In this class, we will survey different topics dealing with the relation between language and sports. These range from structural-linguistic aspects in sports reporting, particularly recurring phrases and idioms (to keep one’s clean sheet), specialized terminology (box) and metaphors (one-way traffic), to sociolinguistic and discourse linguistic topics dealing with identity, gender, or the use of English as a Lingua Franca.
We will practice different methods of data collection and analysis, covering various types of texts, for example sports reporting (e.g. post-match reports and live commentary on radio, TV, and online), post-match interviews, football chants, and fan communication (in online forums or fanzines).
The aim of this class is that you conduct your own research project. Together, we will go through the steps of the research process (finding a topic and research question, collecting and analysing data, interpreting and presenting results), hand in hand with the accompanying "Research methods" class.
- Dozent/in: Berit Johannsen