AJ3DC_HVAJ Historical Development of English Language

Faculty of Education
Spring 2007
Extent and Intensity
0/0/14. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Josef Hladký, CSc. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Renata Povolná, Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Mgr. Petra Hoydenová
Prerequisites
No prerequisites
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course gives the phonological development from Indo-European into Modern English, with occasional examples from Czech. Old English and Middle English are taught synchronically, as foreign languages, with a few diachronic excursions. The grammatical system of Old English is then compared with that of Modern English and Modern Czech. A similar pattern is apllied on lexis, plus the mention of the Latin, Scandinavian and Norman/French influences. The core of the work in the seminars is in the reading of texts: after a few Old English texts the main attention is paid to Middle English, to "Canterbury Tales" by Chaucer. A specimen of Shakespearan English is included.
Syllabus
  • 1. Grimms'law. 2. Indo-European vowels 3. Vowel changes in Old English 4. Lengthening and shortening of stressed vowels 5. The formation of new diphthongs 6. The Great Vowel Shift 7. Foreign influences on English 8. Old English syntax 9. Middle English and Early New English syntax 10. Three Old English texts 11. 200 lines of "Canterbury Tales" 12. William Shakespeare, from "As You Like It"
Assessment methods (in Czech)
As this is a seminar, attendance is compulsory. Homework will be assigned every week throughout the term. The colloquy at the end of the term is only oral. 1. OE texts:The sower, The flood, Gregorius: reading, translation, grammatical analysis. 2. OE, ME and ENE grammar: the syntax of nouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs 3. Chaucer,lines 19-55, 79-92, 118-162, 285-302 4. Influences on English: Latin, Scandinavian, Norman and French. 5. Shakespeare,from As You Like It 6. Sound changes from Indo-European to the Great Vowel Shift.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2003, Spring 2004, Spring 2005, Spring 2006, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2007, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2007/AJ3DC_HVAJ