Pre-requisites

None.

Co-requisites

None.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

• Advise as to the extensibility of existing literature in multilingual situations utilising linguistic and sociolinguistic criteria to differentiate languages and dialects.

• Justify the choice of methods used in language surveys to discover ethnolinguistic identity, assess language vitality, determine linguistic similarity, measure inherent intelligibility, evaluate bilingual proficiency, and describe language attitudes and patterns of language use.

• Determine the type of survey most relevant for a given situation and relate the requirements of survey to the methods and sampling techniques appropriate for that survey.

• Critically evaluate language survey reports, conduct secondary research, and develop proposals and initial plans for language survey research.

Unit Description

Language assessment and survey provides the linguistic, sociolinguistic and community information for strategic language development planning. Language assessment and survey combines sociolinguistics with research methods to study the dynamics of how languages are used within a larger community and in interactions with other language communities.

Language assessment insights provide rationales for the commencement of a language development program and its potential scope. Language assessment and survey can also assist a community assess the status and progress of its languages and any development work; whether, during the course of a program, or well after the conclusion of a formal language program.

This unit is designed to help students develop an understanding of the principles that lie behind language surveys. It guides students through the processes of researching a language community, choosing appropriate research and evaluation tools to determine the status of the languages spoken in that community, and writing a proposal for a language survey.

Topics

• What and why language survey; language vs dialect
• Survey types, the process of conducting a language survey
• Language assessment and its place in language programs
• Preliminary survey plans and secondary research
• Survey methodologies
• Dialect survey, grouping dialects into languages
• Identifying a reference dialect; testing language proficiency
• Determining extensibility of literature; assessing language vitality
• Assess Language Vitality
• Sampling procedures; pilot testing of procedures
• Reviewing and writing survey reports
• Reviewing and writing survey proposals

Assessment and Indicative Load

Assessment types include Journal, Group Project, and Reflection Paper. Indicative study load is 150 hours.

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Unit offerings

Face to face: (Demand based)

Please note

The Unit Offerings listed above are a guide only and the timetable for any year is the final authority. The College may vary offerings based on demand, regulatory requirements, continual improvement processes or other conditions.

This unit may be available in different modes of delivery i.e. online and face-to-face as listed above. The unit content will not differ between these modes of delivery. There will possibly be a difference in the schedule and/or the prescribed assessment tasks, however both will cover and assess the same content.