The English Language in Scotland

Dozent/in:

Ole Schützler

Termine:

Do, 16:00 - 17:30, U5/00.24

Inhalt:

In the relatively confined space of Scotland, mainly three languages co-exist, interact, and influence (or have influenced) each other: (i) Scottish Gaelic, the number of whose speakers has decreased dramatically, but which is still an official and strongly supported language of Scotland with an influence on the variety of English spoken in the Highlands; (ii) Scots, which developed out of a northern branch of Old English, functions as a present-day non-standard dialect of English with unique characteristics at all linguistic levels, and is also quite strongly resurgent in literary genres and popular culture; and (iii) Scottish Standard English (SSE), which is popularly described as Standard English spoken with a Scottish accent – a definition that is beginning to be questioned and modified, however.

The following topics will be discussed in this lecture:

• Scottish topography and history and the ways in which they shaped the linguistic landscape over the centuries, resulting in the present-day situation
• Problems involved in the notions of language and dialect as exemplified in the changing roles of English and Scots in Scotland
• The most important characteristics of Scottish English / Scots in pronunciation, grammar and lexicon
• Some influential empirical studies into (mainly urban) varieties of English in present-day Scotland
• Highland English
• Scottish English / Scots in literary works
• Scottish place and family names

Empfohlene Literatur:

Corbett, John, J. Derrick McClure & Jane Stuart-Smith (eds.). 2003. The Edinburgh Companion to Scots. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Jones, Charles. 2002. The English Language in Scotland: An Introduction to Scots. East Linton: Tuckwell Press.
Miller, Jim. 2008. Scottish English: morphology and syntax. In Kortmann, Bernd & Clive Upton, eds. Varieties of English. Vol.1: The British Isles. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 299–327.
Stuart-Smith, Jane. 2008. Scottish English: phonology. In Kortmann, Bernd & Clive Upton, eds. Varieties of English. Vol.1: The British Isles. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 48–70.

The Roots of English

Dozent/in:

Gabriele Knappe

Termine:

Di, 14:15 - 15:45, U5/02.22

Inhalt:

Description:
Why is English like that? Why is knight spelled with a kn and a gh? Why does English have so many synonyms like start, begin, commence or clever, intelligent, astute and bright? How come that we hardly have any in fact only eight inflectional endings in English today? And how are German and English related as they obviously are, when we compare, for instance, goose and Gans, house and Haus, knight and Knecht, light and Licht?
This lecture addresses all these questions, and more. Students will be given an overview of the development of the English language from its earliest attestations in the late 7^th century (Old English) until today in the context of the textual transmission and sociohistorical changes. Selected passages from different periods will be introduced, and special areas of interest are the development of sounds and spelling, grammar, vocabulary and syntax.
This lecture is particularly designed for students of BA "Anglistik/Amerikanistik", Aufbaumodul (2 ECTS). Students from other BA programmes can earn 2 or 4 ECTS points for their Studium Generale (pass/fail), and visiting students can earn 2 or 4 ungraded, pass/fail or graded ECTS points. Everybody elso who is interested is of course welcome, too, and may attend the lecture as a guest without getting ECTS points.
Note that students of Lehramt Gymnasium and of B.A. Medieval Studies in their Basismodul must attend the Uebung "Englische Sprachgeschichte", not this lecture.

Empfohlene Literatur:

Suggestions for background reading:

• Norbert Schmitt and Richard Marsden. 2006. Why Is English like That? Historical Answers to Hard ELT Questions. Michigan: The University of Michigan Press.
• Albert C. Baugh & Thomas Cable. 2013. A History of the English Language. Sixth ed. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.