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Somali Dialectology and Sociolinguistics

Course
SOL260
Bachelor’s level
7.5 credits (ECTS)
Study pace
25%
Time
Mixed time
Location
Location independent
Study form
Distance
Language
Swedish
Duration
-
Application period
-
Application code
GU-30211
Tuition
Full education cost: 15 250 SEK
First payment: 15 250 SEK

No fees are charged for EU and EEA citizens, Swedish residence permit holders and exchange students.

More information about tuition fees

Application opens 16 March 2026

Summary

The purpose of the course is to give an increased understanding of the geographic and social variation of the Somali language in view of the modern development of Somali into a standard language with clear differences between formal and informal language.

About

Variables such as geography, situation and identity, e.g. professional role, social class, age, gender and ethnicity are discussed. Linguistic power relations, language attitudes and language choices are also covered.

Throughout the course, key concepts, principles and aims of sociolinguistic and dialectological studies are presented. The course covers in more detail the existing research into Somali dialects, their subdivisions and present-day status. Morphosyntactic, phonetic and lexicosemantic differences between the different dialect areas are studied.

The importance of dialects in different socio-cultural contexts are discussed as well as the use of regional spoken language and slang.

Prerequisites and selection

Selection

Selection is based upon the number of credits from previous university studies, maximum 165 credits.

After graduation

What happens next? Further studies? Apply for a degree? Search for a job? How can you plan forwards to get your dream job?

There are many questions, and some answers can be found here:
https://www.gu.se/en/study-in-gothenburg/after-your-studies

Facilities

Our campus - Humanisten

Address: Renströmsgatan 6

More information about facilities