Prerequisite: Completion of the Core Curriculum requirement in Literature.

Course Description: This course explores both the external (or social) and the internal (or linguistic) history of the English language from its Indo-European roots to the present. In addition, it looks at some general principles of linguistic change and relates them to specific developments in English. By the end of the course, students should understand why present-day English is the way that it is. Because of the focus on linguistic developments, workbook exercises are a crucial component of the course. It is extremely important for students to attend class, as much of the internal historoy will be discussed in lecture

Course Objective: Students are expected to demonstrate fully an understanding of how the English language evolved. Additionally, students are expected to know both structural developments and the external social forces that led to those developments.