The Making of Modern English

Module overview

The module looks at the development of the English language, and examines its relationship with other, potentially rival, languages that have been spoken in the British Isles. It examines the effect of successive waves of conquest on the sociolinguistic situation which led to a situation of of diglossia or even triglossia, with English one of a number of varieties used in a set of socially determined domains. Using Haugen’s standardization model, we examine the factors which led first to selection and later acceptance of English as the dominant variety, and consider the associated linguistic processes of codification and elaboration of function. Working with short texts from different time periods, the module then introduces how and why grammatical changes occurred in Anglo-Saxon, Old and Middle English (e.g. loss of case marking, gender, weakening of the verbal paradigm) and their consequences for the modern language. We will also consider phonological changes (e.g. the Great English Vowel Shift) and their consequences for dialect differentiation. Throughout the module we make parallels with contemporary English by exploring ongoing change, including dialect loss and dialect levelling.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

Have knowledge of the external sociolinguistic history of British English, including the social factors which led to its dominance in the British Isles.
Have a good understanding of sociolinguistic phenomena which play a crucial role in the processes of linguistic variation and change;
Have an understanding of the internal history of British English, showing how dialectal divisions emerged.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Understand a case study of linguistic standardization.
Have gained essential knowledge and skills to evaluate primary sources in linguistics.
Have gained essential skills in analysing linguistic data, including sociolinguistic

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

to be able to reflect critically on your own writing and academic practice
learn to evaluate your engagement in the learning process
Understand methodology for academic practice which can be applied to the study of language and society among other fields of enquiry
develop the skills to provide a peer review of someone else's work

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include

Interactive Lectures;
Seminar group presentations;
Group discussion in seminars.

Learning activities include

Organisation of material and own ideas for oral presentation;
Developing own interpretation of theoretical texts and concepts;
Debating ideas in class
Independent study.

Innovative or special features of this module: you will be asked to join a topic group to discuss and present individual research and you will need to provide a group introduction to the topic under discussion. Guidance will be provided by the teachers.

The lectures will serve to introduce, analyse and investigate key aspects of language change with respect to English. The weekly seminar will be mostly student-led and will offer an opportunity to discuss key themes through discussion of various activities prepared individually and in groups.

Collaborative research on chosen topics to lead to production of a study-notes style document which will be peer-reviewed and tutor-reviewed (using the discussion board on Blackboard). See further details below.

Study time
Type	Hours
Seminar	12
Lecture	12
Wider reading or practice	10
Revision	20
Preparation for scheduled sessions	70
Completion of assessment task	26
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

McMahon, A (1994). Understanding Language Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Smith, J. (2007). Sound Change and the History of English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

M Bragg (2003). The Adventure of English. London: Hodder and Stoughton.

Fennell, B. A (2008). A History of English: a Sociolinguistic Approach. Oxford: Blackwell.

Aitchison, J. (2013). Language change: progress or decay?. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Culpeper, J. (2005). History of English. London: Routledge.

Jeffries, L. (2006). Discovering Language. The Structure of Modern English. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Milroy, J. and Milroy, L. (1993). Real English: The Grammar of English Dialects in the British Isles. London: Longman.

Beal, J. C. (2010). An introduction to regional Englishes: dialect variation in England. Edinburgh University Press.

Burnley, D (1992). The History of the English Language: A Source Book. London: Longman.

Horobin, S. (2010). Studying the History of Early English. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Hughes, A., Trudgill, P., & Watt, D. (2013). English accents and dialects: an introduction to social and regional varieties of English in the British Isles. Routledge.

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Critical Reflection	20%
Text analysis	30%
Assignment	50%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Reflective essay	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Assignment	100%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External