Introduction to American English is a compulsory Basic Studies
course which comprises half of the ENGP8 'Introduction to the Main
Varieties of English' module in the English Translation and Interpreting
(ETI) curriculum (the other module half being Introduction to British
English). ENGP8 is designed to be taken during the first year of
study.
The course provides an overview of American English as the dominant
variant of World English. It reviews basic differences between 'standard'
American and British English and presents a sociolinguistic overview of
historical and contemporary influences on American English, including
those of Black English, Spanish, and Yiddish, variously-marked loan words,
jargon and euphemisms, forbidden and profane language, and the mixture of
all these in U.S. sociocultural stereotyping.
Introduction to American English is worth 3 ECTS credits of the
total 5-credit ENGP8 module (with Introduction to British English
being worth the other 2 credits). Evaluation will be by a class examination.
Students should subscribe to the USA1-L course e-mail list.
