English Linguistics in Bochum
English Linguistics in Bochum is concerned with English as a world-wide language. English is understood as being pluricentric and as constantly evolving in multilingual ecologies.
Whilst English linguistics is taught to embrace a wide range of topics, such as the description of linguistic variation, language contact, sociolinguistics, and conversation analysis, we place special emphasis on the following issues:
- Empirical studies of present-day varieties of English from a descriptive as well as from a sociolinguistic perspective
- Studies of interactions in which English functions as a lingua franca
- Descriptions of the current functions of English in multilingual ecologies
- Investigations into issues relating World Englishes to issues of development and social participation