English 4610A/6000D: History of the English Language
Spring 2011 | W 2:00-3:15,
3:30-4:45 PM | West Hall 259 College
of Arts and Sciences West Hall 216 1.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Why do Hamlet and his mother use second-person pronouns differently when
talking to each other? The Queen, for example, urges her son, "Good
Hamlet cast thy nightly colour off,"
whereas he replies, "I shall in all my best obey you Madam."
Is it illogical to use a form like yourn or
theirn, as in Wycliffe's Bible (1380):
"Blessed be the pore in spirit, for the kyngdam
in hevenes is heren
[theirn]"? Why do some old timers say holp instead of helped? Why in the world do
we spell the word moon (its
pronunciation represented [mun] in the
International Phonetic Alphabet) with oo? These and (billions and billions of) other questions can be answered by the study of the history of the language. On one level, the history of English is simply a fascinating field with which any English or English education major should be acquainted: English majors should understand language as well as literature. On another level, knowledge of the history of English is a valuable tool for critical readers and teachers of critical reading and for any writer or teacher of writing. For example, consider the italicized verb in this sentence: I request that the manager write me a letter of apology. Should that be writes because the subject is singular? Just how "ignorant" is it to delete the third-person singular present-tense -s in a sentence like this?—My mother work third shift six nights a week. The only way to pass an informed judgment on these matters is to know something about the history of the language. Using a standard text on the history of English and an accompanying workbook, students--and instructor--will investigate, among other things, the commonly identified periods of English (Old, Middle, Early Modern, Modern), the relationship of English to other Indo-European languages, contemporary changes in English, the general ways in which languages change, and attitudes toward change. Students will do exercises, complete a final exam, and propose and complete a project that answers a question about some aspect of Present-day English (PDE) in the midst of change by investigating the history of the phenomenon. 2. EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR UNDERGRADUATES: Students in ENGL 4610A will
3. EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR GRADUATES: Students in ENGL 6000D will
4. TEXTS, MATERIALS, REQUISITES: Two textbooks are required:
The
American Heritage Dictionary (hard cover edition) is strongly recommended because of
its relatively full etymological entries, its inclusion of Indo-European
roots, and its usage notes. It’s available online at Dictionary.com 5. SCORING AND GRADING: Class members will be scored on the following:
Members must complete the final exam and the written project to
get at least a C in the course. Assignments
will be graded on a four-point GPA-like scale according to which
Members
can earn up to 100 points during the semester. Final grades will be
determined on the basis of the following scale (again, based on the
five-point system):
6. ATTENDANCE: Studying the history of English, like studying a foreign language, requires some patience, persistence, and time: attendance is crucial. Lectures will elucidate difficult material, and in-class exercises will give members the opportunity to apply what they've been introduced to, so attendance will be rewarded indirectly by higher grades. But it will also be rewarded directly by some points: twelve points will rest on attendance. There will be no excused absences, but class members are allowed three full cuts without penalty. Attend twelve full class meetings (both portions: 2-3:15 and 3:30-4:45), and you will earn all attendance points. Each absence over three will cost a member two points. 7. WRITTEN PROJECT: All kinds of histories help to answer questions. For example, what part might greenhouse gases be playing in our climate changes today? One way to investigate the question is to look at the history of our greenhouse gases, an understanding of which can be gotten by drilling holes into the ice of Antarctica. As the course description above suggested, studying the history of English can answer questions about aspects of present-day English (PDE), especially those that are changing. The written project for ENGL 4610/6000 is relatively simple: answer fully a question about some aspect of PDE that seems to be changing by investigating its relevant history in the language. Select topics from the following list or propose your own (discuss the idea with the instructor before you complete the written proposal). Undergraduate papers (in MLA style) should run at least ten pages long and employ both primary research (surveys, for example, and/or use of English corpora) and limited secondary research. Graduate papers should run at least 15 pages and include primary research and use of a substantial number of secondary sources to provide a more detailed explanation of the relevant history connected to the change. Members are encouraged to discuss with the instructor how to fully answer the questions about PDE. Below--in no particular order--is a list of questions members may choose from or just get inspired by (one per student if possible).
8. HISTORY OF THE LANGUAGE ON THE WEB: The WWW offers a number of excellent sources on the history of English, some including audio files. Good starting places include Old English Pages and Old English at the University of Calgary. Several English corpora are available at CORPORA. 9. SPECIAL SERVICES: Class members requiring classroom accommodations or modifications because of a documented disability should discuss this need with the instructor at the beginning of the quarter. Members who require assistance must contact the Access Office for Students with Disabilities. 10. LATE WORK: The instructor tries to be tolerant of late work. However, late work means that a member is falling behind. It ought to be treated as a sign of trouble. Do not be regularly late or else you will not finish course requirements! Work may be submitted to the instructor in person, to the instructor's office (on or under the door), to an English Department secretary (who will put it in my mailbox), through the mail, by fax, or by email. The instructor cannot accept late work after
work handed in on time has been graded and returned. 11. GRADUATE STUDENTS: Graduate students will complete a longer final exam and will be expected to submit a longer written project incorporating more secondary sources. 12. SCHEDULE: The following schedule is tentative; class members are expected to keep up with changes announced in class. BC abbreviates Baugh and Cable's A History of the English Language. C abbreviates Cable's Companion. Exercises will be specified as we go along, as will the nature of the project proposal and the project itself in more detail. 1 W Jan 12 2 W Jan 19 3 W Jan 26 4
W Feb 2 5 W Feb 9 6 W Feb 16 7 W Feb 23 8 W Mar 2 (Midterm R Mar 3) 9 W Mar 9 Spring Break 10 W Mar 23 11 W Mar 30 12 W Apr 6 13 W Apr 13 14 W Apr 20 15 W Apr 27 Finals week |