This course, taught by a specialist in the history of English grammar, will give students an overview of the history of English phonology, morphology, lexicon, and syntax as well as the development of 'new Englishes' due to colonisation.  Although it is not a literature course, it will introduce students to the nature of the literature of Early, Middle, and Early Modern English and will include discussions of how scribal and editorial practices may affect our understanding of the language of texts.

 

 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Analyse a wide range of syntactic and morphological structures in Old, Middle, and Early Modern English, applying the grammatical terminology and analytical techniques they have learned in the course.
2. Identify some major dialect differences in the period before the standardization of English.
3. Systematically analyse some differences between the grammar of the English of earlier periods and the grammar of Present Day English.
4. Use the Oxford English Dictionary Online and the Middle English Dictionary to learn independently about the history of individual words and collocations.
5. Undertake guided research on a topic in English morphology, syntax, or style.

Additional Course Costs

There are no additional costs for this course, although students may wish to purchase the textbook and/or print out the course materials which are available electronically. The textbook is $57.00 for non-members at the University Coop Bookstore, and $53.01 for members. 

Examination Material or equipment

The examination will be a two-hour formal examination. Beyond the electronic devices excluded in all formal examinations, the textbook is not permitted. The reason for this is that some students will have been using the electronic version of the textbook, and will not have access to this in the examination room. However, all students may bring any number of pages of notes from the textbook. Other materials, including printouts of lecture powerpoints, handouts, notes etc. are allowed.  

Required Resources

The textbook prescribed for this course is Essentials of Early English (second edition) by Jeremy Smith (Routledge, 2005). It is available for free electronically through the library, but be warned that the electronic version fails to reproduce some aspects of the hard copy. A hard copy is also available on 2-hour loan at Chifley Library.

Although most of the readings will be from the textbook, there are some additional required readings, which are on electronic reserve at the library. These are clearly indicated on the course schedule. 

PRELIMINARY READING: None required for students who have completed LING1/2001 or the equivalent, but Chapter 2 Describing Languages of the textbook would be a useful review for any student and is essential if you have been exempted from this prerequisite. Keen students may wish to read Chapter 1 ‘Overview’ in Hogg and Denison (2006; details below). A pdf scan of this chapter is available on reserve. 

Recommended Resources

Students are encouraged to supplement the prescribed readings with further study of some of the books in the following list. Most of these books are on short loan in Chifley Library or are available electronically through the library. They are a good place to start when thinking about paper topics. Also browse around in the Linguistics library, BPB W2.26—you are most welcome to use it!

Algeo, J. (2010). The Origins and Development of the English Language. Based on the Original Work of Thomas Pyles. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Baugh, A. C. & T. Cable (2002). A history of the English language. London: Routledge.

Brinton, L. J. & L. K. Arnovick (2011). The English language: A Linguistic History. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Burnley, J. D. (1989). The Language of Chaucer. Basingstoke: Macmillan Education.

Burrow, J. A. and Turville-Petre, Thorlac (1996). A Book of Middle English. Oxford and Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers.

Crystal, David. (2003) English as a Global Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Fischer, Olga, Kemenade, Ans van, Koopman, Willem and Wurff, Wim van der (2000). The Syntax of Early English. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.

Görlach, Manfred (1991). Introduction to Early Modern English. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.

Gramley, Stephen. 2012. The History of English: An Introduction. New York: Routledge. Note: this textbook has a companion website at http://www.routledge.com/cw/gramley/ which is very useful.

Hogg, Richard M. (ed.) (1992). The Cambridge History of the English Language. 6 Volumes. Cambridge and New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Hogg, Richard and Denison, David (eds) (2005). A History of the English Language. Cambridge and New York.

Horobin, Simon. 2013. Chaucer's language, 2nd edn. Houndsmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire and New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Horobin, Simon & J. J. Smith. 2002. An introduction to Middle English. New York: Oxford University Press.

Lass, Roger (1987). The Shape of English. Melbourne: J.M. Dent and Sons.

Millward, C. M. & M. Hayes (2012). A Biography of the English Language. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Mugglestone, L. (2012). The Oxford History of English. Updated edition. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.

Nevalainen, Terttu & Elizabeth Closs Traugott (eds.). 2012. The Oxford Handbook of the History of English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Tieken-Boon van Ostade, Ingrid (2009). An Introduction to Late Modern English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Trudgill, Peter (2004) New-Dialect Formation: The Inevitability of Colonial Englishes. Scotland: Edinburgh U.P. 

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• The assessable assignments will be returned to the students in the form of electronic response files (available in the Wattle gradebook) which is the student’s submitted assignment with comments and marks for individual tasks
• Each student will be provided with a marking sheet for their research essay, indicating what marks were assigned in each area of assessment. If a student requests ‘full feedback’ on the cover sheet for this paper, an electronic response file consisting of their essay with comments added will be made available in the Wattle gradebook
• Discussions in tutorials of the assignments and tutorial exercises; no individual feedback will be given on the tutorial preparation exercises
• One-on-one discussions when a student attends an office hour or makes an appointment with the lecturer  

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Essays and reports should be type-or-computer-written. In this course, this is not required for the exercises, due to the fact that getting the layouts right can be difficult, as can some of the older symbols. 

