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This course offers a nontechnical exploration of the ways that language is used in America. Emphasizes language as a social institution and how values and goals of both public institutions and private groups shape and are shaped by language and its use.

Learning Objectives

• Identify and describe basic linguistic features of US dialects (phonemes, morphemes, lexemes);
• Apply the concept of 'language ideology' to deconstruct pervasive myths about language (e.g. "There is such a thing as accent-free English");
• Evaluate diverse viewpoints on language debates in the US, using linguistic sources and knowledge;
• Conduct intro-level sociolinguistic analysis.

In this course, you will

  Learn where dialects and accents come from;

  Debunk language myths and misconceptions;

  Analyze the language of news and entertainment media;

  Have opportunities to discuss challenging topics in a supportive environment.

Meet Your Instructor 

Maureen Kosse 

  mary.kosse@colorado.edu

Hi! My name is Maureen Kosse (rhymes with 'posse'). I am a PhD student in the Linguistics Department at CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ. My specializations are syntax (the rules which govern phrase/sentence formation) and sociocultural linguistics. I have been teaching linguistics courses for five years, including Introduction to Linguistics, Language Gender & Sexuality, and Language in US Society. This course, Language in US Society, is designed to introduce you to critical language study. We will consider how people use language as part of social life, and how ideas about languages directly influence US policy and social dynamics. Linguistics is a rare subject to encounter at the undergraduate level - I am lucky and honored to share a slice of this field with you all.