Bachelor 2025/2026

Research Seminar “Language Contact. Language Variation”

Type: Elective course (Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication)

Delivered by: School of Foreign Languages

When: 1 year, 3, 4 module

Open to: students of all HSE University campuses

Instructors: Ekaterina Gridneva

Language: English

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This course examines the basic concepts of sociolinguistics such as language contact and language variation. Students will focus on the variables and variants in our speech, study the regional dialectology in terms of mapping speakers and places. What is more, this course investigates the issues of standards, norms, alternations from the norms, and their consequences. We will also discuss speakers' style which was illustrated in the New York City social dialect survey. Apart from the sphere of variation in language, this course is devoted to language contact. Students will be able to examine the outcome of the process of language contact such as borrowings (on the example of English) and creation of a new language (Pidgins, Creoles and Mixed languages). By the end of this course students will have an opportunity to carry out their own research in the fields of language contact and variation.