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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2014/2015
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences : Language Sciences

Postgraduate Course: History of the English Language (LASC11121)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryThis course will provide students with an accelerated introduction to the development of the English Language, both within the United Kingdom and overseas. Following a brief introduction to key aspects of the external history of the language, students will learn about the linguistic characteristics of English from the earliest historical records through to the present day. They will learn how to discuss and evaluate different kinds of evidence used in historical linguistic research. Attention will be given to the development of both standard and non-standard varieties of English, and to general principles of historical linguistics as they apply to change in English phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics.

Feedback Events:
There will be interactive exercises and short assignments on Learn as a preparation of the exam.
Course description The week-by-week syllabus is as follows:
- Week 1: The history of English in 100 minutes
- Week 2: External factors (= a discussion of the main historical events that affected the development of the language)
- Week 3: The history of English words (= an introduction to semantic and morphological change)
- Week 4: Early English in Britain (= an introduction to OE and ME)
- Week 5: British English in modern times (= an introduction to eModE and lModE)
- Week 0: [Innovative Learning Week]
- Week 6: Phonological change in English (= principles of historical phonology, applied to and illustrated by English data)
- Week 7: Morphosyntactic change in English (= principles of historical morphosyntax, applied to and illustrated by English data)
- Week 8: Dialects in England (= an introduction to the history of English dialects, including new dialect formation in England)
- Week 9: English in Scotland (= an introduction to Scots and Scottish English)
- Week 10: Global English (= an introduction to the spread of English beyond Britain)
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2014/15, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 98 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 100 %, Coursework 0 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 50% Coursework (essay), 50% Exam

Exam to be Scheduled: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/registry/exams
Exam Return Date: tbc, approximately 3 weeks after the exam takes place

Essay Submission Deadline: Thursday 14th May 2015, 12 noon
Essay Return Date: 5th June 2015
Feedback Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)History of the English Language2:00
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, students will:
- be familiar with the linguistic characteristics of earlier varieties of English
- be able to apply knowledge of general principles of historical linguistics to changes in the structure of English
- understand the ways in which standard and non-standard varieties of English came into being and developed, both within the United Kingdom and across the world
- be able to evaluate critically different kinds of textual evidence used in research in English historical linguistics
Reading List
The textbook for the course is Hogg, Richard and David Denison (eds.). 2006. A History of the English Language. Cambridge: CUP. Additional reading will be provided for each lecture.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills On completion of this course, students will have developed the following transferable skills:
- critical evaluation of different kinds of evidence
- close analysis of data of different kinds
- problem solving
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserProf Bettelou Los
Tel: (0131 6)51 1842
Email: blos@exseed.ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Toni Noble
Tel: (0131 6)51 3188
Email: Toni.noble@ed.ac.uk
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