G655/G405 25362 ADAMS (#6)
History  of the English Language

11:15a – 12:30p TR

This course begins before English is a glint in the Saxon eye and
introduces the history of the language in all its variety from Old
into Middle English, through Early Modern and Modern English
(British and American), to Present-Day English as manifested around
the world. It will consider every formal, social, and textual aspect
of the langauge. The history of English is self-sufficiently
interesting, but knowing about the language’s development and
structure can be very useful in study of literature – every period,
every genre, and every sub-cultural milieu. Graduate students
enrolled in the course will be expected to write papers that
intersect with their literary or theoretical interests, as well as
papers that examine the language on historical and linguistic terms.
The course is not a seminar, yet I hope that we can arrange to share
and discuss these papers at a couple of extra sessions scheduled at
mutually agreeable times. Besides the papers, graduate students will
complete the quizzes, assignments, and examinations required of the
undergraduates enrolled in G-405. Our common text will be A. C.
Baugh and Thomas Cable, A History of the English Language, 5e
(Prentice-Hall, 2001).