History of the English Language
Cross-Listed
Linguistics 11 section # 5858
Meeting Place: R102
Meeting Times:M/W 3:35-5:10pm
English 11 Section # 5859
Professor: Steve Pell
Office: C 252K
Office Phone: (626) 585-3270
Office Hours are by appointment on Mondays- 12:00pm-2:00pm
Email: sapell@pasadena.edu
Course Materials
The Adventure of English
ISBN 9781611450071
Melvyn Bragg. 2011
*Please make sure you use the 2011 edition. The 2003 edition will not work for this
course.
Legal Books will be required in Class on Wednesday, January 9th. No exceptions! If you
order online, order overnight delivery. If a student doesn’t have the book, the student
cannot learn nor participate that day. The student will be asked to leave.
Course Outline
Instead of giving you a week- by- week schedule of what we must adhere to, we are
going to soften the time restrictions a bit. We will begin the course with some linguistic
terms, then look briefly at the English Language as we know it today. Then we will go
back in time to the prehistory of the language and move forward through the phases of
the language until we arrive back in the 21st century. We will adjust our schedule as
needed so that you may have a firmer grasp and understanding of our language.
Depending on how quickly you absorb the material, we will try to follow a logical order.
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Through lectures, readings, and film/video, this course provides an overview of
the history of the English language from the Anglo-Saxon period to the present,
with an emphasis on the relationship between the history of the English language
and the history of the English-speaking peoples. Syllabus topics include:
The development of English in the British Isles after 449, including the Norman
invasion and the reestablishment of English; the Renaissance; the spread of
English to Scotland and Ireland; dialect variation in contemporary Britain.
The spread of English through migration to North America and elsewhere.
The spread of English to non-English-speaking areas through colonization and
trade, and the development of World Englishes.
The development of Standard Englishes, and the relationships between
standard and nonstandard varieties, especially in the United States.
The core of the course centers around the following topics,
Sounds, Symbols, orthography
Indo-European and Germanic ancestors of English
The Old English Period
The Middle English Period
The Modern English Period
The English Language in America
Formation of dialects
Development of social dialects
A central goal of this course is to make students more aware of the nature and history of
the English language, so that they can be more sensitive to their own and others’ use of
the language, as well as to their own and others’ attitudes toward language. They are
expected to understand the ways in which English has developed from Old English to
Middle English to Modern English, and to understand the ways in which historical,
social, and cultural factors have influenced that development.
Think of this course as an examination of the history of the English language from its
beginnings to the present, this course will treat in detail, and with equal emphasis, the
English of the middle ages, the Renaissance, and the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries,
as well as the English used in the Americas and elsewhere in the world today. Our focus
will be on language in its social context, and so we will develop a picture of English as it
functions in the real world of people communicating: speaking, writing, reading, and
using language as a social, political, literary and economic instrument. We will consider
as well what happens when when languages come into contact, both more violently, in
terms of wars and colonial conquests, and more peacefully, in terms of trade,
globalization, cultural exchange, tourism, and the Internet.
We will concentrate on relationships between language and literature; dialect and the
process of language standardization; the social implications of linguistic variety; and the
nature of World Englishes. We will also study new word formation, the impact of
technology on language, and the attempts, over the past four centuries, to reform English
spelling, grammar, and usage.
This course should be of particular value to students of language and literature who seek
a greater understanding of the linguistic forces at play in the texts they study, and to
prospective teachers hoping to show their students that language is a living, everchanging, user-friendly part of their lives. No previous background in language study is
necessary, although such experience will not be held against you.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to....
Identify the origin of the English language and outline its diachronic development.
Student Performance Objectives ( SPOs)
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to....
1. Describe the Indo-European Language family, the relationship of the Germanic
group to it and identify the principle members of the Germanic group.
2. Explain the essential grammatical, phonological and lexical differences among Old
English, Middle English and Modern English.
3. Describe the processes by which the English language has changed, including
grammatical and semantic change.
4. Read and translate selected simple passages from Old English and Middle English.
5. Identify major differences between British and American English.
6. Explain the forces that have shaped American English, causing it to differ from
British English.
