Language change and varieties of English - MA Seminar 1 3301-JFS1WOJ02
The seminar will focus on language change, with the focus on English, and its modern dialects. The topics discussed will include morphological, phonological, lexical and semantic changes in the English language which led to the development of standard and non-standard varieties. The actual topics of the thesis may vary, from projects studying the changes which took place in the language in the past to those examining various aspects of Present-Day English.
Topics discussed:
- language contact and its results;
- English lexicon: history, changes and present-day situation;
- borrowings;
- morphological changes and their results;
- phonological changes and their results;
- standard dialects (AmE, ScotEng, IrEng, etc.);
- non-standard varieties of English;
- social varieties of English,
- jargons;
- linguistic theories;
- orthographic changes in English
- jargons of present-day English.
Type of course
Mode
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 in the field of language change and varieties of English
K_W02 advanced principles of linguistic research design, in particular the principles of method and tool selection in formulating research problems and testing hypotheses
K_W05 economic, legal, ethical and other conditions of the various
professional activities related to the field of study
Abilities: the student is able to
K_U01 apply the advanced terminology, theories and methods of linguistic research to solve complex and originalresearch problems within the area of language change and varieties of English
K_U02 apply advanced principles of linguistic research design, and in particular is able to:
- select appropriate sources, methods and tools
- critically analyze and synthesize the current state of research in the discipline
- interpret and present the results obtained
using advanced information and communication techniques
K_U03 use structures, lexis and language conventions appropriate to the communicative situation (e.g. giving an academic presentation, writing MA dissertation, while conducting research, etc.) in
K_U04 apply the concepts and principles of intellectual property protection and copyright law especially in MA dissertation
K_U05 apply the knowledge of economic, legal, ethical and other conditions of various professional activities related to the field of study
K_U07 use modern technology to acquire knowledge, especially language corpora, and communicate through a variety of communication channels and techniques
K_U09 design their own development path and guide others in so doing
Social competences: the student is ready to
K_K01 critically 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
I semester credit is obtained on the basis of the presentation concerning the topic of MA dissertation as well as active paritcipation in classes.
Bibliography
Durkin, P. 2009. The Oxford Guide to Etymology. Oxford: OUP.
Freeborn, D. 2006. From Old English to Standard English. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Hock, H.H. – B.D Joseph. 1996. Language History, Language Change and Language Relationsip. Berlin / New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
Hughes, G. 2000. History of English Words. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Kortmann, B.– C. Upton (eds.). 2008. Varieties of English (Vol. 1-4). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Machan, T.W.–Ch. Scott. 1992. English in Its Social Contexts. New York: Oxford University Press.
McMahon, A. 1994. Understanding Language Change. Cambridge: CUP.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: