Portuguese: Language in Society – Theoretical Perspectives

On completion of the course, students will be able to:

• explain different sociolinguistic perspectives on the role of language in society based on contemporary research on languages
• critically reflect on the role of Portuguese in different societal contexts
• discuss and problematise fundamental questions relating to the role of Portuguese in society based on language research
• identify material, define questions and use basic concepts from sociolinguistic research to analyse language use in a specific societal context.

In the course students will study different perspectives within contemporary research on languages, using concrete studies from Portuguese-speaking contexts, with a special focus on sociolinguistic perspectives. The course deals with theoretical perspectives on the relationship between language, linguistic forms, attitudes, identities and social position. Furthermore, language policy and aspects of language ideology in terms of Portuguese in different societal contexts are discussed. Students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a specific context and to analyse the dynamics between different languages languages and linguistic varieties from a societal perspective. In the course students also review the work of their peers.

• Active participation in seminars
• Written assignments

Obligatory seminars, discussion forums and independent work with case studies. The language of instruction is Portuguese.

The Swedish grades U–VG.

To achieve the grade of VG for the whole course, students must achieve a VG in both modules.

Reporting of grades:

• Written Assignment - 4 cr
• Active Participation in Seminars - 3 cr