ENG501 Handouts

Table of Contents

Lesson No.

Lesson Title · Topics · Pg. No. Lesson 01

001 to 005

Lesson 02

What do We Study in the History of a Language?

006 to 010

Lesson 03

Basic Terms Related to Language and Language History

011 to 015

Lesson 04

Introduction to English Language

016 to 020

Lesson 05

Importance of History of English Language

021 to 025

Lesson 06

Historical Development of (English) Language and Related Terms-

Part I

026 to 030

Lesson 07

Historical Development of (English) Language and Related Terms-

Part II

031 to 035

Lesson 08

Main Stages in the Development of English Language

036 to 040

Lesson 09

Introduction to Old English: Birth of English- Prehistoric to

Germanic History

041 to 045

Lesson 10

Some Historical Facts About Old English

045 to 050

Lesson 11

Features of Old English: Pronunciation and Vocabulary

051 to 055

Lesson 12

The Grammar of Old English

056 to 060

Lesson 13

Discussion on Samples of Old English

061 to 065

Lesson 14 · Moving Towards Middle English: The Norman Conquest (1066- · 1200)

066 to 070

Lesson 15

The Re-establishment of English in Middle English Period

071 to 075

Lesson 16

Middle English in the 14th and 15th Centuries

076 to 080

Lesson 17

Features of Middle English: Writing and Pronunciation

081 to 085

Lesson 18

The Grammar of Middle English

086 to 090

Lesson 19

Vocabulary of Middle English and Moving Towards Standardization

091 to 095

Lesson 20

Discussion on Samples of Middle English

096 to 100

Lesson 21

101 to 105

Lesson 22

106 to 110

Lesson 23

111 to 115

Lesson 24

History of English from 1500 to 1650- Part IV

116 to 120

Lesson 25

Overview of the Development of Renaissance English

121 to 125

Lesson 26

126 to 130

Lesson 27

131 to 135

Lesson 28

136 to 140

Lesson 29

History of English from 1650 to 1800- Part IV

141 to 145

Lesson 30

Introduction to Modern English

146 to 150

Lesson 31

Standardization of English in the 19th and 20th Century

151 to 155

Lesson 32

19th and 20th Century English: Tendencies

156 to 160

Lesson 33

Expansion of the General Vocabulary in Today’s English

161 to 165

Lesson 34

English as World Language

166 to 170

Lesson 35

Introduction to American English

171 to 175

Lesson 36

American Vs British English: A Comparison

176 to 180

Lesson 37

Australian English

181 to 185

Lesson 38

South-Asian English

186 to 190

Lesson 39

English Language in the 21st Century: Features of Englishes

191 to 195

Lesson 40

Future of English

196 to 200

Lesson 01

Topic- 001: What is Language?

Language is a method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way; language is a method of expression or communication.

In this lecture, with reference to the following definitions, it is discussed that the term language is used in various ways:

‘The words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them used and understood by a community.’ (Definition of Language by Merriam-Webster

A systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks- the language of mathematics. A formal system of signs and symbols (such as calculus in logic) including rules for the formation and transformation of expressions. Form or manner of verbal expression; specifically style- the beauty of Shakespeare’s language. The vocabulary and phraseology belonging to an art or department of knowledge- the language of diplomacy medical language. Specific words especially in a law or regulation e.g., the police were diligent in enforcing the language of the law.

Topic – 002: Features of Language

There are certain features of human language that distinguish it from other means of communication.

1. Displacement: It is the ability to talk about times, places, and people other than the ‘here and now’: to say things which we know to be false.
2. Arbitrariness: There is no ‘natural’ connection between a linguistic form and its meaning.
3. Productivity: This is the ability to continually create new expressions and novel utterances. Creativity or open-endedness means that the potential number of utterances in any human language is infinite.
4. Cultural Transmission: We may inherit brown eyes and dark hair but we do not inherit language. We acquire a language in a culture.
5. Duality: Human language is organized at two levels or layers simultaneously. We have a physical level at which we can produce individual sounds, like n, b and I, but beyond this we can organize a variety of sentences.

Topic – 003: Elements that Make a Language

The most basic element of a natural language is its words. The rather fluid rules governing the usage of the words are generally called its grammar. Firstly, meanings ascribed to words change constantly. Secondly, grammar is no longer thought of simply as a set of rules governing structure and