Course Details in 2025/26 Session

Module Title	LH A Common Language? English in the U.K. and the U.S.A. (and beyond)
School	Eng, Drama, & Creative Studies
Department	Eng Lang and Linguistics
Module Code	09 31802
Module Lead	Jason Grafmiller
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-20 hours Seminar-10 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	It is often said that Britain and the United States are two countries divided by a common language. In this module we unpack this idea through the investigation of the varying forms and functions of British and American English, as well as the ways in which cultural beliefs and ideologies shape societies’ attitudes toward different language varieties. Using corpora and other online resources, we’ll critically examine some commonly held beliefs such as: “One variety of English is more pure, correct, or precise than another”; “British English is being corrupted or taken over by American English”; “British English is older than American English”; and “All varieties of English will eventually become indistinguishable”. Topics covered will naturally intersect with those of other modules, including topics relating to sociolinguistics, historical linguistics, semantics, grammar, and phonetics/phonology. Students will gain experience using different to tools for collection and analysis of usage data, and have the opportunity to carry out their own individual research project.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Describe and critically evaluate some of the ways that standard varieties of British and American English differ from one another, for example in their sound systems, lexicon and grammar. Critically discuss some of the reasons for the divergence between British and American English, and the ways in which new varieties of English have emerged around the globe. Describe and critically evaluate some commonly espoused beliefs about language variation, and the relationship between British and American English specifically. Demonstrate an ability to use a range of sources to collect authentic language data, and apply qualitative and quantitative methods for studying language variation Design and conduct a research project of their own investigating some aspect of language variation across British, American, and/or other varieties of English
Assessment	31802-01 : Presentation : Coursework (25%) 31802-04 : Assignment : Coursework (75%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 2500-word essay (75%) and 5 minute presentation (25%) Reassessment: Failed component only 2500-word essay (75%) 5 minute presentation, which can be submitted as a recording (25%)
Other
Reading List