BA English Language and Russian

In this unit, we will explore some of the major changes to the words and grammar of English. We will discuss how semantic and grammatical changes are studied, modelled and explained. As such, this unit is also an introduction to these topics in Historical Linguistics in general and to some of the methods, theories and discussions in this subdiscipline of Linguistics.

• Study some of the major changes affecting the words and grammar of English
• Introduce students to (English) Historical Linguistics and prepare them for more advanced study as well as research projects in this area

The first week will be devoted to an introduction to (English) Historical Linguistics. After that, the unit is organised thematically with a first group of topics centred around semantic changes, a second group around grammatical changes. We also look at competing motivations for change, including prescriptivism.

The seminars will introduce students to the current methods in Historical Linguistics: historical corpora, data collection, data analysis, reading and writing linguistic analyses.

Lectures 11x 2 hours

Seminars 11x 1 hour

Canvas site

Homework including reading and data analysis

2 x 1hr weekly consultation hours

• Sophisticated understanding of a number of major semantic and grammatical changes in English
• Insight into the workings and effects of language change over a long period of time
• Knowledge of main terms, as well as some theories and debates in (English) Historical Linguistics
• Good understanding of the data and methods used in (English) Historical Linguistics

• Explain and apply key terms in Historical Linguistics to new data sets
• Critically discuss different theoretical approaches to and debates about major changes affecting English
• Understand main claims in research papers on semantic and grammatical change

• Collect data to study semantic and grammatical changes in English
• Analyse and interpret sets of selected examples evidencing change in English
• Speak and write about semantic and grammatical change

• Skills in linguistic analysis that can be applied to the study and analysis of other languages
• Problem solving and analytical thinking skills, when faced with new data sets and grammatical puzzles
• Oral and written communication skills, including essay writing and scholarly referencing
• Attention to detail and precision in analysis and reporting

• Kay, Christian & Kathryn L. Allan. 2015. English historical semantics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

• Hopper, Paul J. and Elizabeth C. Traugott. 2003. Grammaticalization. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Bybee, Joan. 2015. Language change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Curzan, Anne. 2014. Fixing English: Prescriptivism and language history. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.. 

          (Sections from) books and papers on individual topics will be added during lectures