GUIDE SYLLABUS FOR ENGL 3XX: History of the English Language
DESCRIPTION OF ENGL 3XX COURSES:
3-level courses in the literature track put a spotlight on the connections between texts and contexts. No matter what
the title, a course at this level gives students an understanding of the dynamic relationship between individual texts
and the broader culture from which they emerge. Many, though not all, of these courses are organized with an eye
towards historical periods and movements. Those that concern written texts pay particular attention to the historical
development of language.
DESCRIPTION OF THIS COURSE
This course is an historical survey of the English language, introducing the techniques of historical linguistic research and
contrasting the phonology, grammar, and lexicon of Old, Middle, and Early Modern English with that of Modern British and
American English. The course also considers the growth and distribution of “World Englishes,” including Canadian, Indian,
Southern Hemisphere varieties as well as English creoles and pidgins. Students also contribute to an updated edition of the
Dictionary of Geneseo English.
LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR ENGL 3XX COURSES:
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Students successfully completing this ENGL 3XX course will develop an
ability to read texts in relation to history
understanding of how texts are related to social and cultural categories (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class,
ability), enterprises (e.g. philosophy, science, politics), and institutions (e.g., of religion, of education).
understanding of how language as a system and linguistic change over time inform literature as aesthetic object,
expressive medium, and social document
OUTCOMES SPECIFIC TO THE COURSE
Students successfully completing History of the English Language will accomplish the following:
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describe the history of the English language from its beginnings to the present in phonological,
morphological, lexical, and syntactic terms
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understand the history and dissemination of varieties of English worldwide, including creoles and
pidgins
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understand sociolinguistic dynamics of English language history
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become familiar with examples of research in historical linguistics
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appreciate the relationship between language history and the form and meaning of literary texts
contribute to an ongoing Geneseo Dictionary project
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gain additional experience in written research skills and in oral presentation.
TEXTS
Selections on myCourses.
Gramley. The History of English: An Introduction. (Routledge)
Online readings from Gramley’s companion website, www.routledge.com/cw/gramley
REQUIREMENTS
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Report #1 (4-5 pages, on the history of a word): 15% of semester grade
Report #2 (written review of scholarly or popular work on the history of English): 10% of semester grade
Oral Report (to present Report #2): 20% of semester grade
Geneseo Dictionary Project (group project): 20% of semester grade (10% based on your group’s grade;
10% based on your participation on the Geneseo Wiki
Final Exam: 20% of semester grade
Class participation (including exercises in textbook): 15% of semester grade.
CLASS SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
Readings are from Gramley’s textbook unless otherwise indicated. With each
chapter from Gramley, please look up and read each link to the companion
website at www.routledge.com/cw/gramley
WEEK 1:
WEEK 2:
WEEK 3:
WEEK 4:
WEEK 5:
WEEK 6:
WEEK 7:
WEEK 8:
WEEK 9:
WEEK 10:
WEEK 11:
WEEK 12:
WEEK 13:
Introduction; group assignments; The Story of English, Part 2
GRAMMAR: A Brief Survey; The Story of English, Part 3; discussion; group organization
meeting time and discussion of wiki video tutorials; to prepare for today, go to YouTube.com,
type “confluence tutorials” in the search box, and study the following tutorial videos (Confluence
Tutorial - Confluence Overview; Confluence Wiki; and “Creating Spaces, Pages, and Blog
Posts” at https://confluence.atlassian.com/x/RYDbCg; optional: Confluence Tutorial:
Embedding Images & Documents; Confluence Tutorial: Creating Links
Phonology; The International Phonetic Alphabet; on myCourses, please read Pyles and
Algeo“The Sounds of Current English” and “Letters and Sounds: A Brief History of Writing” The
Story of English, Part 4;
Indo-European Languages; Chapter 1:The origins of English (before 450); exercises on world
languages
WORD HISTORIES DUE; discussions of word histories; INITIAL GROUP PROGRESS
REPORTS; The Story of English, Part 5
Old English; The Story of English, Part 6; Chapter 2: Old English: early Germanic Britain
(450-700)
ORAL REPORTS; Exercises on Old English (see myCourses); Chapter 3: Old English: the
Viking invasions and their consequences (700-1066/1100)
Middle English; ORAL REPORTS; Chapter 4: Middle English: the non-standard period
(1066/1100-1350); The Story of English, Part 7
ORAL REPORTS; Chapter 5: Middle English: the emergence of Standard English; exercises in
Middle English
Early Modern and Modern English; ORAL REPORTS; Chapter 6: The Early Modern English
Period (1500 to 1700); exercises in Early Modern English
INTERMEDIATE PROGRESS REPORTS; The Story of English, Part 8; Chapter 7: The
spread of English (since the late sixteenth century); Chapter 8: English in Great Britain and
Ireland (since 1700)
ORAL REPORTS; The Story of English, Part 9; Chapter 10: English in North America (since
the early seventeenth century)
ORAL REPORTS; Do You Speak American?; Chapter 9: English pidgins, English creoles,
and English (since the early seventeenth century); Chapter 13: Global English (since 1945);
discuss myCourses article on E-Prime;
WEEK 14:
Guest lecturer on World English; FINAL GROUP REPORTS; Video on Canadian English;
Chapter 11: English in the ENL communities of the Southern Hemisphere (since 1788); Chapter
12: English in the ESL countries of Africa and Asia(since 1795)
WEEK 15:
FINAL EXAM (50% identifying texts according to period; 50% on general knowledge from
readings)