Teaching the History of the English Language
- Editors: Colette Moore, Chris C. Palmer
- Pages: 370
- Published: 2019
- ISBN: 9781603293846 (Paperback)
- ISBN: 9781603293839 (Hardcover)
“I am thoroughly impressed by this collection. Although I have taught the history of the English language for many years at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, I found many things in the volume that I plan to adopt in future classes.”
—Peter J. Grund, University of Kansas
The study of the history of the English language (HEL) encompasses a broad sweep of time and space, reaching back to the fifth century and around the globe. Further, the language has always varied from place to place and continues to evolve today. Instructors face the challenge of fitting this vast subject into one semester of study and the challenge of engaging students with unfamiliar material and techniques. This volume guides instructors in choosing among many possibilities to design an HEL course to match their own interests and institutions.
The essays consider what subjects of HEL to include, how to organize the course, and what textbook to assign. They offer historical approaches and those that are not structured by chronology. Sample assignments provide opportunities for students to conduct original research, work with archives and digital resources, and investigate language in their communities. The essays also help them question notions of linguistic correctness.
Kelly D. Abrams
Alan Baragona
Laura Barefield
David Blackmore
Mary Blockley
Matthieu Boyd
David West Brown
Elizabeth Bell Canon
Don Chapman
Susanne Chrambach
William Claspy
Anne Curzan
Mark Davies
Stefan Dollinger
Marina Dossena
Kimberly Emmons
R. D. Fulk
Megan E. Hartman
Raymond Hickey
Melissa A. Hubbard
Susan Kim
Joanna Kopaczyk
Anna Maria Krulatz
Marcin Krygier
Yin Liu
Melinda J. Menzer
Elise E. Morse-Gagné
John G. Newman
Sarah Noonan
Tamara F. O’Callaghan
Andrew J. Pantos
Cornelia Paraskevas
Carol Percy
Annina Seiler
Justin Ross Sevenker
Janne Skaffari
K. Aaron Smith
Felicia Jean Steele
Trini Stickle
Jennifer C. Stone
Carla Suhr
Wendolyn Weber
Tara Williams
Shelbie Witte
Acknowledgments (ix)
Introduction (1)
Part I: Issues and Definitions
Language Change: Discovery and Explanation (27)
Language Variation: Which Strand Is the Real River? (35)
Standardization: How Standards of Language Develop (44)
Internal versus External History: Events in HEL (54)
Colonialism: Linguistic Accommodation and English Language Change (63)
Periodization: An Evolving Discipline, an Evolving Curriculum (72)
Part II: Considerations and Approaches for Historical Periods
Pre-English: The Relics of Proto-Indo-European in Old English Texts (87)
Old English: Teaching from Ignorance (98)
Middle English: An Invitation to HEL through Problem Solving (108)
Early Modern English: Teaching Transferable Skills between Language and Literature (116)
Late Modern English: Teaching Language History from Below (127)
Part III: Structuring a Course
Teaching the History of the English Language Backward (137)
Organizing the HEL Course by Linguistic Topic (147)
Developing Local Approaches to the HEL Course: An Alaskan Example (154)
Developing Global Approaches to the HEL Course: An International, Multilingual Framework (163)
Encountering HEL through the History of the Book (170)
Prescriptivism and Teaching HEL (178)
What to Consider When Considering a Textbook (187)
Part IV: Unit Design and Teaching Strategies
Personal Narratives: A Gateway to HEL (199)
Getting Started: How to Construct a Primer for HEL (205)
Dictionaries and Lexicography: Research-Oriented Approaches for Larger Lower-Level HEL Classes (213)
Library as Laboratory: Using Primary Sources and Research Tools in the HEL Classroom (225)
Integrating Literary Approaches: Translation and Modernization (235)
Inventing Words, Inventing Languages: Creative Engagement in HEL (244)
Part V: Curricular Contexts
HEL and General Ed Requirements: Finding a Place in the Liberal Arts Curriculum (253)
HEL and Students’ Educational Backgrounds: Children Left Behind in the Age of Assessment (259)
HEL and the K–12 Curriculum: The Common Core State Standards (269)
HEL for Preservice Teachers: Foundational Language Topics (280)
HEL for Multilingual Language Learners: Integrating Approaches from TESOL (292)
HEL for Composition Studies: Critical Language Awareness (302)
Part VI: Selected Resources and Assignments
Online Resources for Illustrating and Researching Historical Language (315)
Using (and Useful) Corpora for the Study of HEL (320)
Assignment for a Multimodal, Multimedia HEL (324)
Using the OED for Beginning and Advanced Learning Activities (327)
Embracing Disparate Voices: Teaching American English Dialect Variation in HEL Using DARE (331)
Exploring the History of a Word or Phrase (334)
Suggested Word List (337)
Being Peevish: Teaching Students to Assess Grammatical Rules in Historical Context (339)
Notes on Contributors (343)
Index (349)
