History of the English Language I - AAA10030A
Title: Historický vývoj anglického jazyka I
Guaranteed by: Department of the English Language and ELT Methodology (21-UAJD)
Faculty: Faculty of Arts
Actual: from 2012
Semester: winter
Points: 0
E-Credits: 3
Examination process: winter s.:
Hours per week, examination: winter s.:2/2, C [HT]
Capacity: unknown / unknown (unknown)
Min. number of students: unlimited
4EU+: no
Virtual mobility / capacity: no
Key competences:  
State of the course: not taught
Language: Czech
Teaching methods: full-time
Teaching methods: full-time
Level:  
Is provided by: AAA130071
Additional information: http://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=649
Guarantor: prof. PhDr. Jan Čermák, CSc.
Mgr. Ondřej Tichý, Ph.D.
Incompatibility : AAAE0030A, AAA100300, AAA130071
Pre-requisite : AAA100080
Interchangeability : AAA100300, AAA130071
Is incompatible with: AAAE0030A, AAA130071
Is pre-requisite for: AAA10030B
Is interchangeable with: AAA22030A
Schedule   Noticeboard   
Annotation -
The course seeks to present the English language both as a dynamic organism with a structural history of its own and a
mirror reflecting much of the past of its speakers. Individual topics trace the origin and development of forms and functions
which eventually gave rise to Modern English. the aim of the course is threefold:1. to provide a diachronic
background to the synchronic study of Present-Day English by examining its origins and its changing structure over time; 2.
to explain, using evidence from the history of English, basic principles of language change; 3. to outline the nature
of Old (700-1100), Middle (1100-1500) and Early Modern English (1500-1800) as reflected in relevant texts of each period,
respectively.The language of each historical period is discussed in terms of 1. sociolinguistic background (language and
community); 2. sound and spelling; 3. morphology; 4. syntax; 5. structure of lexis and word-formation. The lecture is
combined with a seminar based on directed readings of selected texts.
Last update: UAAMALAM (14.06.2010)
Literature -

Barber, Charles: The English Language. A Historical Introduction. Cambridge University Press 1993.

Baugh, A.C., Cable T., A History of the English Language, 1992.

Campbell, Lyle: Historical Linguistics: An Introduction. Edinburgh University Press, 1998 (selected chapters).

Cser, A., An Outline of the History of the English Language, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Pilicsaba, 2003.

Fisiak, Jacek: An Outline History of English. Vol. 1: External History. Poznan 1995.

Freeborn, Dennis: From Old English to Standard English. A Coursebook in Language Variation Across Time. 3rd ed., Macmillan, 2003.

Gelderen, Elly: A History of the English Language. John Benjamins, Amsterdam/Philadelphia, 2006.

Kavka, S. J.: Past and Present of the English Language, Faculty of Arts, University of Ostrava, 2007.

Millward, C.M.: A Biography of the English Language, 2nd ed., Harcourt Brace, 1996.

Vachek, Josef: Standard English in Historical Perspective. SPN 1991 (mimeographed).

Vachek, Josef: English Past and Present: An Introductory Course. SPN 1991 (mimeographed).

Topic-related worksheets and secondary readings (to be distributed in the course of the semester)

Last update: UAAMALAM (14.06.2010)
Teaching methods -

lecture and seminar

Last update: UAAMALAM (14.06.2010)
Syllabus -

Winter Semester - Topics

1. Change and variation in Language. Basic Chronology.

2. Sources, electronic and other: a practical introduction.

3. Framework of change in the history of English: linguistic typology.

4. Before Old English: the Germanic Background of English.

5. Old English Morphology. English word-structure across time.

6. Old English Syntax.

7. Old English Vocabulary and Word-Formation.

8. External history of Middle English: a survey.

9. Middle English Lexis and word-Formation.

10. Middle English Morphology.

11. Middle English Syntax.

12. Middle-English Word-Formation.

13. Middle English Writing and Spelling.

Summer semester - Topics

1. Early Modern English: an introduction.

2. Early Modern English: language in the community.

3. Early Modern English: borrowing and word-formation.

4. Early Modern English: morphology.

5. Early Modern English: syntactic structures.

6. Early Modern English: changes in pronunciation.

7. Sound change: an introduction.

8. Morphological change: an introduction.

9. Syntactic change: an introduction.

10. Lexical and semantic change: an introduction.

11. Language contact and linguistic change.

Last update: UAAMALAM (14.06.2010)