Munshi - Ling 4070: Course Syllabus and Schedule

Linguistics 4070 History of English Language Spring 2010

Instructor: Dr. Sadaf Munshi Email: sadafmunshi@unt.edu
Office: LANG 407D Ph: (940)-369-8944
Class meets: Tue/Thu (12:30-1:50) in WH213 Office Hours: Wed 1.00-2:00 pm and by appointment

Course Description
The aim of this course is to study the history of English language, its development through time and its present
situation and position in the world. In doing so we will learn the various components of the English language (viz.
phonology, morphology, lexicon, and syntax), its history, genetic affiliation (with Germanic and other Indo-European
languages), historical reconstruction (through linguistic comparison based on materials and data from English and
other languages related to it), dialectal variation (in terms of social, regional and national varieties), and different types
of linguistic changes it has undergone over the course of its development (both language-internal changes as well as
changes resulting from contact with other languages, such as, French, Latin, and many other languages as sources of
borrowing of lexicon, morphologyl and grammatical features in English). Guidelines for specific topics to be covered
during the course are provided in the course schedule.

Grading Policy
Homework Assignments... ……50%
Quizzes……………………… .30%
Final Exam (Cumulative)……...20%

Homework and Quizzes:

You will be graded for a total of 5 homework assignments (each worth 10 points) and 6 (out of 7) quizzes (each worth
5 points). These will be based on assigned readings, lectures, and class materials.

Attendance and Participation

Your attendance and participation in class are very important for receiving full credit. Your grade will be influenced by
how you conduct yourself in class. I do not approve of the students who come late to class and nap, read rather than
listen to the lecture, surf the web on their laptop, use electronic devices such as cell phones in class, and so forth.
Students who have few absences, come to class prepared, conduct themselves well during lectures, and contribute
regularly to discussion and in-class problem solving will be awarded full credit.

Penalties for unexcused absences: If you have 3-8 unexcused absences, your grade will be lowered by one letter grade. If you
have 9 or more unexcused absences, you will receive an F.

Note: There are no required textbooks for this course. Information on reading materials and resources is provided
under each topic.

Suggested Readings and References

John Algeo & Thomas Pyles, 5th Edition (2005): The Origins and Development of English Language. Wadsworth: Thomson
David Crystal (1995). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge: CUP.
English Language History Online Resource:
http://pages.towson.edu/duncan/hellinks.html
http://www.krysstal.com/english.html

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COURSE SCHEDULE
Note: This is a tentative schedule.
Due Dates for Quizzes and Assignments
Quizzes Assignments
Feb 2: Quiz #1 Feb 11: Assignment #1
Feb 16: Quiz #2 March 4: Assignment #2
March 2: Quiz #3 March 25: Assignment #3
March 30: Quiz #4 April 15: Assignment #4
April 13: Quiz #5 May 6: Assignment #5
April 27: Quiz #6
May 4: Quiz #7

Week 1: Jan 19-21 ….Introduction: Linguistics and Phonetics Review, Sounds of English
Articulatory anatomy: http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/
Algeo & Pyles chapter 1 and chapter 2

Week 2: Jan 26-28 ……History of Writing

History of Alphabet: http://www.alphabetandletter.com
Egyptian alphabet: http://www.alphabetandletter.com/egyptian.html
Origin of Greek Alphabet: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/alphabet.html
Phoenician, Greek/Roman alphabet: http://mr_sedivy.tripod.com/alphabet.jpg
Greek alphabet (more): http://www.keyway.ca/gif/greek2.gif
http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/gle/images/greek_alphabet.gif
Runic alphabet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runes
Roman alphabet (Cyrillic): http://www.theory.org/artprojects/alphabetsoup/cyrillic.png

Also Algeo & Pyles Chapter 3

Week 3: Feb 2-4 ..….. Historical Background, Reconstruction and Classification

Comparative method: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_method
Internal reconstruction: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_reconstruction
Indo-European Language Family: http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/general/IE.html
http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/iedocctr/ie.html
http://www.utexas.edu/depts/classics/documents/PIE.html
Indo-European Tree (with audio): http://pages.towson.edu/duncan/IELanguageTree.htm
Also Algeo & Pyles Chapter 4

Week 4: Feb 9-11….. Historical Background, Reconstruction and Classification (Contd.)

Germanic Invasions of Western Europe: http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/firsteuro/invas.html
Germanic Language Family: http://softrat.home.mindspring.com/germanic.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_languages
Grimm’s and Verner’s Laws: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aal9VSPkf5s
Verner's Law (Ari Hoptman) - YouTube Videos - Part 1 (7:51) - Part 2 (3:12) - Part 3 (7:14)

Week 5: Feb 16-18……. Old English Period: Phonology

http://facweb.furman.edu/~wrogers/phonemes/phone/rules/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_english
http://facweb.furman.edu/~wrogers/phonemes/phone/oe/index.htm
http://courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/vowels.html (GVS)
Old English Home Page (at University of Virginia): http://www.faculty.virginia.edu/OldEnglish/index.html
Readings from Beowulf (texts with access to audio files):
http://www.faculty.virginia.edu/OldEnglish/Beowulf.Readings/Beowulf.Readings.html
Also Algeo & Pyles Chapter 5
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Week 6: Feb 23-25….Old English Period: Syntax and Morphology

http://members.tripod.com/babaev/archive/grammar42.html
http://members.tripod.com/babaev/archive/grammar43.html
Old English Inflections Magic Sheet:
http://www.faculty.virginia.edu/OldEnglish/courses/handouts/magic.pdf

Week 7: Mar 2-4………..Old English Period: Syntax and Morphology (Contd.)

Week 8: Mar 10-12………..Old English Period: Wrap up

March 15-21 SPRING BREAK

Week 9: Mar 24-26………..…Middle English Period

Old to Middle English Phonology:
http://facweb.furman.edu/~wrogers/phonemes/phone/rules/index.htm
http://facweb.furman.edu/~wrogers/phonemes/phone/me/index.htm
http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/english/worldlit/teaching/upperdiv/mideng.htm
Old to Middle English Grammar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_english
Chaucer: http://www.unc.edu/depts/chaucer/zatta/Zatta_Index.html
Also Algeo & Pyles chapter 6

Week 10: Mar 31-Apr 2………….Middle English Period (Contd.)

Week 11: Apr. 7-9……………Modern English

Middle to Modern English Phonology:
http://facweb.furman.edu/~wrogers/phonemes/phone/rules/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Modern_English
Middle to Modern English Grammar:
http://facweb.furman.edu/~wrogers/phonemes/phone/rules/index.htm
Also Algeo & Pyles chapter 7 and chapter 8

Week 12: Apr. 14-16………..English Dialectology and World Englishes

World Englishes: http://www.askoxford.com/globalenglish/types/?view=uk
English dialect links: http://www.evolpub.com/Americandialects/EngDialLnx.html
African American (Vernacular) English: http://www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca/spa/phonology/features.htm
English in India: http://www.languageinindia.com/junjul2002/baldridgeindianenglish.html
Also Pyles & Algeo chapter 9

Week 13: Apr 21-23……….Words, Meanings and Word Formations

Pyles & Algeo chapter 10 & 11

Week 14: Apr. 28-30………Language Contact and Lexical Borrowings

Pyles & Algeo chapter 12
Borrowings into English:
http://www.askoxford.com/globalenglish/borrowings/?view=uk

Weeks 15-16: Review and Final Exam

* May 5-7: Wind up and Review for final exam;
* May 11: FINAL EXAM

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