Search : Index : Faculty of Arts : Swedish
Prev 126-068 Viking Studies A
Next 126-069 Viking Studies B

 126-086 The Nordic Languages in Society

Credit Points

12.5

HECS Band

1

Coordinator

Dr Catrin Norrby

Prerequisites

European studies students wishing to enrol in this subject would normally have completed first year European studies, see Prerequisites.

Semester

2 (view timetable)

Contact

A 2-hour lecture and a 1-hour seminar per week

Subject Description

The Nordic region can be defined as consisting of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, and is represented by eight Indigenous languages spoken by some 22 million people. This subject investigates the languages and speech communities of this region and focuses on the ecology of these languages, i.e. their interrelations with each other and the communities in which they function. Topics discussed also include the inter-linguistic relations between the Nordic region and the rest of the world, the relationships between majority and minority languages, dialects and sociolects vs standard, language planning, as well as aspects of mutual intelligibility and 'semi-communication'. On completion of this subject students should have increased their general awareness of the social and cultural aspects of language, through the study of a specific region.

Assessment

Written work totalling 4000 words.

Prescribed Texts

Further materials will be available from the Department.

  • L Vikør, The Nordic Languages. Their Status and Interrelations. Novus Press, 1993.


Search : Index : Faculty of Arts : Swedish
Prev 126-068 Viking Studies A
Next 126-069 Viking Studies B
Status:                   Official 2001
Last Modified:            Wednesday May 23 22:24
SGML to HTML Conversion:  Information Technology Services
Authorised by:            Academic Registrar
Email Enquiries:          Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au