This course looks at English as an international language and as a lingua franca. It introduces students to the notion of "englishes" and the varieties of English used around the world (morphosyntactic and phonoligical-phonetic variations). The course also goes into different aspects of pragmatics and sociolinguistics.

The main aims-objectives of the course are for students to:

• Understand and learn about the various aspects of the different varieties of English
• Gain a deeper understanding (pragmatics and sociolinguistics) of the English language
• Develop and enhance their overall productive and receptive skills

Week 1: English as an international language, English as a lingua franca

Week 2: Survey of Scottish and Welsh English

Week 3: Survey of Canadian English

Week 4: Survey of Irish English

Week 5: Survey of South African English

Week 6: Survey of Australian and New Zealand English

Week 7: Survey of the English language spoken in the former colonies (e.g. India, the Caribbean)

Week 8: "Uptalk”, “Vocal Fry” and “Slang”

Week 9: Political correctness in English, Linguistic Relativism

Week 10: The use of the English language in media

Week 11: Presentation of group assignments

Week 12: Presentation of group assignments

Week 13: Review of course material, feedback on group assignments

• McCormack, J and Slaght, J (2012) for Academic Study: Extended Writing & Research Skills - Course Book

• Crystal, D. (2012). English as a Global Language. Cambridge: CUP. Swan, M. (2005). Practical English Usage. Oxford: OUP.

• Manning, A (2008). English for Language and Linguistics in Higher Education Studies - Course Book with audio CDs. Reading: Garmet Education Publishing

• Extra material in the form of articles etc is provide in open eclass

The course is taught through interactive lectures. It involves the active participation of students in class discussion and activities. Ample opportunity for reflection is also given through cooperative learning activities. Students have the opportunity to sit in lectures delivered by experts in the field (and Erasmus+ visiting professors) on topics related to the course.

PPT, short videos, interactive activities, polls, slido quizes, etc.

Two required assignments:

a) Individual assignment (50% of the total course grade)

b) Oral group presentation (50% of the total course grade)