ECTS credits ECTS credits: 6
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Student's work ECTS: 99 Hours of tutorials: 3 Expository Class: 24 Interactive Classroom: 24 Total: 150
Use languages Spanish, Galician, English
Type: Ordinary Degree Subject RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: English and German Philology
Areas: English Philology
Center Faculty of Philology
Call: First Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable
The aim of this course is to provide students with an account of the internal history of the English language, from the Old English period to the 21st century. After providing an overview of the main causes and mechanisms of language change, we will pay attention to the most relevant changes at the different levels of analysis: lexis and semantics, phonology and orthography, morphosyntax and pragmatics.
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Preliminaries: internal vs. history; variation and change; attitudes towards language change.
1.2. An overview of the internal history of the English language: from Old English to the Present-day.
2. LEXICAL, SEMANTIC AND PRAGMATIC CHANGE
2.1. Lexical expansion and lexical loss.
2.2. Semantic change: triggering factors and types.
2.3. Pragmatic change: change in usage patterns.
2.4. Examples of lexical, semantic and pragmatic change in the history of English.
3. SOUND CHANGE
3.1. Introduction: evidence for sound change; factors motivating sound change; phonological and phonemic change.
3.2. Examples of sound change in the history of English and their orthographic consequences.
3.2.1. Changes in the vocalic system.
3.2.2. Changes in the consonant system.
4. MORPHO-SYNTACTIC CHANGE
4.1. Introduction: basic concepts.
4.2. Introduction to morphological change: reanalysis, analogy and changes in typological type.
4.2.1. General tendencies in the NP: nouns, pronouns and determinants.
4.2.2. General tendencies in the VP: reduction of inflections and restructuring of verb classes.
4.3. From synthesis to analysis.
4.3.1. Compensating for the loss of noun morphology.
4.3.2. Compensating for the loss of verb morphology.
BASIC COURSE MATERIALS
Lecture handouts and worksheets for the interactive sessions will be uploaded to the virtual learning platform in advance. Please make sure you have your handout printed out for each session (or bring your laptop/tablet).
RECOMMENDED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Barber, Charles L., Joan Beal and Philip Shaw. 2009. The English language: An historical introduction. 2nd (revised) edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Brinton, Laurel J. (ed.). 2017. English historical Linguistics. Approaches and perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Brinton, Laurel J. & Lesley K. Arnovik. 2011. The English language: A linguistic history. 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Burridge, Kate and Alexander Bergs. 2017. Understanding language change. London: Routledge.
Campbell, Lyle. 1998. Historical linguistics. An introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Hogg, Richard and David Denison (eds.) 2006. A history of the English language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
McIntyre, Dan. 2009. History of English. A resource book for students. London: Routledge.
McMahon, April. 1994. Understanding language change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Strang, Barbara M.H. 1970. A history of English. London: Methuen.
Van Gelderen, Elly. 2006. History of the English language. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
FOR THE INDIVIDUAL PERIODS:
Hogg, Richard M. 2002. An introduction to Old English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Horobin, Simon and Jeremy J. Smith. 2002. An introduction to Middle English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Nevalainen, Terttu. 2006. An introduction to Early Modern English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Tieken-Boon van Ostade, Ingrid. 2009. An introduction to Late Modern English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Beal, Joan C. 2004. English in modern times. London: Arnold.
FOR THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ANALYSIS:
Brinton, Laurel. 2023. Pragmatics in the history of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Jucker, Andreas H. and Irma Taavitsainen. 2013. English historical pragmatics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Kay, Christian and Kathryn Allan. 2015. English historical semantics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Los, Bettelou. 2015. A historical syntax of English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Minkova, Donka. 2013. A historical phonology of English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Ringe, Don. 2021. A historical morphology of English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
• Promote the use of an adequate linguistic terminology and notation.
• Prepare the students for a historical linguistic analysis of texts.
• Acquaint the students with the most important types of linguistic change at the different levels.
•Development of skills to reflect upon (the English) language and to conduct linguistic analysis and research.
•Fluid oral and written communication in English.
• Promote discussion and team-work by means of exercises during practical sessions.
• With the assignments (i) we will favour the habits of individual study and work by means of which students will acquire a progressive autonomy in their learning process; (ii) students will learn how to manage their time and to work with deadlines.
Competences: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5, CG3, CG6, CG7, CG8, CG9, CE2, CE3.
Classes are taught in English. In the interactive sessions we will do exercises and textual analyses on aspects dealt with in the expositive sessions. Written assignments will be handed in via the teaching platform. In the 'titorías programadas' the students will be introduced to the different materials for the study of the internal history of English. Students are strongly recommended to come to the instructor's visiting hours at least once during the term.
This course requires ACTIVE PARTICIPATION and CONTINUOUS WORK.
First opportunity : students’ progress will be evaluated on the basis of CONTINUOUS COURSEWORK, involving attendance and participation in interactive sessions and tutorials (5%); exercises and unit tests (25%) and a final exam (70% of the mark).
Second opportunity: the mark for attendance and participation of the first opportunity is kept for the second opportunity (5%). Second opportunity exercises (25%); second opportunity exam (70%)
Students who have official permission not to attend classes, 100% final exam.
Academic misconduct (including cheating, plagiarism, etc.) will not be tolerated and will be penalized according to art. 16 in the "Normativa de avaliación do rendemento académico dos estudantes e de revisión de cualificacións".
All exercises and tests will be done in English. Overall correctness in language and in the use of formal conventions is indispensable. Grammatical mistakes will be penalized.
4 hours/week + time for preparation of the exercises, online tests and final exam.
None in particular.
Maria Belen Mendez Naya
Coordinador/a- Department
- English and German Philology
- Area
- English Philology
- Phone
- 881811902
- belen.mendez [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Professor
Tamara Bouso Rivas
- Department
- English and German Philology
- Area
- English Philology
- tamara.bouso.rivas [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: LOU (Organic Law for Universities) PhD Assistant Professor
Wednesday | |||
---|---|---|---|
10:00-11:00 | Grupo /CLIS_01 (A-F) | English | D04 |
11:00-12:00 | Grupo /CLIS_02 (G-O) | English | D04 |
12:00-13:00 | Grupo /CLIS_03 (P-Z) | English | D04 |
Friday | |||
12:00-13:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | English | C12 |
13:00-14:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | English | C12 |
01.14.2025 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLIS_01 (A-F) | C11 |
01.14.2025 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLIS_02 (G-O) | C11 |
01.14.2025 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLIS_03 (P-Z) | C11 |
01.14.2025 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLE_01 | C11 |
01.14.2025 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLE_01 | C12 |
01.14.2025 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLIS_01 (A-F) | C12 |
01.14.2025 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLIS_02 (G-O) | C12 |
01.14.2025 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLIS_03 (P-Z) | C12 |
06.12.2025 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLE_01 | C09 |
06.12.2025 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLIS_01 (A-F) | C09 |
06.12.2025 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLIS_02 (G-O) | C09 |
06.12.2025 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLIS_03 (P-Z) | C09 |