English Historical Lexicology - Einzelansicht

This course examines changes in the English lexicon from its beginnings to the present day. We will begin with some general assumptions about the units that make up a language’s lexicon and the ways in which they relate to one another. We will then discuss the major mechanisms of lexical and semantic change, with a particular focus on lexical borrowing, word formation, and semantic shift.

In the subsequent sessions, we will move chronologically through the history of English and, on the basis of students’ presentations, investigate selected topics relating to developments in the English vocabulary. These topics may include: the structure of the Old, Middle, and Early Modern English lexicon; Celtic, Latin, Scandinavian, and French influences on English; word formation patterns in earlier stages of English; semantic change; the enrichment of the vocabulary through colonial expansion; the increasing productivity of zero derivation and other types of word formation in Modern English; lexical change due to new media; and the use of corpora in the study of English historical lexicology. The precise topics will be determined and distributed in the first session of the course.

By the end of the semester, students will have developed an understanding of key mechanisms of lexical and semantic change in the history of English and will be able to outline a hypothetical research project of their own in the field of English historical lexicology.

Literature will be provided on Moodle

An oral presentation + peer reviews (80%)