Spoken language differs from written language both in form and function. For example, grammatical units such as sentences, clauses and phrases are the basic features of written texts but in spoken language their boundaries are often difficult to define. The aim of this course is to consider the peculiarities of spoken English and introduce different approaches to analysing spoken language. We will take a look at the grammar and lexis of spoken English, speech genres, spoken language corpora and various methods of discourse analysis.
Course work includes regular attendance and class participation, background reading, oral presentation and a final essay.