7. Distinguish native and borrowed words and identify the source of selected
borrowed words.
Assessment Measures
Students are expected to complete all assignments and readings, and to arrive in class
prepared to discuss them.
 Two oral recitations……………………………@ 5% each.(10%)
 a mid-term ………………..………………………….………(10%)
 in-class quizzes……………………………………….…..….(50%)
 a final comprehensive exam.. …………………………….….(10%)
 A final research project/paper ( MLA format)……….….…...(10%)
 Other class activities including homework and
 miscellaneous assignments……………………………………(10%)
Total = …………………………………………………………100%
 All out-of-class course work should be either typed or computer-printed.
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Grades
At the end of the course, you will receive a grade without a plus or minus attached to it.
However, you may receive grades during the course on your work that do have a plus or
minus attached to it. The following are percentage values because your grades are
weighted.
A = 90-100%
B = 80-89.99
C = 70-79.99
D = 60-69.99
F = 0-59.99%
 Note- a grade of 89.99 is a B, not an A. If you want an A you must score a 90% or
above.
Attendance Policy:
Attendance is required -- much of the learning that takes place in this class occurs in class
sessions, and your active participation in the discussions is vital. Due to the way the
course is structured and the amount of audio/visual materials in the class (a lot of video
and films) missing more than 4 absences will make it impossible to pass the class. You
will be dropped upon the 5th absence. If the 5th absence occurs after the drop deadline, the
student’s grade will be reduced by one whole grade for each absence after the 4th . It is
possible to score A’s on everything but receive an F in the course because of not meeting
the attendance requirement. Your attendance is an absolute necessity in this class. You
will be tested on in-class materials (videos/lectures) and out-of-class readings, and by
missing a class, your success rate is slim. Students are expected to be present at all class
meetings. To clarify- upon the equivalent of a fifth absence, an automatic drop will result
if it occurs before the drop deadline of April 5th , 2013. Three tardies/ or leaving early
three times is equal to one full absence. There is a strict limit on non-attendance in this
class.
Make-up policy and Late work:
No make-up work (including tests and/or quizzes) is available in this course. Exemptions
may be accommodated in documented, *serious situations ( hospital/court cases) , but not
more than one makeup in the course is permitted, and you must have a serious reason
with official, acceptable backup. Life gets in the way at times. If this happens, it would
be best to take this course at a time when you have more time to devote to the course.
Remember- You must provide official documentation. Work and car emergencies do not
count as a serious situation, nor do trips out of town count, nor family visits, or etc. It is
the responsibility of the student to provide hospital or government documentation and to
request the makeup within one week ( no later) of the missed assignment in these
extreme cases.
Rules:
1) Electronic mobile devices are now considered to be cheating aids. They are no
longer allowed in this class. If you have one, keep it well hidden from view. If it
is in view or goes off in any form: vibrations, ring tones, etc, you will receive a
full grade drop on your next assignment. These are not welcome in this class
because of abusive learning interruptions and just plain socially unacceptable
rudeness, neither mobile phones nor any kind of electronic communicative device
may be turned on in class under any circumstances (even dire emergencies),
including laptops. If you have an emergency, you should not be in class; be where
you need to be. If you break the above rules, you will lose one letter grade drop
on your next graded assignment. Don’t turn them at all while in this class or
have them in view.
2) TAKE NOTES!
3) Cheating and Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. Any student who passes
off (or copies) someone else’s work as their own will receive an “F” in the course
regardless of earlier grades earned. Any use of a camera to copy information
while in the class will earn you an “F” or result in removal from the course.
I know Rules 1 and 3seem harsh, but these rules result from those before you who have
abused the system and have forced me to implement such policies.
4) All grades are final. There is no negotiation- unless I have made a mathematical.
Remember: An 89.9% is not an A. If you want an A, shoot for 90 or above.
This syllabus is subject to changes. I may need to alter, delete, or add assignments in
order to meet the necessary requirements of the course. The dates of assignments are the
dates on which they are due. By remaining enrolled in this class, you agree to all terms of
this syllabus.