Mediaeval England in Chaucer’s Eyes 3301-JF2663-2ST
An advanced linguistic course for MA students interested in the language of Middle Ages and the description of reality as found in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. The aim of the course is to present the most important features of Middle English as well as selected cultural and social aspects.
A course which discusses Chaucer’s language as a dialect that was a direct ancestor of present-day Standard English. Students will get acquainted with the spelling, pronunciation, morphology and lexis of Middle English to be able to read and understand the passages of The Canterbury Tales in their original form. Selected fragments will be used for a discussion on mediaeval reality as seen and pre-sented by Chaucer. We will explore social (social classes and rela-tions between their representatives, language of different social classes, role of women in the society) and cultural (outfit, hospitality, art, religion) aspects. During the course, students will be analysing selected passages to investigate his world from the linguistic-cultural perspective.
The range of subjects discussed (language):
(1) rhymes and rhythm
(2) spelling and pronunciation
(3) native and foreign vocabulary
(4) morphology: most important endings
(5) morphology: word-formation
(6) sentence structure
(7) styles in utterances
The range of subjects discussed (society and culture):
(1) Chaucer and his times: historical backgrount
(2) representatives of various social classes (way of presentation and its analysis)
(3) relations between representatives of various social classes (dia-logues, author’s opinion)
(4) Chaucer’s women (way of presentation and its analysis)
(5) religion and beliefs (way of presentation and its analysis).
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge: the student has in-depth familiarity with
K_W01 advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of the art in the discipline of linguistics with the focus on historical linguistics covering reconstruction of forms, language change and the process of language standardisation as well as the most important social aspects of mediaeval England
K_W04 concepts and principles concerning the protection of intellectual property and copyright
Abilities: the student is able to
K_U01 apply the advanced terminology, theories and methods of linguistic research to solve complex and original research problems in historical linguistics pertaining to reconstruction of forms, language change and the process of language standardisation as well as the most important social aspects of mediaeval England
K_U04 apply the concepts and principles of intellectual property protection and copyright law
Social competences: the student is ready to
K_K01critically appraise their knowledge and content obtained from various sources
K_K02 recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems; consult experts when required
Assessment criteria
Active participation in classes which requires preparation.
Obligatory homework: an analysis of a passage from Chaucer’s work and questions pertaining to that passage.
Final test at the end of the course which includes general questions as well as the analysis of the selected passages from Chaucer's work. The student can be absent no more than 3 times.
Bibliography
Benson, L. D. (ed.). The Riverside Chaucer. Oxford: OUP.
Brink, B.A. 1901. The Language and Metre of Chaucer. London: Macmillan and Co.
Coulton, G.G. 2011. Chaucer and His England. New York: Wallachin Publisher.
Fisiak, Jacek. 1968. A Short Grammar of Middle English. Warsaw: PWN.
Horobin, S. 2007. Chaucer’s Language. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Hughes, G. 2000. A History of English Words. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Kastovsky, D. 2006. “Vocabulary”. In: R. Hogg—D. Denison (eds.) A History of he English Language. Cambridge: CUP. 199–270.
Knapp, P. 1990. Chaucer and the Social Contest. London: Routledge.
Lass, R. 2006. “Phonology and morphology”. In: R. Hogg — D. Denison (eds.) A History of he English Language. Cambridge: CUP. 43–108.
Martin, P. 1990. Chaucer’s Women. Nuns, Wives and Amazons. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press.
Minkova, D. — R. Stockwell. English Words. History and Structure. Cambridge: CUP.
Schlauch, M. 1965. The English Language in Modern Times. War-saw: PWN.
Smith, J. 1992. “The use of English: language contact, dialect varia-tion, and written standardisation during the Middle English period”. In: T.W. Machan — Ch.T. Scott (eds.) English in Its Social Context. Essays in Historical Sociolinguistics. Oxford: OUP. 47–68.
Wełna, J. 1990. “On transcribing Chaucer”. In: A. Weseliński (ed.) Studies in English and American Literature (Anglica 1). 163–174.
Wełna, Jerzy. 1978. A Diachronic Grammar of English. Part One: Phonology. Warsaw: PWN.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: