Language, Society, and Digital Networks - Einzelansicht

The study of language and society is the raison d’etre of Sociolinguistics. This field of study has shed light on social phenomena and social stratification from many different angles and has consistently questioned the status quo of some lines of academic research in service of essentialist understandings of both language use and social phenomena. Now, with the exponential growth of the Internet, Sociolinguistics has expanded its conceptual and analytical framework to address the so-called ”online-offline nexus” (Blommaert et al., 2019), a new scope of analysis that regards the close interplay of offline and online experiences. As the sociolinguist Jan Blommaert put it, this shift in the workings of ‘language and society’ requires ”a shift from a scholarly universe almost entirely dominated by theoretical and methodological preferences for offline (...) discourse” (2019, p. 9).

In this seminar, we will explore theoretical reflections and empirical studies focusing on digital communication with a focus on two publications by Blommaert: the monograph Durkheim and the Internet (DAI) and the collection Online with Garfinkel (OWG), both available online in an open-access format. The theoretical part will approach sociolinguistic considerations of superdiversity and digitality, and the empirical part will lean on studies of communicative practices in digital communities on different platforms.

Please note that this is a reading-intensive course. Students must read two to three chapters a week in preparation for each session, including the first one on November 6. 

The final assignment for this course will be a case study (and a research report) on data extracted from an online platform, using the conceptual and analytical frameworks explored in the course.

The submission deadline for the research report is December 10. Please note that a deadline extension is not possible.

Blommaert, J. (2018). Durkheim and the Internet: On sociolinguistics and the sociological imagination. Bloomsbury Academic //

Blommaert, J., van de Sanden-Szabla, G., Prochazka, O., Maly, I., Kunming, L., & Liu, L. (2019). Online with Garfinkel. Essays on social action in the online-offline nexus. (Tilburg Papers in Culture Studies; No. 229)

Case study, presentation, research report

November 5: Overview of Jan Blommaert’s life and work + theory

Preparation:

(1) Watch the documentary about Blommaert’s life and work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJxoSmhCKhE&t=2718s

(2) Watch some of Blommaert’s short videos and take notes of some of his notions and ideas

(3) Reading: DAI - chapters 1, 2 & 3

November 12: Theory and main takeaways for ”a sociolinguistics of digital cultures”

Preparation:

(1) Reading: DAI - chapters 4 & 5

November 19: Presentations on OWG’s chapters and first ideas for own case studies

Preparation:

(1) Reading: OWG - chapters 3, 4, and 5

(2) Preparing a 20- to 30-min presentation of one of the chapters (plus ideas for your own case study)

November 26: Presentations on OWG’s chapters and first ideas for own case studies

Preparation

(1) Reading: OWG - chapters 6, 7 and 8

(2) Preparing a 20-min presentation of one of the chapters (plus ideas for your own case study)

December 3: Presentation of case studies and feedback

All students/groups present their case studies and get feedback from the instructor and peers.

December 10: Submission of research reports