300-400 LEVEL COURSES 440 - History of The English Language #14569

Institution:

University of Massachusetts-Boston

Subject:

Description:

MWF 12:00 MUELLER CATEGORY: B* NEW CATEGORY: * How did English, once considered a vulgar Germanic tongue, become the ubiquitous language of global and digital communication Participants in this course will focus primarily on the early history of the language, beginning with its Indo-European origins and proceeding into the Old English of Beowulf, the Middle English of Geoffrey Chaucer, and the Early Modern English of William Shakespeare. In the latter part of the course, attention will be given to the standardization of English, prescriptive and descriptive lexicography, regional dialects in the British Isles and North America, and the proliferation of Englishes throughout the world. Through historical analyses of the internal and external forces that influence language change, participants will assess the status of present-day English, guided by the following questions: How does the early history of the language inform our understanding new literacies Will digital practices, such as texting and blogging, accelerate language change How should teachers, writers, and editors respond to this moving target Through this investigation of English's past, participants will begin to consider English's future.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.umb.edu

Phone Number:

(617) 287-5000

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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