Referencing requirements: No references are required for the analytical assignments or the final examination, although in some circumstances the student may wish to add a reference in an assignment to support an argument or point of view. Where required, references must use the Harvard author-date style. More specific stylistic and formatting instructions will be supplied with the research paper topics. 

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	T1: Overview of course; Origins of English; OE language and literature Reading: EEE Introduction (pp.3-16) Chapter 2 will be essential for anyone without a background in linguistics T2: OE dialects, orthography, pronunciation; phonology Reading: EEE §§ 3.1, 3.2. You might also like to read the Horobin pdf on how we know anything about Chaucer’s pronunciation (on reserve), but this is not obligatory	No tutorial this week
2	T1: Lexicon T2: Morphology (noun phrase) Reading: EEE §3.3 to end of §3.3.1, §§3.4.1-3.4.4, §3.5	Tutorial 1
3	T1&2: Morphology (verb phrase) Reading: EEE pp. 55-57 (stop at Complex verb phrases), §3.4.5-3.4.7	Tutorial 2
4	T1: Contact in the OE period Reading: Lecture on Contact (on Wattle) T2: Syntax 1. Guest lecturer – Assoc. Prof. Cynthia Allen Reading: EEE Complex VPs p. 57- end of §3.3, and Lecture on OE Syntax sections 1-2 (on Wattle)	Assignment 1 released 19 March
5	T1: Syntax 2 Guest lecturer – Assoc. Prof. Cynthia Allen The contents of Lecture on OE Syntax sections 1-2 (on Wattle) will be presented in the lecture, but students will benefit from reading the lecture in advance T2: The language of Beowulf and other poetry Reading: EEE OE Text 8	Tutorial 3
6	T1: Transition from OE; phonological, orthographical, and morphological change; T2: nature of Early Middle English Reading: EEE §§4.1- 4.2	Assignment 1 due 2 April Tutorial 4
7	T1: The sociolinguistics of ME and ME language and literature. T2:ME dialects; lexicon Reading: EEE §4.5-6, Machan 71-86 (on reserve)	No tutorial this week
8	T1 & T2: Morphology of NP Reading: EEE §§ 4.3 through end of 4.3.2 (determiners), 4.4 through end of 4.4.4, 4.6	Tutorial 5 Assignment 2 released 30 April
9	T1: Morphology of VP Reading: §§4.3.3, 4.4.6 T2: Syntax Reading: EEE §§4.3.4,4.4.5-4.4.7	Tutorial 6
10	T1: The language of Chaucer; Editing Chaucer Reading: EEE ME Texts 1-3. T2: Introduction; Spelling and Orthography; the Great Vowel Shift Reading: EEE §§5.1-5.2, Millward & Hayes pp. 219-223 (on reserve)	Tutorial 7 Assignment 2 due 14 May
11	T1: The language of Shakespeare Reading: EEE EModE Texts 1-6 T2: Standardisation and the doctrine of correctness Reading: Baugh pp. 253-277 (on reserve)	No tutorial this week
12	T1: Late Modern English and PDE in England Reading: Brinton & Arnovick 382-391, 436-442 T2: Developments outside Britain Reading: Brinton & Arnovick pp. 392-435	Tutorial 8 Paper due 30 May

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Tutorial preparation	10 %	01/01/2029	01/01/2029	1
Analytical Assignment 1	20 %	26/03/2019	09/04/2019	1, 2, 3, 4
Analytical Assignment 2	20 %	07/05/2019	21/05/2019	1, 2, 3, 4
Research Paper	20 %	14/05/2019	28/05/2019	5
Final examination	30 %	01/01/2029	01/01/2029	1, 2, 3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website. Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Participation will not be assessed, although preparation for the tutorials will be assessed through the tutorial preparation tasks.  

Examination(s)

There will be one examination, the final examination designed to assess your achievement in all areas in the course other than in the ability to undertake research and to use dictionaries. It will be a two-hour formal examination with questions covering grammatical analysis and short answer questions in which you will demonstrate your understanding of historical processes and recent developments in English. Note that the lecturer has no control over the scheduling of a formal final examination, which is done by the Examination Section. Students are required to be available during the entire Examination Period and should not book plane tickets etc. during this period.  

Assessment Task 1

Tutorial preparation

Due Tuesday mornings of tutorial weeks.

The tutorial exercises are intended to guide your reading and to assist you in preparing for the tutorial discussions. They will consist of questions for you to think about and try to answer as best you can on the basis of one hour’s work before the tutorial. You do not need to complete these exercises, but only to do enough to show that you have engaged with the data for at least an hour. 

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR TUTORIAL EXERCISES

Exercises, either from the textbook or made up by the lecturer, will be provided as preparation for each of the 8 tutorials. To get the most out of the course, it is important that students prepare for and attend the 8 tutorials, although no mark will be given for attendance.The problems will be available on Wattle at least one week before they are due. Work on the problems is to be submitted electronically through Wattle by 5 pm on Tuesday of the relevant week. The full mark of 1.25 will be given to a tutorial problem which is submitted on time and which shows evidence of about an hour’s worth of engagement with the problem. No full answer is required, as the aim of this assessment is to ensure you engage with the material, rather than to show you have mastered it. No partial mark will be given. 

