Specialisation seminar: History of English with elements of historical linguistics

The course sets out with an introduction to the methodology of historical linguistics, comprising the comparative method and the internal reconstruction method. On this basis, we proceed to describe English among the world’s language and the successive phases of its historical development. Students are encouraged to work with selected fragments of original texts.

1. Language and language change (4h)

2. Historical linguistics and its methods (4h)

3. The English language and its origin (4h)

4. Indo-European beginnings (4h)

5. Germanic languages and their characteristics (2h)

6. Old English period (2h)

7. Celtic and Norse influences on Old English (2h)

8. The Norman conquest and its influence on the English language (2h)

9. The rival of English (1200-1500) (2h)

10. Middle English (2h)

11. The Renaissance (1500-1650) (2h)

Assessment methods:

• Active participation in classes (10% of the overall grade),

• Project (40% of the overall grade),

• Closed, written test designed to check (50% of the overall grade):

i. students' knowledge of the course material,

ii. students' ability to use the terminology related to the study of historical linguistics.

Assessment criteria:

1. Written and oral assignments in class

2. Project

3. Examination after the course

GRADED CREDIT:

fail - below 60 %

satisfactory - 60-69 %

satisfactory plus - 70-74 %

good – 75-84 %

good plus - 85-89 %

very good - 90 and above %

As in part A

As in part A

As in part A

As in part A