Variation and Change in Late Modern English

Until fairly recently Late Modern English was a largely ignored period in the history of the English language, as it was generally assumed that few changes had taken place between the late eighteenth century and the present. Such a view is no longer tenable. Some of the features of present-day English that established themselves in Standard English during the Late Modern English period are the vowel system of present-day English, the passive progressive form (which entailed the replacement of the earlier the house is building in the sense of present-day English the house is being built), the spread of the progressive form from verbs of action to other verbs, the establishment of the present perfect with have for all verbs including verbs of motion, and the standardization of periphrastic do for all verbs, etc. While standardization progressed, non-standard variants still existed in unpublished texts. Authors adapted their use of language to their audiences, following prescriptive rules in official letters, but not in private letters or journals. This seminar will cover all areas of change from phonological change to syntactic change. It will introduce students to Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO), an online resource of texts that will allow students to carry out their own research, as well as to unpublished material. Prescribed reading: Ingrid Tieken-Boon van Ostade, An Introduction to Late Modern English. Edinburgh: EdinburghUniversity Press, 2009. Anglistik - Sprachwissenschaft II Requirements: Zwischenprüfung in English. Note that proof of this will have to be provided in the first session. Assessment: For 2 Credit points: Active participation, short written assignments, and oral presentation. For 5, 6, and 7 Credit points: Active participation, short written assignments, oral presentation and seminar paper. Note that for 7 points your task is more complex. Universität Siegen SoSe 2012 Univ.-Prof. Dr. Häcker Martina