AJ3BP_HVAN Historical Development of English Language

Faculty of Education
Spring 2006
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 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
Timetable
Thu 15:30–17:05 šatna
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those 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. No homework will be assigned. The colloquy at the end of the term is only oral. . 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 is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2005.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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