1. The Old English period |
Introduction. Historical background. The backgrounds of English: The Indo-European languages. The Germanic languages in their Indo-European context. The place of Old English among the Germanic languages. Old English dialects. Orthography and pronunciation. Morphology. Syntax. The lexicon. |
3. The (early and late) Modern English period |
Introduction. Historical background. Attitudes towards language. The growth of prestige of the English language. The ideal of correctness and the attempt to fix the language: Dictionaries, grammars and the rise of prescriptivism. The growth of the English vocabulary. Orthography and phonology. Morphology. Syntax. |