This course examines sociolinguistic issues in the Armenian language (language ideology, language vitality, dialect variation, and multilingualism), with particular attention to Armenian cultural identity and societal attitudes in today’s Armenia and its global diaspora. Lectures, readings and discussions in English. No knowledge of the Armenian language is required.

This course explores the complex social and historical forces that shape languages and language behaviors across time and space, introducing key concepts in sociolinguistics and historical linguistics with a particular emphasis on the case of Armenian. Students will learn about themes such as language ideology; language vitality; language and identity; dialect variation; and multilingualism; and they will apply those ideas to case studies from the Armenian context. Examples will be drawn from Armenian in the Republic of Armenia and the Diaspora, and (to a lesser extent) from languages with historical and/or social relationships to Armenian, such as Arabic and English. Students will apply and extend their knowledge through a series of short projects, where they will discover the role of language in their own lives and weigh in on some of the debates they learn about in class. This course is open to students without experience in Linguistics or Armenian Studies and will be a useful foundation for future coursework in those fields.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills