Overview

This module delves into the English language's evolution, tracing its roots in the Germanic branch of the Indo-European family to its current global prominence. It examines internal (linguistic changes) and external (sociopolitical influences) factors that shaped English's trajectory. The primary goal is to comprehensively study English's development from Old to Present Day English, considering linguistic transformations and the societal and cognitive dynamics driving language change. The module aims to enhance students' historical knowledge, identify key features across Old, Middle, and Early Modern English, foster creative thinking about English's history, introduce relevant literature, hone research skills specific to this domain, and refine students' ability to observe and describe English grammar and usage.

Topics may include:

1. Studying the History of English.
2. Causes and Mechanisms of Language Change.
3. The Indo-European Language Family and Proto-Indo European.
4. Germanic and the Development of Old English.
5. The Sounds and Words of Old English.
6. The Grammar of Old English.
7. The Rise of Middle English: Words and Sounds.
8. The Grammar of Middle English, the Rise of a Written Standard.
9. Eighteenth-Century Prescriptivism. and the Sounds and Morphosyntax of Early Modern English.
10. Modern English, Varieties of English (I) and English as Global phenomenon
11. Varieties of English (II) & Comparing British & American English

Assessment Strategy

Threshold (D- to D+) Submitted work is adequate and shows an acceptable level of competence as follows: 1.Generally accurate but with omissions and errors.2.Assertions are made without clear supporting evidence or reasoning.3.Has structure but is lacking in clarity and therefore relies on the reader to make links and assumptions.4.Draws on a relatively narrow range of material.

Good (C- to B+) Submitted work is competent throughout and may be distinguished by superior style, approach and choice of supporting materials. It: 1.Demonstrates good or very good structure and logically developed arguments.2.Draws at least in parts on material that has been sourced and assessed as a result of independent study, or in a way unique to the student.3.Assertions are backed by evidence and sound reasoning.4.Accuracy and presentation in an appropriate academic style.

Excellent (A- to A*) Submitted work is of an outstanding quality and excellent in one or more of the following ways: 1.Has originality of exposition with the student’s own thinking being readily apparent.2.Provides clear evidence of extensive and relevant independent study.3.Arguments are laid down with clarity and provide the reader with successive stages of consideration to reach conclusions.

Learning Outcomes

• Apply the linguistic terms and concepts necessary for explaining how English has changed over time.

• Demonstrate how socio-cultural contexts act as mechanisms of language variation and change.

• Differentiate between the principles of semantic change, morpho- syntactic change, sound change, and classify the evidence used in the field of English historical linguistics.

• Distinguish the general linguistic features (morpho-syntactical, phonetic and phonological, semantic and orthographic) that characterize Old English versus Middle English versus Early Modern English and Modern English.