Dates of the course: Sept. 4 - Nov. 29, 2007 (plus exam during December examination period)
Instructor: Stefan Dollinger
E-mail address: dstefan AT interchange.ubc.ca
A) Resources
Login Online Citations Database
Contact your class mates (jpeg file)
B) Class notes
Download the PowerPoint presentations shown in class. Click
on the desired session and download the zip file to your computer.
You can then unzip it and print the material. Each slide is captured as a gif
(graphics interchange format) file. By marking all files in the folder (generated
when unzipping), you can print the entire presentation. By changing the print
options on your printer, you can print more than one slide per page (2-4 slides
per page works fine in most cases). The slides are numbered throughout. When
unzipped you will either see "Folie1", "Folie2", ... or
"Slide1", "Slide2", ... This is the correct order.
To be posted here after presentation in class.
Class 1: Sept. 4 & Class 2: Sept. 6
PowerPoint presentation as zip file
(see the unzipping instructions above)
Class 3: Sept. 11 zip file
Class 4: Sept. 13 zip file
Class 5: Sept. 18 handout words assigned , handout OED
Class 11: New database resource: LexisNexis. If you weren't in class on Tuesday, Oct. 9, make sure to include the following database in your search for citations.
LexisNexis is a digital resource which includes texts from many countries. It is our best source for American English texts. Here is how you can access it:
Go to the UBC Library Homepage, choose "Indexes & Databases" and select "LexisNexis Academic". On the tab on top of the screen, click on PowerSearch. The second window is called "Select Sources". Select from the drop-down menu "U.S. Newspapers & Wires" (4th on the list). Then type in your keyword(s).
You can use LexisNexis also to search for British English, New Zealand, Australian, ... sources. In order to do so, click under the title page "LexisNexis" on the tab "Sources". Select your country, e.g. Australia, and then select the type of sources you'd like to search. In most cases it is best to limit your searches to the News corveage. Click for "Publication type" on "News" and select (place check mark) beside all sources. In the case of Australian newscoverage we have 16 sources. Under "Name Selected Sources" enter a name, e.g. AusE, and then press "OK-Continue".
Now you can search your AusE texts for your terms. You will be able to select your AusE texts from the search window for the remainder of your session (but you will have to re-select your sources in a new session).
Class 13 (Tue, 16 Oct):
Universal Semantic Features (course pack p. 29)
Extension and intension (p. 35)
Denotation and connotation (p. 35)
Types of semantic change (p. 36-39; Brinton and Arnovick)
Class 14 (Thu, 18 Oct):
Types of semantic change (exercises course pack p. 38)
Usage and dictionaries (p. 40)
Variation in language (p. 33) & Jean Aitchison text
Borrowing in CanE see zip file
Class 15 (Tue, 23 Oct.):
The linguistic sign :
Lipka, ch. 2 (pp. 54-63).
PowerPoint zip file
Class 16 (Thu, 25 Oct.)
The linguistic sign:
Lipka, ch. 2 (pp. in Power Point).
PowerPoint zip file
Class 17 (Tue 30 Oct.)
The linguistic sign; Word-internal structure:
PowerPoint zip file
Class 18 (Thu 1 Nov.)
Word-internal structure
Power Point zip file
For Class 19, read in Lipka p.
148-167 (from Ch. IV on word-external structure)
Class 19 (Tue 6 Nov.)
Word-internal structure (finish), Word-external structure (sense-relations)
Power Point zip file
Quiz 4 will be on the material covered on slides (25 Oct. - 6 Nov.) and in Lipka (selected passages in p. 64 - 167)
Class 20 (Thu, 8 Nov.)
Word-external structure, syntagmatic relationships
Power Point zip file
Handout Presentation 2 (doc) (see revised schedule in this handout for your presentation date)
Class 26 (Thu, 29 Nov.)
Review for Final Exam pdf file
Canadian English words: a research-based introduction
If you ever wondered where the words Canuck 'native of Canada (+ other meanings)',
muskeg 'swamp', double double 'cream and sugar', toque 'woollen hat' and washroom
'bathroom' come from and what is Canadian about them then this course is for
you! Over the course of semester we will take a detailed look at one of the
most characteristic features of Canadian English: its vocabulary. After a brief
introduction to Canadian English (CanE) as such and regional language use in
Canada (and how CanE differs from other national varieties on all levels of
description), we will focus on the vocabulary of CanE. After an introduction
to the basic questions and problems of lexicography ('the art of making dictionaries')
and the tools needed for research on words (tools for doing lexicology, 'the
study of words'), students will carry out guided searches for (potentially)
CanE words, their meanings and developments from then till now.
This practical segment, which is the main part of the course, will be your exploration
of a few select CanE words. Students may suggest their own words or may choose
from a list of 'candidate words' provided by the instructor. Linked to a large
UBC research project (A Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles,
2nd ed., DCHP-2), this course offers a real research feature in the sense that
students will be guided in their quest for new (and old) Canadianisms and the
documentation of how they developed. This will require students to do research
in local libraries, online resources, and other sources. The work includes the
proper documentation of findings (or the absence of findings) in an online database.
Your research will be assessed on your effort and process and not necessarily
on the linguistic significance of your findings. For more on the DCHP-2, which
provides the input for this course, see www.dchp.ca.
No prerequisites beyond the successful completion of 6 credits of First Year
English (or the equivalent) are required, but an interest in the topic is essential.
We will discover many new facts on the vocabulary of CanE (this is real research
for real course credit). Please note that it is not necessary to be a native
speaker of CanE. On the contrary, non-native speakers will see that, at times,
their status may well be an advantage in this line of work.
Note that English 229 is a core course requirement for the major in English
language studies and a recommended course for those planning to do an English
language minor.