History of the English Language
English 7601X, Spring 2011; section code 3327; Wednesdays 6:30-8:10, in 2150 Boylan Hall
Instructor: Rennie Gonsalves; E-mail address: renisong@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Office Hours: Wednesdays 4:00-6:00, in 1420 Ingersoll Hall

Bulletin Description: The origins of the English language. Its development to the present.

General Description: This course will introduce students to the development of the English language. We will begin by looking at the structure of language in terms of its sound system, sentence structure, and semantics; we will also look at the development of writing systems. We will examine how language varies and changes over time and how language change is influenced by historical, social, political, economic and cultural factors. We will especially examine aspects of change in the English language over its three major historical periods: Old English, Middle English and Modern English. We will examine representative samples of literary texts from each of these periods to see how they evidence key linguistic features prominent during the period and highlight major language changes. Assignments will include weekly homework from a workbook, a midterm exam, a final exam, and a short term paper (due on May 11th).

Participation in class discussion will be especially important in this class. Your participation should reflect your reading of the assigned chapters, as well as your completion of the written homework assignments.

We will reserve some time during the last two regular class sessions (on May 11th and on May 18th) for brief oral presentations of summaries of your term papers.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this course you should
-demonstrate knowledge of the nature of language and its structure;
-demonstrate knowledge of changes in the lexicon, phonology, syntax, and semantics of the English language throughout the course of its development;
-recognize the impact of cultural, economic, political, and social environments upon language change;
-demonstrate knowledge of the development of writing systems generally and of the impact of changes in the English language on its written form;
-demonstrate a knowledge of how earlier historical changes in the English language are reflected in its current form;
-develop a more acute sense of the mutability of language.
(Course objectives adapted from NCTE guidelines)

Required Texts (Available at Shakespeare & Co., 150 Campus Road; Tel: 718-434-5326):

Algeo, John. The Origins and Development of the English Language. Sixth Edition. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. 2010.

Algeo, John, and Carmen Acevedo Butcher. Problems in the Origin and Development of the English Language. Sixth Edition. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. 2010.

Optional Text but Very Useful (you would need to order this yourself):

Algeo, John, and Carmen Acevedo Butcher. Answer Key to Problems in the Origin and Development of the English Language. Sixth Edition. Thomson Wadsworth. 2009. ISBN: 11428231463.

COURSE OUTLINE

Section 1: WEEKS 1-5: The Structure of Language, The Sound System of English, a History of Writing, and The Origins of the English Language

Readings- Algeo, Chapters 1-4;
Written Homework- Algeo and Acevedo Butcher, Selected problems from Chapters 1-4.

Section 2: WEEKS 6-8: The Old English (449-1100), the Middle English (1100-1500), And the Early Modern English (1500-1800) Periods

Readings- Algeo, Chapters 5-7;
Written Homework- Algeo and Acevedo Butcher, Selected problems from Chapters 5-7.

Midterm Exam: Week 8-Wednesday, March 30th

Section 3: WEEKS 9-11: The Early Modern English Period Continued, The Late Modern English Period (1800-present.), and Words

Readings- Algeo, Chapters 8-10;
Written Homework- Algeo and Acevedo Butcher, Selected problems from Chapters 8-10.

Section 4: WEEKS 12-14: Creating Words and Borrowing Words

Term Paper Due: Wednesday, May 11th

Readings- Algeo, Chapters 11 & 12;
Written Homework-Algeo and Acevedo Butcher, Selected problems from Chapters 11 & 12.

Final Exam-May 25th

Participation: Students must attend regularly, arrive on time and must be prepared to participate, having done the assigned work. Participation will count for 10% of the overall grade for the course.

Assignments
Written Homework: Do the written homework either in pencil in the text (Algeo and Acevedo Butcher) or on separate sheets of paper as you prefer. I might call upon you to provide answers to the assigned work when we go over it in class.
Paper: Students will write one term paper of 5-7 pages, with four books and/or journal articles in the bibliography, due on Wednesday, May 11th.
Exams: There will be a midterm exam on Wednesday, March 30th.
There will be a final exam on Wednesday, May 25th.

Grading: Grades will be based on the following percentages:
Class Participation--10%
Written Homework Assignments--20%
Term Paper--20%
Midterm Exam--25%
Final Exam--25%

Evaluation criteria for class participation:
Your class participation will be judged on the basis of your questions and answers, your respect for the points of view of others, and your attentiveness to the discussion (people who don't like to speak frequently will not be penalized, but you should make an effort to participate). I also expect that your participation will show that you have done the reading and the written homework for each class.

Evaluation criteria for written work:

From a list by Lewis Hyde, edited by Sue Lonoff, with thanks to Richard Marius's writing handbook.

The Unsatisfactory Paper. The D or F paper either has no thesis or else it has one that is strikingly vague, broad, or uninteresting. There is little indication that the writer understands the material being presented. The paragraphs do not hold together; ideas do not develop from sentence to sentence. This paper usually repeats the same thoughts again and again, perhaps in slightly different language but often in the same words. The D or F paper is filled with mechanical faults, errors in grammar, and errors in spelling.

The C Paper. The C paper has a thesis, but it is vague and broad, or else it is uninteresting or obvious. It does not advance an argument that anyone might care to debate. "Henry James wrote some interesting novels." "Modern cities are interesting places." The thesis in the C paper often hangs on some personal opinion. If the writer is a recognized authority, such an expression of personal taste may be noteworthy, but writers gain authority not merely by expressing their tastes but by justifying them. Personal opinion is often the engine that drives an argument, but opinion by itself is never sufficient. It must be defended. The C paper rarely uses evidence well; sometimes it does not use evidence at all. Even if it has a clear and interesting thesis, a paper with insufficient supporting evidence is a C paper. The C paper often has mechanical faults, errors in grammar and spelling, but please note: a paper without such flaws may still be a C paper.

The B Paper. The reader of a B paper knows exactly what the author wants to say. It is well organized, it presents a worthwhile and interesting idea, and the idea is supported by sound evidence presented in a neat and orderly way. Some of the sentences may not be elegant, but they are clear, and in them thought follows naturally on thought. The paragraphs may be unwieldy now and then, but they are organized around one main idea. The reader does not have to read a paragraph two or three times to get the thought that the writer is trying to convey. The B paper is always mechanically correct. The spelling is good, and the punctuation is accurate. Above all, the paper makes sense throughout. It has a thesis that is limited and worth arguing. It does not contain unexpected digressions, and it ends by keeping the promise to argue and inform that the writer makes in the beginning.

The A Paper. The A paper has all the good qualities of the B paper, but in addition it is lively, well paced, interesting, even exciting. The paper has style. Everything in it seems to fit the thesis exactly. It may have a proofreading error or two, or even a misspelled word, but the reader feels that these errors are the consequence of the normal accidents all good writers encounter. Reading the paper, we can feel a mind at work. We are convinced that the writer cares for his or her ideas, and about the language that carries them.

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