The English language began as a set of obscure dialects on an island at the edge of the world. Today, it is spoken by almost two billion people, and functions as the lingua franca of a vast global network. But the history of English before the twentieth century is also a global story: one involving international politics, power, religion, technology, commerce, music and literature, the oppressor and the oppressed. This course examines the history of the English from its Proto-Indo-European roots to the nineteenth century as a language shaped and changed by global forces. The course traces the language through the centuries, and through a range of textual forms and formats. It has a particular focus on the external forces of politics, religion, war and language interaction that influenced English, and on the role played by the imported technologies of writing and printing. How has English changed over the centuries—and what international influences have governed this change?

 

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1. The Movement to Proto-Germanic and the Birth of English
2. Early Old English: Latin, Empire, and the Church across the World
3. Late Old English: Vikings, Traders and the New English
4. Early Middle English: The French Connection
5. Middle English: Europe, Travel and English Language Change
6. Late Middle English: The Importation of Print and the Taming of English
7. Early Modern English: Exploration and Importation
8. English of the 18^th Century: Trans-Atlantic Moves
9. A Global Language: English in the 19^th and 20^th Centuries

 

The objectives of the course are to:

• Conceptualise the development of the English language as a product of global social, religious, cultural and economic forces.
• Understand the phonological, orthographic, morphological, syntactic, and semantic features of varieties of English across time and place.
• Distinguish the general linguistic features of the Germanic language family, and in particular Old, Middle and Early Modern and Modern English.
• Explore the mechanisms and contexts acting upon the development of the English language, including the impact of technology, from a global perspective.

 

2-hour lecture each week.

Lectures will introduce the required basic concepts and frameworks, including methods for engaging in research, and raise and discuss issues and debates in the field. In-class activities will provide opportunities for students to engage in exercises, examine specific texts and case studies and engage in reflection and discussion.

 

Homework: Four short research tasks of 200-400 words, submitted as homework over the course of the semester. (30%)

Essay: 1800-2000 word research paper. (40%)

In-class quiz: In-class tests, 35-40 mins each. (30%)

 

All required course readings will be available on Moodle. Supplementary readings will be available in the HKU Library or online.