Spanish 712

Special Topics: Dialect perception across the Spanish-speaking world

Course Area: Linguistics

Course Description:

This is a graduate-level seminar focused on the study of dialect perception across the Spanish-speaking world. 

The role of variability and experience with language has important effects in dialect categorization. Dialect variation 

is one of the indexical properties of language and its study has implications not only for spoken language theory, 

but also for sociolinguistics and phonological theory. Therefore, the seminar will cover current perspective providing 

an understanding of linguistic variability in speech perception. The main goal is to examine an almost unexplored subject 

in the Hispanic sociolinguistics literature. The basics of dialect variation across Latin America and Spain, and the issue of 

dealing with variation in speech science and phonology will be covered. We will review the available literature produced 

in dialect perception in the English-speaking world (Clopper and Pisoni 2004, Preston 1986, 1993, among others) 

as well as articles examining Spanish data. Students will be required to design and complete research projects, participate 

in class discussion, and write a final paper proposal.