LING 620 History of Language

The study of the historical development of language is central to linguistic inquiry. Understanding how and why languages evolve over time and the connection among different languages positions the student to correctly evaluate linguistic claims in society. It also equips him/her for analytical study in other areas of linguistics.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

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Course Requirements Checklist

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

Language Practice Assignments (6)

Each Language Practice Assignment begins with a summary of concepts covered in the module/modules and comprises two sections. Section 1 consists of a set of short exercises for analysis, and Section 2 has a short essay of 500 words in response to the provided prompts. Each essay should refer to at least three scholarly works and conform to the standards of scholarly writing following APA style.

Research Paper Assignments (2)

There are two parts to the research paper. First, the student will select a research topic on an aspect of the course to gain a deeper understanding of Historical Linguistics.  The selected topic, which should be of interest to the student and applicable to the student’s work or study, will be based on a research problem from which a research question to be investigated in the research paper will be developed. Second is the full research paper which should be between 10-12 pages and should demonstrate a sound analysis of the question/problem raised. Paper sections should include front matter (title page, abstract), introduction, literature, analysis/discussion, conclusion, and back matter (references, appendices). The paper should refer to a minimum of 12 peer-reviewed sources, which are documented following APA format.

Language Practice: Reflection Paper Assignment

The student will reflect on the various aspects of language change studied, including analogical levelling, the Great Vowel Shift, phonological space, symmetry, and chain shifts, and present a well-reasoned reflection on how these phenomena harmonize with the biblical account of the origin of language and language change. The reflection paper (between 1,000-1,200 words) should refer to at least 5 peer-reviewed articles, and citations and references should comply with APA.

Quiz: Midterm Exam

The midterm exam quiz will cover Learn materials from the first four modules. It will be open-book and open-notes. The quiz has 40 multiple-choice, short-answer, multiple-answer, matching, and fill-in-the-blank questions and 2 short essay questions. It will have an unlimited time limit.