LINGUIST 207

English Language to 1900


Please note: this is archived course information from 2019 for LINGUIST 207.

Description

This course is addressed to all students interested in English language, literature, stylistics and history. In this course you will examine the evolution of the English language from its origins to the turn of the Twentieth Century.

While we begin with an overview of the motivations and mechanisms for language change before proceeding on a journey through more than 2000 years of English language as it morphs from its Germanic parent into Modern English, LINGUIST 207 is more than just a course in historical linguistics.

While we attend to the traditional areas of language study: sounds (phonology), word formation (morphology), sentence structure (syntax), word meaning (semantics) and vocabulary (lexicon), English is also placed in its changing social contexts, and the literature of the day and its role in the development of English are also examined.

Class activities involve lectures, discussions and tutorial group work. A background in either linguistics or literature is useful but not expected, since all necessary linguistic and literary terms and concepts are introduced in the course.

What’s in it for you?

LINGUIST 207 is a fact-based course, some of which requires memorisation (eg, you are expected to learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as it relates to English), but your application will be rewarded with a new appreciation for the evolution of English, a complimentary set of language and literature concepts and a technical vocabulary for both. A background in either or both disciplines is not expected, since all necessary linguistic and literary terms and concepts are introduced in the course.

LINGUIST 207 can be counted toward a Linguistics major and a Writing Studies major and fulfils the English Literature major requirement for at least 15 points in literatures before 1900.

Availability 2019

Not offered in 2019; planned for 2020

Lecturer(s)

TBA

Points

LINGUIST 207: 15 points

Prerequisites

30 points in English or Linguistics

Restrictions

ENGLISH 203