensibility, and Accentedness, as well as Accentism and English as a Lingua
Franca (ELF).
The course includes, moreover, an introduction to the phonetic alphabet and
elements of transcription, and it discusses selected phonological processes related
to the varieties. However, its main focus is on features of dialects related to the
following areas:
1. The British Isles:
- Standard Southern British English (SSBE) / Modern RP, Estuary English,
- Cockney, Multicultural London English (MLE),
- Scouse (Liverpool), Geordie (Newcastle), Brummie (Birmingham), Mancunian
(Manchester), Lancashire (Lancaster), West Country (Bristol),
- Scottish Standard English, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and elements of Scots,
- Northern Ireland (Belfast), Republic of Ireland (Dublin),
- Welsh (Cardiff, Swansea)
2. The United States and Canada:
- General American English (GAE) / Midwestern,
- New England (Boston), New York City area, US South, US Western, Valley
(California), African American Vernacular English,
- Canada: General Canadian, Quebec English, Newfoundland English
3. Australia and New Zealand:
- General Australian, General New Zealand English and selected features of
ethnolects,
4. World/Global Englishes:
- West Indies, Asia (India, Singapore), Africa (RSA, Nigeria), et al.
The course also introduces terminology related to sociolects, ethnolects, and
language registers.
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge: the graduate knows and understands:
- in-depth, English phonetics
- in-depth, the complex structure of language as a system
- in-depth, cultural and communicative-social aspects of language use
- in-depth, specialized terminology in the fields of dialectology
- in-depth, fundamental problems of language use as an interlingual and
intercultural phenomenon
- in-depth, the role of language in communication between people and cultures,
and linguistic phenomena in a broader cognitive, communicative and social context
Skills: the graduate is able to:
- differentiate between and recognise English dialects on the basis of selected
characteristics
- use a foreign language to an advanced degree (C2 level) as regards specialized
terminology in the field of dialectology
- communicate in an understandable way, also with non-specialists, on topics
related to dialectology
- independently acquire knowledge in the field of dialectology and evaluate the
usefulness of the learned methods, practices and procedures in their own
professional activity
Social competences: the graduate is ready to:
- use their knowledge on dialectal differences and socio-geographical conditioning
in their scientific work as well as in intercultural communication
- recognize the importance of the latest linguistic knowledge and critically evaluate
research in dialectology, especially those published in scientific journals and
monographs and popular science sources
- recognize the importance of linguistic knowledge in solving cognitive and practical
problems and to consult with experts
Assessment criteria
Grade for the in-class presentation; continuous assessment (on the basis of regular attendance, preparation for the class, participation in class discussions); grade for the final written test. Each requirement, if assigned, must be fulfilled independently, hence their share in the final mark is not determined.
The criteria of grading assignments:
99% – 100% – 5!
98% – 91% – 5
90% – 86% – 4.5
85% – 76% – 4
75% – 71% – 3.5
70% – 60% – 3
below this level – 2 (unsatisfactory).
Two absences are allowed. (If the limit is exceeded, the student should ask the teacher for compensation assignments; if the number of absences exceeds 50%, the student fails the course in accordance with the Rules of Study).
Bibliography
Bolton, K. (Ed.). (2025). The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of World Englishes (6
vols.). Wiley-Blackwell.
Cole, A., & Drummond, R. (n.d.). The Accentism Project. https://accentism.org/
Jenkins, J. & Panero, S.M. (2025). Global Englishes: A Resource Book for Students.
London: Routledge. [Starsza wersja: Jenkins, J. (2003). World Englishes. London:
Routledge.]
Hansen Edwards, J. G. (2023). The Sounds of English Around the World: An
Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hughes, A., Trudgill, P., & Watt, D. (2012). English Accents and Dialects: An
Introduction to Social and Regional Varieties of English in the British Isles.
Routledge.
Robinson, C., & Crawford, C. A. (2011). Scotspeak: A Guide to the Pronunciation of
Modern Urban Scots. Luath Press.
Dziubalska-Kołaczyk, K., & Przedlacka, J. (Eds.). (2008). English Pronunciation
Models: A Changing Scene. Peter Lang.
Przedlacka, J. (2008). Models and Myth: Updating the (Non)standard Accents. In K.
Dziubalska-Kołaczyk & J. Przedlacka (Eds.), English pronunciation models: A
changing scene (pp. 1-20). Peter Lang. https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.2490.7203
Przedlacka, Joanna. (2001). Estuary English and RP: Some recent findings. Studia
Anglica Posnaniensia. 36. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
246101514_Estuary_English_and_RP_Some_recent_findings
Rogers, H. (2000). The Sounds of Language: An Introduction to Phonetics.
Routledge.
Wells, J. C. (1982). Accents of English. Vol. 1: An introduction. Cambridge University
Press.
Wells, J. C. (1982). Accents of English. Vol. 2: The British Isles. Cambridge University
Press.
Wells, J. C. (1982). Accents of English. Vol. 3: Beyond the British Isles. Cambridge
University Press.
as well as post-conference publications & proceedings for:
Accents https://www.filolog.uni.lodz.pl/accents
PSLLT https://www.iastatedigitalpress.com/psllt/issues/
ONLINE COLLECTIONS:
Barhen, D. (n.d.). YouGlish: Master English pronunciation naturally.
https://youglish.com
Beuckens, T. (n.d.). ELLLO: English Listening Lesson Library Online.
https://search.elllo.org/
Library of Congress. (n.d.). American English dialect recordings: The Center for
Applied Linguistics collection. Library of Congress.
https://www.loc.gov/collections/american-english-dialect-recordings-from-the-
center-for-applied-linguistics/
Meier, P. (n.d.). International Dialects of English Archive.
https://www.dialectsarchive.com
Queen Mary University of London. (n.d.). Spoken London English. Teach Real
English! https://teachrealenglish.org/teaching-units/spoken-london-english/
Weinberger, S. (n.d.). Speech Accent Archive [Please call Stella]. George Mason
University. https://accent.gmu.edu
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: