120067 SE Linguistics Seminar / BA Thesis: The strange lives and histories of English words (2008W)
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Diese LVA gilt für das Bachelorstudium nach UG2002, das Diplomstudium (UniStG) und das Lehramt UF Englisch (UniStG).
Details
max. 18 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
Monday
13.10.
16:00 - 18:00
Raum 2 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-09
Monday
20.10.
16:00 - 18:00
Raum 2 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-09
Monday
27.10.
16:00 - 18:00
Raum 2 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-09
Monday
03.11.
16:00 - 18:00
Raum 2 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-09
Monday
10.11.
16:00 - 18:00
Raum 2 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-09
Monday
17.11.
16:00 - 18:00
Raum 2 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-09
Monday
24.11.
16:00 - 18:00
Raum 2 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-09
Monday
01.12.
16:00 - 18:00
Raum 2 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-09
Monday
15.12.
16:00 - 18:00
Raum 2 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-09
Monday
12.01.
16:00 - 18:00
Raum 2 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-09
Monday
19.01.
16:00 - 18:00
Raum 2 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-09
Monday
26.01.
16:00 - 18:00
Raum 2 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-09
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Who knows that the meaning of to worry was once 'to strangle' (cf. German würgen), that a lady was once a woman who "kneads bread" (i.e. hlaf [cf. loaf, German Laib] dige [cf. German Teig] ), or that humor derives from the "fluid or juice of an animal or plant"? In this seminar we shall discuss the strange and wondrous ways in which English words have changed their meanings. We shall collect cases by exploring the world famous Oxford English Dictionary (on CD-Rom), gather evidence from various electronic corpora, and try to discover the mechanics and principles underlying semantic change. These may turn out to be psychological, social, and possibly even moral, rather than purely linguistic.
Assessment and permitted materials
Participants will be assessed on the basis of oral presentations and written research papers. All presentations will take place during a seminar conference concurrently with the seminars of Prof. Reichl and Prof. Seidlhofer. Full participation in the conference is mandatory, so please bear this in mind when registering for the course.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
The course intends to make us aware that word meanings are variable and changeable and that their histories may follow rather strange courses. It is also intended to make us understand the problems involved in describing word meanings and in explaining the ways in which they vary and change. Additionally, the course intends to give participants the chance to carry out linguistic research projects, and to gain experience in solving the problems that such work brings about.
Examination topics
In an introductory phase, the agenda of the seminar will be presented and discussed, and participants will develop their research questions. In the following workshop sessions we will learn how to work with the OED and relevant text corpora, and how to interpret the evidence they contain. During a seminar conference towards the end of November participants will report on the progress of their projects and attempt to make their findings relevant to one another. The final part of the seminar will be dedicated to the production of written research papers, which will be due in the first week of February.
Reading list
Association in the course directory
1081, 222, 821, 238, 722
Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:33