English 475/(HEL) History of the English Language
Professor: Dr. Sara Trechter
Office: SSKU 143, 12.15-2.00 TR
Email: strechter@csuchico.edu
Required Materials
Fennell, Barbara.2001. A History of English: a Sociolinguistic Approach. HE in Syllabus
Blackboard packet (1)
Blackboard Workbook (2)
Print 2 and BRING TO CLASS!
GOALS
This course is to provide you with an understanding of how and why language changes across
time by focusing on the history of one language: English. The course provides a survey of the
linguistic and cultural history of the English language around the world, form its origins in ProtoIndo-European to the present day. We will pay special attention to the factors that give rise to
language variation and change. Class time will divide between lecture, discussion, and hands-on
investigation of linguistic data.
REQUIREMENTS
Class Preparation and Participation
5%
Homework (7 assigned, 3 graded +1 performance) 30%
Mid-terms
35%
Final exam
30%
Participation: Be active, alive, and awake. Bring food if you need to. Question what the teacher
has to say and bring up relevant examples and illustrations. Show that you have thought about
the readings and problems and gone one step further. Prepare all of the exercises. ** If you are
absent for more than 6 class periods, you will get no credit for participation. If you do not hand
in all 7 assignments, your participation will lower 1 grade.
Homework: Much of this course will require you to engage in the examination of spoken and
written language and thereby master concepts and analytic techniques of linguistics. You cannot
hand any homework in late. See me for help with homework; that’s what office hours are for.
You must do assignments 1-7. I will choose to assign a letter grade to some assignments, and
these will constitute the homework grade. Assignment 3 is the performance of one memorized
bit of Old English to demonstrate that you understand the basics of pronunciation (or that you
can mimic well. You must do this assignment!)
Midterms: See the schedule. Each exam will involve a combination of linguistic problem
solving, identifications, short-answer questions and mini essays. Review sheets will be provided
for the exams.
Final: Cumulative.
UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY
The students, faculty, administrators, and staff of CSU, Chico are committed to a culture of honesty in
which members of the community accept responsibility to uphold academic integrity in all they say,
write, and create. A student caught cheating or plagiarizing will receive an F on his or her work. Further
disciplinary procedures will apply as specified by university policy.
“Plagiarism occurs when a [student] deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other
original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source. Cheating is
intentional fraud or deception for the purpose of improving a grade or obtaining course credit
and includes all behavior intended to gain unearned academic advantage. Cheating includes
either helping or attempting to help another person cheat.”
HOW TO GO THROUGH HEL AND LIKE IT
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Come to class early and often. A single class can never be made up.
Be prepared. Do the readings in advance. Keep up with the homework: do each chapter’s
assignment while it is being discussed in class rather than waiting until the last minute to
complete the entire assignment.
Be an active learner. Linguistics is like math; it requires you to understand and carry out
procedures rather than to memorize answers only. Don’t just let the details wash over you;
master them so that you can apply them yourself.
Ask Questions. You should also come to office hours regularly and/or contact me by e-mail
or phone if you encounter any problems in the class.
Talk to classmates. You are strongly encouraged to study in pairs or groups.
Stick around. This course is a survey of many different facets of the English language. You
may not like or understand all the issues we explore, but you’ll probably enjoy and excel at
some of them, so be patient.
Schedule: English 475 (tentative: subject to change)
The schedule is by week!
Do the reading assignments as soon as they appear on the schedule.
*If you cannot take the exams or final on the scheduled dates, you should not take this course.
DATE
TOPIC
COURSE TASKS
Week 1
Jan 20
Introduction to the Course
-Linguistics overview per HEL
-Review of English phonology
Read HE: p. 11-12 & Chapter 1
Week 2
Jan 27
Prehistory of English 4000 BCE- 450 CE
OE (450-1150)
-finish phonology
-proto IE homeland
-overview: cultural “occupations”
OE phonology
-runes, writing
-introduction to poetry
-pronunciation of sounds
Read HE Chapter 2
HW 1 due: Blackboard Workbook p. 31,
exercises 19-21
OE Syntax
-OE word order, case
-OE verbal morphology
Read/Listen
Week 3
Feb 3
Week 4
Feb 10
Read HE Chapter 3 &
http://www.dreamofrood.co.uk/
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/en
glish/nael/noa/audio.htm
http://www.heorot.dk/deor.html
http://loki.stockton.edu/~kinsellt/litre
sources/brun/brun2.html
HW 2 due: Assignment 2
Week 5
Feb 17
Week 6
Feb 24
Week 7
March 3
OE Nominal Syntax and Poetry
Performances
-OE cases, number, & gender
-demonstratives
-pronouns
Performance & Review
Middle English (1150-1450)
Phonological changes
-cultural overview
-English as a creole?
http://faculty.virginia.edu/OldEnglish/c
ourses/handouts/magic.pdf
HW 3 & 4 due: see assignments.
Exam 1 (see BB for review)
Read HE Chapter 4
Week 8
March 10
-sound changes, why
ME Syntax and Morphology
-changing percentages
-morphological losses and analogy
-awareness of language change
HW 5 due-BB Workbook p 126-27
exercise 6.4
Listen to Lexicon Valley, Number
Theory
http://www.slate.com/articles/podcast
s/lexicon_valley/2014/11/lexicon_valle
y_the_history_and_evolution_of_writin
g_out_numbers_in_the_english.html
Spring Break
Whew!
Week 9
March 24
Week 10
March 28
Week 11
April 7
Week 12
April 14
Week 13
April 21
Week 14
April 28
Early Modern English (1450-1750)
-cultural overview
-standardization & the rise of grammars
and dictionaries
EME Phonology and Syntax
-new phonemes
-the Great Vowel Shift
EME cultural/social summary
-salons and scientists
-vocabulary expansion
-Dr. Johnson & Thrale Piozzi
-Review
English and Colonialism
-Creoles
-dialects and phonology
-vowel shifts
-British/American English
-dialects & grammar
Read HE Chapter 5
BB reading 1 (Bodine)
HW 6 due-bb Workbook p. 151 Ex 7.3
BB reading 2 (McElhinny)
Listen to Lexicon Valley, dude!
http://www.slate.com/articles/podcast
s/lexicon_valley/2014/01/lexicon_valle
y_the_etymology_and_early_history_o
f_the_word_dude.html
Exam 2
Read HE Chapter 7
Listen to Lexicon Valley, lagniappe
http://www.slate.com/articles/podcast
s/lexicon_valley/2014/08/lexicon_valle
y_the_etymology_and_history_of_a_m
ystery_word_with_lexicographer.html
HW 7 due
Listen to Lexicon Valley for some snark
http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts
/lexicon_valley/2014/10/lexicon_valley_
the_etymology_and_history_of_the_wo
rd_snark_with_lexicographer.html
Week 15
May 5
-dialects & vocabulary
Global English/Language Death
-Review for final
BB reading 3 (Azrui)