AJ50003 Historical Development of English

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2019
Extent and Intensity
0/0/0. 8 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. PhDr. Jana Chamonikolasová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Jiří Lukl, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Jana Chamonikolasová, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Fri 15:00–16:40 B2.23
Prerequisites
The course is taught in English. It is designed for students with a very good command of the English language who are able to understand scientific texts and lectures dealing with specialized topics in diachronic linguistics. The prerequisite is a good ability of analytical reasoning. The students are expected to study independently primary and secondary sources.
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 is taught in English. It follows the history of the English language from the earliest stages of Indo-European and Germanic via the Old, Middle, and New English periods to Modern English. Attention is paid especially to the relationship between changes at the phonological, grammatical, and the lexical levels. Main course objectives: 1. Understanding the relationship between different branches of the Indo-European languages. 2. Understanding the process of the transformation of the Indo-European language into the individual modern Indo-European languages. 3. Understanding the main tendencies in the development of the English language from the Indo-European and Germanic periods through the Old, Middle, and New English periods to Modern English. 4. Understanding the socio-political influence upon the development of language.
Learning outcomes
The subject aims at achieving the following learning outcomes: 1. The students will understand the relationship between different branches of the Indo-European languages, and the process of the transformation of the Indo-European language into the individual modern Indo-European languages. 2. The students will grasp the main tendencies in the development of the English language from the Indo-European and Germanic periods through the Old, Middle, and New English periods to Modern English. 3. The students will be able to assess the socio-political influence upon the development of language. 4. The students will be able to explain the complex relations between the written and the spoken form of English.
Syllabus
  • 1. Classification of IE languages Germanic comparative historical phonology Germanic comparative historical morfology 2. Old English phonological system Old English texts 3. Old English morphological system Old English syntax Old English texts 4. Middle English phonological system Middle English texts 5. Middle English morphology and syntax Middle English texts Early and late Modern English Early New English texts
Literature
  • HLADKÝ, Josef. A GUIDE TO PRE-MODERN ENGLISH. 1st ed. Brno: MU, 2003, 359 pp. ISBN 80-210-3219-7. info
  • VACHEK, Josef. Historický vývoj angličtiny. Edited by Jan Firbas. 8. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 1994, 276 s. ISBN 8021004878. info
  • BAUGH, A. C. and Thomas CABLE. A history of the English language. 4th ed. London: Routledge, 1993, xiv, 444. ISBN 0415093791. info
  • HLADKÝ, Josef. An Old English, Middle English, and Early-New English reader. 4. opr. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 1998, 286 s. ISBN 8021018550. info
  • SCHENDL, Herbert. Historical linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001, xi, 130. ISBN 9780194372381. info
Teaching methods
The course makes use of the following teaching and learning methods: lecture, interactive in-class exercise (text analysis), out-of class exercise - text analysis and translation, homework - reading study materials.
Assessment methods
The subject is closed by a written exam. The focus of the exam are topics dealt with during the whole semester. Apart from the basic study materials, students are expected to study additional sources (especially the book Historical Linguistics by Herbert Schendl), which are part of the final exam.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
General note: This course is NOT designated for Erasmus students! List of courses offerd by the Department of English and American studies for Erasmsus students is available at http://www.phil.muni.cz/wkaa/ under "Information for Erasmus students".
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: This course is NOT designated for Erasmus students! List of courses offerd by the Department of English and American studies for Erasmsus students is available at http://www.phil.muni.cz/wkaa/ under "Information for Erasmus students".
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2007, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2017.
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