Lectures in history of the English language and method-guides for seminars

Lectures in history of the English language
and method-guides for seminars

2

Contents
Foreword……………………………………………………………………………..…3 1. What is English A short history of the origins and development of English 2. Lectures and seminar topics …………………………………………………………9 Lecture 1. The English language as a chief medium of communication …..9 Lecture 2. Historical background 2.3. Lecture 3. Development of the language Old English period …………...17 Lecture 4. Development of the language Middle English period ………...20 2.5. Lecture 5. The Great Vowel Shift ………………………………………..25 2.6. Lecture 6. Development of the language Modern English period ……....28 2.7. Lecture 7. 20th - Century English ………………………………………..34 2.8. Lecture 8. American English as a variety of the English language spoken in the United States ………………………………………………37 2.9. Lecture 9. Other varieties of English ……………………………………..39 2.10. Lecture 10. The future of English ……………………………………….44 3. Seminar topics for individual elaboration …………………………………………..47 4. Five events that shaped the History of English …………………………………….83 5. Historic English text samples ………………………………………………………88 6. Tables of grammatical changes during the history …………………………………92 7. Comparison of British and American vocabulary ………………………………….94 8. Test your knowledge – Self assessment ……………………………………………108 8.1. Module Test on Lecture (1-5) …………………………………………….108 8.2. Module Test on Lecture (6-10) …………………………………………...110.
9. Reccommended literature …………………………………………………………..112