Syllabus
1. Introduction. Language and context.
2. Grammar in literary narrative
3. Grammar in written academic contexts
4. Grammar in spoken institutional and academic contexts
5. Grammar in conversation
6. Grammar in second-language learning
7. Grammar in newspaper news reports
8. Grammar in 'restricted communications' (small ads, headlines etc.)
9. Grammar in electronic communication
10. Grammar and gender
11. Grammar in varieties of English
Annotation
The course deals with the relationships between grammatical choices and the contexts in which they are made. The context will be understood as a broad phenomenon, comprising the linguistic co-text as well as the situational and wider socio-cultural context.
In each seminar authentic texts (written or spoken) are analysed, focussing on the grammatical features typical of language produced in the particular context.