SoSe 20: V-The History of English I
Ferdinand von Mengden
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This lecture will provide an overview of the history of the English language. We will start off in the pre-history of English, long before its earliest written attestations, and see what English was like before it became English and how we gain access to these pre-historic stages. The journey will then bring us to the early Middle Ages when, in the course of the Migration Period, Germanic tribes settled in Britain. We will observe the English language developing over time and explain the enormous changes that English has undergone ever since. We will see how the English language eventually spreads in almost all parts of the world, letting new varieties emerge, or rather letting English split into different Englishes. As the historically most recent step, we will watch English – in becoming the main language of international communication – conquering new media rather than new lands.
Because not all regular students are registered in Campus Management, there will be a special enrolment for this lecture in the first week of term. Students who cannot attend the first session are kindly asked to notify me before the beginning of the lecture period.
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