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Unit of study_
LNGS1002: Language and Social Context
2025 unit information
This unit introduces the study of the interrelationship between language and society. It is concerned with phenomena of language change and how that leads to varieties in a language. How are these varieties linked to social differences? What distinguishes male speech from female speech or what are the linguistic styles of different social classes or ethnic groups? What is slang, or jargon, and what distinguishes a casual conversation from an interview?
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | Linguistics |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. demonstrate an understanding of basic facts about variation of linguistic practices in speech communities around the world, and the relation of these practices to social variables including socioeconomic class, gender and sexuality, ethnic identity, generation and dis/ability
- LO2. demonstrate an understanding of principles by which language is used in social interaction, including casual conversation and institutionalised exchanges
- LO3. demonstrate knowledge of how language variation relates to language change, as cultures evolve, as individuals develop, and as discourse unfolds
- LO4. demonstrate an understanding of first principles about methods of research on language in social contexts, including quantitative and qualitative methods, ethical considerations, and principles for communicating results.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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