Officially an introduction to sociolinguistics, this course looks at how people use language when they interact with each other. The focus is on dialects of English. You will learn how your way of speaking is different from the way they speak English in, for example, Chicago, Minnesota, Texas, Kentucky, the Boston area, and the east coast states, as well as in England. You will be able, among other things, to characterize the differences between Standard American English and Received Pronunciation, the dialect spoken by the Queen of England. Further, you will discover why you do not understand the earlier forms of English, for example, the English spoken by Geoffrey Chaucer, a 14th century English poet. It will become clear why English spelling is so hard to learn. We will also look at how you vary your language depending on the situation you are in and who you talk to. You will also see how the use of language can tell you about social classes. The course comprises two lectures and one section meeting per week. New content is introduced in the lecture. The section provides an opportunity to enhance your analytical skills. The lecture is taught in an interactive way, whereby the students who wish to work with the instructor provide the data by, for example, pronouncing certain words that are then analyzed in the lecture. The emphasis is on what we do in class, not on the readings. Course requirements include short homework assignments, two midterms, and a final.