Professor Kenneth J. Tiller
Zehmer 130
Office Hours: MWF 12-1; MW 2-3:30; T 2-3:15; TH 11-12:15
Phone: 376-4587 / e-mail: kjt9t@uvawise.edu
I. Texts
A Biography of the English Language. C. M. Millward
Workbook for same
II. Course Overview
This course will focus on the history and development of the English language,
from its origin (ca 450 AD) to the present day, focusing on phonetic, morphological,
and semantic changes in the language. In the process, we will cover the
essential concepts of structural linguistics. By the conclusion of the
course, you should be 1) comfortable with the symbols of the international
phonetic alphabet; 2) familiar with the major external factors effecting
the development of the English language; 3) able to parse the Old English
or Indo-European form of a Present Day English Word (or vice-versa); 4)
familiar with the principles affecting change and growth in a language
system, including Grimm's and Werner's Laws; 5) able to differentiate Old,
Middle, Early Modern, and Present Day English.
III. Course Policies and Procedures
Student grades will be based on chapter quizzes (15%), periodic workbook
checks (10%); three exams (20% each); and one short paper applying linguistic
analysis to a work of literature (15 %).
IV: COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 1: Jan 17-19
Wed: Introduction. Fri: Review of parts of speech and basic grammatical
terms.