120066 PS Introduction to the history of English (2007W)

Language varies geographically, socially and historically: this course focuses on the different forms of English over time. It builds on concepts and terminology familiar from the introductory lecture courses and applies them to a number of developments which have made English the language it is today. Some of the questions raised will be: why is there so little correspondence between English spelling and pronunciation? Why are there hardly any inflectional endings in Modern English and why is its vocabulary so full of words of foreign origin? Answering these questions necessitates reflection on how we can find out about past stages of a language with only written material (or not even that) as a source. Texts from different periods in English language history will be used for illustration. The discussion of all topics touches upon the essential questions as to how and why languages change at all.
Marks will be assigned on the basis of homework, class participation and exam(s).