Etymology – ENGL 334

Course Description

This course is a study of the etymology of the English language with a focus on its changing vocabulary, syntax, and development into a world language.

Rationale

The student of the English language is a student of its language arts, of reading and writing, and of its literature, and therefore of the stuff of which the language is made, its grammar and its vocabulary. The English vocabulary is the largest of any language in the world, containing words borrowed principally from Greek, Latin, and French, but also from its other European neighbors, as well as from language all around the globe. A study of the history of the words of the language is a study of the cultures and the historical developments that have made the language what it is.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will have two discussions that require them to analyze etymological insights found throughout the study of the course. Each thread must be at least 150 words, and each reply must be 150-200 words. (CLO: A, C, D)

Exercise Quizzes (22)

These Exercise Quizzes are a scaffolded quiz group.

Exercise Quizzes (12)

There are 12 Exercise Quizzes in this course. These constitute a major part of the work for this course. These quizzes are rather lengthy and will require careful attention to detail both in the investigation of the histories of words and in filling out the answers to the exercise questions. Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned module. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 10-30 questions of varying types, and have no time limit. (CLO: B, C, D, E)

Exercise: Word Analysis Quizzes (10)

There are 10 Word Analysis Quizzes in this course which are closely related to the 12 Exercise Quizzes in this course. These constitute a major part of the work for this course. These quizzes are rather lengthy and will require careful attention to detail both in the investigation of the histories of words and in filling out the answers to the exercise questions. It will be very important for the student to read over the instructions for these quizzes and to observe them carefully. Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned module. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 6-35 fill-in-the-blank and fill in multiple blanks questions, and have no time limit. (CLO: B, C, D, E)

Practice Quizzes (6)

There are six practice quizzes which will provide the student the same questions that will eventually be asked on the eight quizzes. The purpose of these is to prepare students for these quizzes so they can know what to expect with regards to the short time frame for taking these quizzes and the expectation that these quizzes are based on memorization not looking up course material. (CLO: B, C, D, E)

Quizzes (8)

There are eight quizzes for the course on word parts borrowed from Greek and Latin. The grades for these quizzes will constitute a quarter of the grade for the course. Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned module. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 10-75 fill in multiple blanks, and have a 4-30 minutes time limit. (CLO: B, C, D, E)

Essay Assignments (2)

There are two essays in this course that should be 750 to 1000 words in length. The first is on word histories and the second on the influence of Christianity on the vocabularies of English. Student essays should reflect an appropriate level of research and should be documented in MLA or APA format. Focus for these essays should be on insightful analysis and clear articulation. (CLO: A, D)