English 413/Linguistics548 - Course Outline - Spring 2000
History of the English Language
Elly van Gelderen
ENG 413 – 19468 – TTh 9– 10:15 am LL 103
Spring 2015
If you have questions, don't hesitate to e-mail:
Office Hours: T and Th 8:15-8:45; T 12-1; W 9-11; and by appointment/e-mail.
Office: LL 226 C;
Required Text: A History of the English Language (revised edition). 2014. Elly van Gelderen. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. This course covers a vast period in time with lots of changes. Always try to see the big picture! We will go through texts in a very detailed way as well, but try not to get lost in the details. A website goes with this book:
Objectives: To examine the origins, structure, and development of the English language and to come to some understanding of how and why change occurs.
To study the language of a few Old, Middle, and Early Modern English texts.
To learn to use the OED.
To find out why some changes do not occur and to learn something about the structure of language in general.
To become acquainted with ways to study texts electronically.
Evaluation
10 unannounced quizzes30
3 Homework Assignments @ 20 points each:60
2 in-class exams @ 30 points each:60
Final project:50______
200 points
Points will be converted into a Grade as follows: 200 - 196: A+, 195 - 187: A, 186 - 180: A-, 179 - 175: B+, 174 - 167: B, 166 - 160: B-, 159 - 155: C+, 154 - 140: C, 139 - 120: D, 119 - 0: E. Students are welcome (and encouraged) to discuss homework assignments with each other, but answers should be their own.Electronic assignments/papers cannot be accepted.
Organization.
The classes will be divided between lecture, reading and listening to the texts, and class discussion. We will spend about a third of the course on the first four chapters (pre-Old English and Old English), and then go on to Middle and Modern English. We'll look at a number of additional texts and articles. There will be a discussion of relevant linguistic concepts as well as of the language ofBeowulf, Sir Gawain, Piers Plowman, The Canterbury Tales, and Shakespeare's First Folio. Outside class, we'll communicate by e-mail.
The final project can be put on a website. If it is written, it should be 10 pages long. An outline of the project (of about 2 paragraphs) must be handed in week 7 (even though this must not be thought of as written in stone'). All your work should be your own. If you work together with someone else on homework, I expect the answers in your own words. Please don’t plagiarize or the usual sanctions apply. I will give you more guidelines on the projects
Tentative schedule
Week:Date:Readings and assignments:
113-15 JanuaryChapters 1 and 2: Introduction.
220-22 JanuaryChapters 2 and 3: Before Old English.
327-29 JanuaryChapters 3 and 4: Old English.Homework # 1 due (3 February)
43-5 FebruaryChapter 4: Old English.
510-12 FebruaryChapter 4: Old English.
617-19 FebruaryChapter 4 and review; Exam #1 (19 February)
724-26 FebruaryChapter 5: From Old to Middle English; outline paper due
83-5 MarchChapter 6: Middle English, Homework # 2 due (3 March)
910-12 MarchSPRINGBREAK
1017-19 MarchChapter 6: Middle English
1124-26 MarchChapter 7: Early Modern EnglishHomework 3 due (24 March)
1231 March-2 AprilChapter7: Early Modern English
137-9 AprilChapter 8: Modern English; Exam 2 (9 April)
1414-16 AprilProject due; discussion of papers and projects
1521-23 Aprildiscussion of papers and projects
1628-30 AprilDiscussion of papers and projects
Possible projects; see also the textbook pp. 292-4
NB: These are ONLY possibilities; you are free to select your own as long as you check with Elly. Also check with her for possible references.
1.Use your own writing and discover the percentage of words that are `native’ and the percentage that are borrowed. Then compare the percentage to some estimates we have talked about in the handout.
2.Select a set of Old English runic inscriptions and analyze these.
3.Take a topic you are interested in. Collect a set of words central to this topic and then find out when they first appear into English and from what language they come. What does this tell you? Possible topics: painting; music; brewing; sewing; education; criminal law, etc.
4.Make a website on a topic, e.g. where the Germanic tribes come from, OE dialects, etc.
5.Again take a topic you are interested in and look up words related to this topic in the Thesaurus of Old English. Then find out what happened to these words.
6.Compare different translations/versions of e.g. Beowulf, Chaucer, or Shakespeare. You could make this into a website too.
Overchurch Runes and Silver styca of Aldfrith, King of Northumbria
General information applicable to all classes at ASU
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism:
Plagiarism means presenting someone else’s ideas andwords as though they were your own – and this includes (but is not limited to) copying and pasting material from the Web into your own work without properly quoting, paraphrasing,and/or citing them. Although in some work settings it is ok to crib boilerplate text and toparaphrase ideas without attribution, this class is not one of those settings. In fact, one of the goals of the course is to learn how to incorporate source material into your work appropriately.Instances of plagiarism will be reported; therefore it is not merely your performance in this class that is risked but your academic future. Please contact me if you have a problem with anassignment; plagiarism is never an intelligent solution to academic troubles. Please refer toASU’s policy and resources requiring academic integrity and against plagiarism:
Classroom Etiquette:
Please silence and put away cell phones during class. Please do not surf the web or use email during class unless these activities are directly connected to the instruction.
Observance of Religious Holidays:
As a faculty member at ASU, I recognize the obligations of students who may be participating in the observance of religious holidays. Students should notifyme at the beginning of the semester about the need to be absent from class due to religious observances.
University Sanctioned Activities:
Students participating in university-sanctioned activities thatrequire classes to be missed will be given opportunities to make up graded in-class work. However, absence from class or examinations due to university-sanctioned activities does not relieve students from responsibility for any part of the course work required during the period of the absence.
Academic, Professional, and Personal Support Resources:
I want you to enjoy this class and succeed in your learning. If you experience difficulty in this course for any reason, please talk to me or send me an email right at any time.
Student Support Services available at ASU:
Writing Support:If you need support for your writing, please talk to me and I will work with you individually during office hours or by appointment. There are also wonderful resources on campus to support you as a writer and as a teacher of writing:ASU Writing Resources:
Other Helpful Writing Resources for Teaching and Learning:
Counseling and Career Services:This center offers counseling for personal and careerconcerns, self-help information, and connections to off-campus mental health resources. See
Disability Resource Center (DRC):DSP provides academic support services to eligible studentswith temporary and permanent disabilities. Please inform me, if you require special classroomaccommodations due to a disability.(480-965-1234).
Commitment to a Positive and Safe Learning Environment:
As an educator, I am committed to creating a safe learning environment. In the rare event thatthere is a disruptive, threatening, or violent individual in class or in proximity of class, it isimportant to understand that all incidents and allegations of violent or threatening conduct by anASU student (whether on- or off-campus) must be reported to the ASU Police Department (ASUPD) and the Office of the Dean of Students. If either office determines that the behavior poses orhas posed a serious threat to personal safety or to the welfare of the campus, the student will notbe permitted to return to campus or reside in any ASU residence hall until an appropriate threatassessment has been completed and, if necessary, conditions for return are imposed. ASU PD, theOffice of the Dean of Students, and other appropriate offices will coordinate the assessment inlight of the relevant circumstances.Resources to Support University Safety and Security: