230555 The History of the English Vocabulary (S) (SoSe 2006)

The course will look at the sources of and the changes in the English vocabulary through the centuries, with a special emphasis on the role of dictionaries. We will work through the chapters of the set text (see below), based on a number of questions that are to be prepared for each session. Students could do worse than work through Hughes' book in the break before the summer term.

Students are expected to have read Geoffrey Nunberg's essay on "The Persistence of English", in M.H. Abrams and S. Greenblatt eds, The Norton Anthology of English Literature, vol. 1. 7th edition, New York 2000, pp. xlvii-lxi. To make sure that all course members have this chapter as a common knowledge base, there will be a test on it in the first meeting of class on 3 April 2006. Only students who pass this test will be admitted to the class.

Please note: Students who have registered and do not show up for the first session of class on 3 April 2006 will lose their place.

Place in the curriculum:
BA course: This is one of the courses in Profilmodul 1
Others: Hauptstudium , A 4

Credits and Requirements:
All students are expected to offer active and regular participation, including the written assignments. BA's can earn three credits for this and a pass in the final exam, and an additional 3 credit points for a long essay (about 4,000 words).

Set Text: G. Hughes, A History of English Words. Oxford 2000