Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2025 - LING 481 D100

Topics in Linguistics II (3)

Language & Migration

Class Number: 7388

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: Tue, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    Requirements will vary according to the topic offered.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Investigation of a selected area of linguistic research. This course may be repeated once for credit if the subject is different.

COURSE DETAILS:

In this course we will examine different aspects of the relationship between migration and language.

We will start by analyzing the ways in which language has become central to regimenting and restraining the mobility of populations. For instance, language testing has often been used by nation-states to decide who is welcome and who can be granted citizenship. Language testing rests on the implicit correlation usually made between migrants’ competence in the host country’s language(s) and the extent to which they can be “integrated” in the host its socioeconomic structure. Through a close examination of language testing in different parts of the world, we will address the following questions: Which form, or kind of knowledge is tested? How is this knowledge tested, by whom, and for what purpose? How is language conceived of in these tests? How is language proficiency constructed? What do these tests tell us about the ways in which nation-states are construed? How is integration understood?

            We will review cases of asylum-seeking procedures, in which language is used to verify an applicant’s place of origin and therefore the truthfulness of their application. Why is language taken as an unmistakable index of a migrant’s origins? Does one always speak the vernacular of their ancestors or one associated with their homeland (fluently)? Can one’s vernacular change over the years?

            We will also examine family language policies and reflect on what precludes or favors heritage language transmission.

In addition, we will deconstruct the traditional correlation between socio-economic integration and language competence in the discourse produced by politicians and some academics alike. Among the questions we will address here are the following: What does such a correlation reveal about the ways language is conceived of? Does language indexicality matter? If yes, how? Does treating the acquisition of the host country’s language(s) as the migrants’ main door-opener to employment really construct the host society as free of race- or ethnicity-based discrimination? 

            Finally, we will analyze how different types of mobility (e.g., colonization, slave trade, and free individual migration) produce, at different times, differing sociolinguistic dynamics. We will review the relevant factors that must be considered to understand the emergence of new varieties such as creoles and the differential spread of major lingua francas.

The syllabus is subject to change: some topics may require more time than others, depending on the students’ interests and level of difficulty.

COURSE DELIVERY:

In Person. Tuesdays: 11:30am-14:20pm

Grading

  • The students are expected to read all the assigned articles and participate in class discussions. They will be evaluated on the basis of:
  • Class participation 20%
  • Mid-term exam 25%
  • Submission of a research paper at the end of the quarter 40%
  • Oral presentation of their research paper to the class during the second half of the semester 15%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

No Textbook is Required. The readings will be available at Canvas.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

Students should familiarize themselves with the Department's Standards on Class Management and Student Responsibilities.

Please note that a grade of “FD” (Failed-Dishonesty) may be assigned as a penalty for academic dishonesty.

All student requests for accommodations for their religious practices must be made in writing by the end of the first week of classes or no later than one week after a student adds a course.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.