History of the English Language 3301-L2HEL
The classes give students the opportunity to understand the nature of linguistic changes and the process of shaping English against the background of historical, cultural and social events. They shed light on the structure of contemporary English, its exceptions and irregularities discussing the latter in the light of general linguistic processes.
Topics:
1. Old English: graphemic-phonemic correspondences, phonology, morphology, syntax and lexis based on the corpus of OE sentences and short excerpts from prose and poetry; OE dialects
2. Middle English: morphological and phonological changes in the transition period (vowel reduction, monophthongization, levelling of inflectional cases);
dialectal features based on an analysis of selected ME texts; ME phonological processes (Homorganic Lengthening, Trisyllabic Shortening, CC-Shortening; Open Syllable Lengthening); selected fragments from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (metre and rhythm, pronunciation and lexis)
4. The Great Vowel Shift
3. Early Modern English: analysis of selected fragments from William Shakespeare’s plays (pronunciation, lexis); selected early ModE phonological processes
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Acquiring knowledge
K_W10 The student acquires the knowledge of the historical development of language, especially English, and the process of semantic change in its complexity.
K_W09 The student learns how to use research tools and research techniques of phonology, especially as they are applied in historical phonology.
Acquiring expertise
K_U01 The student acquires the expertise to use linguistic terminology in the area of English philology.
Acquiring social skills
K-K02 The student acquires the understanding of professional standards, especially the understanding of the ever changing environment in research and as well as the understanding of the importance of continuous education.
Assessment criteria
Education at language level B2+
Obligatory course for the first-level (BA) students.
Grading: midterm test; final exam based on the material discussed in lectures and in practical classes; a retake exam during the retake exam session
Three absences are allowed
The method of evaluation may change depending on the epidemic situation. In such a case, the new rules shall be established according to the rules of UW and after the cosultation with attendees.
Practical placement
Non-applicable
Bibliography
Blake, N. F. 1996. A History of the English Language. Macmillan. (selected chapters)
Bough, A. C. and T. Cable, 2002 (6th ed.) A History of the English Language. Routledge. (selected chapters)
Fisiak, Jacek. 1993. An Outline History of English. Volume I: External History. Poznań.
Hogg, Richard, 2002. An Introduction to Old English. OUP.
Hogg, Richard, 2002. An Introduction to Middle English. Edinburgh University Press.
Pyles, Th. and J. Algeo, 2010 (6th ed.) The Origins and Development of the English Language. Wadsworth.
Wełna, J. 1996. A Brief Outline of the History of English. Warszawa: WUW.
The Cambridge history of the English language.(1992-2001) Vols. 1-6. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (selected fragments)
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: