Saint-Louis University - Bruxelles
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GERM1355 - Dutch : special questions in linguistics


USL-B


Credits : 5

Lecturer :
Mode of delivery :
Face-to-face , second term, 30 hours of theory.

Timetable :
Second term
Friday from 10:45 to 12:45 at 109 Marais 410

Language of instruction :
Dutch

Learning outcomes :
The course Dutch: Linguistic variation in The Netherlands and Flanders aims to increase the students' awareness of variation and linguistic diversity by familiarising them, from a synchronic point of view, with the different varieties of Dutch. The course introduces and covers in-depth the concepts of linguistic variation, more specifically, in terms of dialectology (geographical varieties) and of sociolinguistics (social varieties).






Prerequisites :
For the Bachelor in Modern Languages and Letters: German, Dutch and English :


Co-requisites :
None

Course contents :
The course deepens - in a theoretical manner - the basic notions of dialectology (dialect atlas, linguistic continuum, isoglosses, …) and of sociolinguistics (standard language, variation according to social class, age, gender, context, register of interaction, linguistic insecurity, …) and systematically concentrates on the phonological, morphological and syntactic characteristics of different varieties of modern Dutch (standard Dutch and its geographical varieties, dialects, regiolects, sub-standard varieties, etc.). In addition to the theoretical introduction, several representative case studies are examined in depth. To implement the various theoretical concepts used in this course, the students are asked, on the one hand, to analyse a film excerpt in its Dutch and Flemish versions, and, on the other hand, to deliver a presentation on a scientific article.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
Lectures (interactive, implying active participation of the students).

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, we will strictly follow the changes imposed by USL-B. When a part of the teaching activities cannot be carried out in person for health reasons, instructions will be sent via Moodle / Teams, and the active participation of the students in these activities is expected. Any modification to the lesson plan (contents, calendar, etc.) due to external circumstances will be communicated via Moodle.


Assessment methods and criteria :
The summative assessment consists of the following parts:
- off-session (in the course of the semester; mid-Q2): formal presentation of a scientific article (15%) ;
- written assignment (for instance: an analysis of a film, Flemish vs. Dutch version) (30%) ;
- oral exam (55%) in the exam session:
a. questions on the contents of the syllabus
b. a question on the contents of a book (cf. bibliography).


Any modification to the assessment modes, linked to external circumstances, will be communicated by the professor and via Moodle.



Recommended or required reading :

Syllabus.
Selection of scientific articles.

For the exam, the students have to read one of the following books:
- Bennis, Hans. 2015. Korterlands: Anarchie in de schrijftaal. Amsterdam: Prometheus / Bert Bakker.
- Fritschy, Yannick. 2019. De stam van het woord: Over taalevolutie en de eerste taal ter wereld. New Scientist, Pocket Science.
- Hinskens, Frans. 2016. Wijdvertakte wortels: Over etnolectisch Nederlands. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.
- Tieken-Boon van Ostade, Ingrid. 2019. Haagse talen. Den Haag: Uitgeverij De Nieuwe Haagsche.
- Chapter 7-12 (pp.150-301) of: Van der Sijs, Nicoline & Roland Willemijns. 2009. Het verhaal van het Nederlands: Een geschiedenis van twaalf eeuwen. Amsterdam: Prometheus / Bert Bakker.

A complete bibliography is provided in the syllabus.



Other information :
The syllabus and a selection of scientific articles will be supplied by the professor.