EL1102: Studying English in Context
Essay Questions for Sem 2
00/01
Please choose any one of the
following questions to answer as an essay. Essays should normally be
word-processed or typed, and should be about 1,000 words in length. Please pay
particular attention to the language used – we expect the essay to be written
in grammatically correct Standard English; spelling should normally adhere to
the British convention.
If you haven’t looked carefully at the Guidelines for Essay Writing
in English Language, please do so before you attempt the question.
Remember that the essay is
worth 15 per cent of your final mark for EL1102.
Question
1
‘Language
varieties generally have their own associations, positive or negative.
Ultimately, those with negative associations lose out.’
Respond to
the above statement by referring to Labov’s study on English in New York and
Martha’s Vineyard; and Trudgill’s study on English in Norwich.
Deadline: Monday, 12 February 2001 at 1.00 pm
Question
2
‘One
compelling reason for change is the need for a language to adapt itself to the
needs and realities of the speakers.’
Discuss the
above statement by focusing on changes to the English language in either the
Middle English period or the context of the USA.
Deadline if
discussing Middle English: Monday, 19 March 2001 at 1.00 pm
Deadline if discussing
American English: Monday, 26 March 2001 at 1.00 pm
Question
3
‘Standard
English represents the triumph of capitalism, science and technology and a
monolingual or monodialectal view of modernisation and internationalisation.’
Would you say this
statement is as true of the promotion of Standard English in Singapore today as
it was of the development of Standard English in 16th-century Britain?
Deadline: Monday, 2 April
2001 at 1.00 pm
Essay Writing
in English Language
View
a sample essay.
Comments
on earlier essay questions
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