History of the English Language

• The class focuses on understanding the history and development of the English language, and not memorizing specific trivia.
• Emphasis is placed on grasping major concepts, events, linguistic transformations, and vocabulary

English as an Indo-European Language

• Explaining English as an Indo-European language requires understanding Proto-Indo-European (PIE).
• PIE involves knowing who spoke it, when (roughly), and what other languages are related.
• Knowing English's Indo-European heritage is crucial for understanding its development.

Old English (Anglo-Saxon) vs. Modern English

• Differences between Old English (OE) and Modern English include orthography, phonology, grammar, syntax, and lexicon.
• OE was a synthetic language with grammatical gender, relying on case endings instead of prepositions and word order.
• Representative spelling or pronunciation examples are needed to illustrate the general differences.

Middle English

• Middle English differs from both Old English and Modern English in orthography, phonology, grammar, syntax, and lexicon.
• Historical events influenced the development of Middle English.
• Specific linguistic events mark the transition from Middle English to Early Modern English.

Influence of the Norman Conquest

• The Norman Conquest significantly impacted the English language.
• Focus is on the major effects rather than detailed lists of loanwords.
• The effects should include generalizations about loan words.

Reestablishment of English After the Norman Conquest

• Key events influenced the reestablishment of English after the Norman Conquest.

Modern English

• Modern English is a mix of Germanic and Romance languages.
• Need to understand to what extend it is either.

Short Answer Questions

Sound Law:

• Need to understand what sound laws are within linguistics

Grimm's Law:

• Need to understand what Grimm's Law is in relation to English language

Pre-Anglo-Saxon England:

• The people living in England before the Anglo-Saxon arrival are important.

Anglo-Saxon Origins:

• Need to know where the Anglo-Saxons came from originally.

Anglo-Saxon Invasion:

• The date of the Anglo-Saxon invasion of England needs to be known.

Old English Period:

• The traditional years assigned to the Old English period (450-1150) should be memorized.

Runic Alphabet:

• Know what the runic alphabet is, who used it, and how it was used.

Cædmon:

• Know Cædmon and his significance in the story of English.

Old English Poetry:

• Old English poetry is structured with accentual alliterative verse and a strong medial caesura.

Alfred the Great:

• Alfred the Great's importance to the history of the English language needs to be understood, with at least five reasons.

Old English Loanwords:

• The languages from which Old English borrowed loanwords need to be identified.

Latin and Old Norse Influence:

• Understand why Old English took on loanwords from Latin and Old Norse (Scandinavian).

The Year 1066:

• The events of 1066 are a key point in English language history.

William the Conqueror:

• William the Conqueror's role and importance in the history of the English language should be known.

Middle English Period:

• The traditional years assigned to Middle English (1150-1500) are important.

Middle English Loanwords:

• The languages contributing loanwords to Middle English should be identified.

French Loanwords:

• Know when the majority of French loanwords entered Middle English.

Reestablishment of English:

• Understand what is meant by the "reestablishment of English" during the 14th and 15th centuries, and the forces behind it.

William Caxton:

• William Caxton's work, timeline, and importance to the history of English need to be understood.

Early Modern English Period:

• The traditional years for Early Modern English (1500-1800) should be known.

The Great Vowel Shift:

• The Great Vowel Shift needs to be understood, including its importance.

William Shakespeare:

• When Shakespeare was active as a poet and playwright is important.

Recognition and Identification

• Be able to recognize and identify:
• A passage in Old English
• A passage in Middle English
• A passage in Early Modern English
• A passage written in the runic alphabet
• A passage written in insular script

Vocabulary Words

• Important vocabulary words include:
• analytic language
• articulatory phonetics (including bilabial, affricate, dental, fricative, labio-dental, nasal, & velar)
• case
• cognate
• diphthong (and monophthong)
• grammatical Gender (as opposed to natural gender)
• insular script
• kenning
• lexicon
• loan word
• metathesis
• morphology
• orthography
• phoneme
• phonology
• runic alphabet
• synthetic language