ENGL 311 - History of the English Language

Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Winter 2013 and alternate years.

Prerequisites: ENGL 299. Why do we say brought not brang? Why is children the plural of child or feet the plural of foot? What happened to the pronoun thou? How did the printing press change spoken language? This course pursues these and other questions by exploring the linguistic history of the English language from its early Germanic origins through its present-day proliferation into World English(es). Particular attention is devoted to the internal development of English (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, graphics, and vocabulary) in the medieval and early modern periods. Course work includes reading texts and facsimiles from a variety of historical periods and provenances and also exploring the linguistic, social, cultural, and historical forces that induce language change. No prior knowledge of foreign languages or linguistics is required or expected. Jirsa.