Assessment Task 2

Analytical Assignment 1

The analytical assignments are intended as training as well as assessment tools, as they provide practice in applying the terminology and analytical techniques you have learned in class to texts in different periods of English and also in using the Oxford English Dictionary Online and other web resources. Together, these assignments and the exam will test your understanding of the important grammatical and lexical characteristics of English at different stages, as well as the changes which have shaped all aspects of English. Students can expect that each of these assignments will contain 2-3 pages of data and instructions and will require 4-5 pages of answer. 

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR ASSIGNMENTS

The analytical assignments will contain more than one type of question, with the weighting of each question clearly stated. The bulk of each assignment (about 70%) will consist of questions requiring you to apply grammatical terminology and will be assessed on accuracy and completeness. For example, you might be asked to analyse the grammatical features of the verb in the Old English sentence þone man acwealde se cyning and to indicate the grammatical features of the noun phrases in this sentence. If you said that þone was nominative case, that would count as inaccurate, and if you said that þone was accusative case, that would be accurate but incomplete, as you would need to say also that this determiner is also marked for singular number and masculine gender. More openended questions requiring you to justify an analysis or to show your understanding of an entry in the OED or your understanding of the salient features of different English dialects in specific periods, etc., will account for about 50% of the assessment of each assignment. For these questions, the quality and completeness of your arguments will be worth about 80% of a given question, and the presentation, organisation and coherence of expression (including staying within prescribed word limits) will account for the remaining 20% of the value of the question.  

Assessment Task 3

Analytical Assignment 2

The analytical assignments are intended as training as well as assessment tools, as they provide practice in applying the terminology and analytical techniques you have learned in class to texts in different periods of English and also in using the Oxford English Dictionary Online and other web resources. Together, these assignments and the exam will test your understanding of the important grammatical and lexical characteristics of English at different stages, as well as the changes which have shaped all aspects of English. Students can expect that each of these assignments will contain 2-3 pages of data and instructions and will require 4-5 pages of answer. 

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR ASSIGNMENTS

The analytical assignments will contain more than one type of question, with the weighting of each question clearly stated. The bulk of each assignment (about 70%) will consist of questions requiring you to apply grammatical terminology and will be assessed on accuracy and completeness. For example, you might be asked to analyse the grammatical features of the verb in the Old English sentence þone man acwealde se cyning and to indicate the grammatical features of the noun phrases in this sentence. If you said that þone was nominative case, that would count as inaccurate, and if you said that þone was accusative case, that would be accurate but incomplete, as you would need to say also that this determiner is also marked for singular number and masculine gender. More openended questions requiring you to justify an analysis or to show your understanding of an entry in the OED or your understanding of the salient features of different English dialects in specific periods, etc., will account for about 50% of the assessment of each assignment. For these questions, the quality and completeness of your arguments will be worth about 80% of a given question, and the presentation, organisation and coherence of expression (including staying within prescribed word limits) will account for the remaining 20% of the value of the question. 

Assessment Task 4

Research Paper

The research paper of 1500-1800 words is intended to deepen your understanding of some aspect of the history of English and to demonstrate your understanding and ability to critically read and report on the most important literature in your chosen area. A list of topics will be made available in week 4, and you will be given guidelines concerning the style and formatting required in the paper.  

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR RESEARCH PAPER

The research papers will be assessed according to these criteria:

• Mechanics 10%
• Referencing 15%
• Structure 15%
• Content 60%

More detailed information on the criteria within each component will be provided with the paper topics. 

Assessment Task 5

Final examination

The final examination is designed to assess your achievement in all areas in the course other than in the ability to undertake research and to use dictionaries. It will be a two-hour formal examination with questions covering grammatical analysis and short answer questions in which you will demonstrate your understanding of historical processes and recent developments in English. 

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) as submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

No extensions will be granted for the tutorial preparation exercises, which cannot be submitted late.

Note that in this course, because the assignments involve correct and incorrect answers, under no circumstances will an assignment get credit if it is handed in after it has been discussed in any class (regardless of whether the student was present at the discussion) or after a model answer has been made available, although the lecturer will normally be willing to provide feedback on such a late assignment. If illness or some other legitimate excuse prevents the submission of an assignment before the solution has been made available, an alternative form of assessment must be arranged with the lecturer. (The same considerations do not apply to late essays, which do not have correct and incorrect answers, but will not be accepted if three weeks late or more). The lecturer will attempt to return the assignments as quickly as possible, so students who are late in submitting the assignments should check the Wattle website for notices concerning the date when an assignment is to be returned, to ensure that they submit theirs in time to get some credit.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Assignments will be returned via the Wattle grade book. The student can expect an assignment which has been handed in on time to be returned within 14 days of the due date (unless circumstances beyond their control prevent the lecturer from marking the students’ assignments). Tutorial preparation exercises will not be returned.  

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Students may not resubmit assignments except under unusual circumstances.  

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students