LING 320: History of the English Language
MWF 9:00-9:50, HECO 126 (CRN 132)

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Instructor: Dr. Amie A. Doughty
Office: 322 Netzer Administration Building
Office Hours: MWF 10:00-11:00 and by appointment
Phone: 436-3035 (direct line) or 436-3446 (for the English Department secretary)
E-mail: Amie.Doughty@oneonta.edu
Web Address: http://employees.oneonta.edu/doughtaa

Required Text:
Crystal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. 2nd ed. 1995. New York: Cambridge UP, 2003. ISBN0521530334

Course Description:
Catalog Description: Introduction to the development of the English language from its earliest known stage to present-day British and American English. Topics include the continuous change of language in its main aspects of sound; word formation, syntax, and vocabulary; the cultural influences on change, and their reflection in the language; and social attitudes affecting language usage.

Translation: This course is meant to introduce students to the history of the English language, and the focus will naturally be on language change. We will examine not just how English has changed phonologically, morphologically, syntactically, and lexically, but why the language changes may have occurred from a social perspective. By the end of the semester, you should have a solid understanding of the development of English from its Proto Indo-European roots to the present, including worldwide variations.

General Education Attributes: LA

Course Policies:
Contacting Me: My preferred method of communication outside of class is via e-mail, and I am usually quick to respond to e-mail. If you send me an e-mail message, you should hear back from me within 24 hours during weekdays. If you do not receive a response within 24 hours, try again because it means that I have not received your message. I check my e-mail periodically Monday through Friday between 8 and 5. I am offline on Saturdays and Sundays. You may also contact me via phone or come by my office during office hours. You do not need an appointment to see me during office hours, though I recommend making one during busy times of the semester (i.e. pre-enrollment, near finals). You can either make an appointment directly with me or by contacting Mrs. Carr, the English Department secretary.

Course Format: Due to the nature of the materials we will cover in class, I will frequently need to lecture about the specific topics we cover. I will, however, try to limit the lectures (for your sake and mine). We will also do some pronunciation work with literary texts from various periods in English, we will work on in-class exercises about the language changes, and we will watch several episodes from The Story of English series produced by PBS in 1986 as well as clips from other series as applicable. When possible, we will have class discussions. Always feel free to ask questions during class, whether I’m lecturing or not.

Attendance: Each of the language periods we study in this class will build on the previous ones. As a result, if you miss class, you may have some difficulty following the new discussion. If you must miss class, get notes from a classmate. If you do not understand a concept you missed, make arrangements to see me during my office hours so that we can go over the material. It is your responsibility to make up any work that you miss.

Assignments: Your grade will be based on 6 different assignments. Please note that you must submit all assignments to pass the course, though submitting them all does not guarantee you a passing mark:

• Homework/Quizzes—Occasionally I will assign homework for you to complete. You will also be required to take several quizzes, both written and oral. For the oral quizzes, which will take place in my office, you will have to read short passages of texts from Old English, Middle English, and Early Modern English. We will go over the readings in class several times before you will have to read them for me. (10%)
• Article Annotations—For the Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English, and Modern English (including World Englishes) sections of the course, you will be required to find a journal or magazine article about that period (not from the internet), read it, and submit a written summary (about 1/3 of the paper) and analysis of the article (2/3 of paper). The article must be at least 4 pages long. Do not use book reviews. Your chosen article may be about literature or history from the time period, but the focus of should be language use. Each analysis should be approximately 2-3 pages long. Attach a copy of the article to the annotation when you submit it. (20%)
• Exam 1—Wednesday, 28 Sept. (15%)
• Exam 2—Monday, 31 Oct. (15%)
• Final Exam—Friday, 16 Dec 8:00-10:30 (20%)
• Research Project—You will complete a major research project (10-15 pages long, due 12 Dec. by 5) about any aspect of language. Your topic can be anything to do with language, from pre-Old English origins to present day languages, and it may be argumentative or informative. You may focus on literature in your paper, but if you do so, you must have a linguistic perspective on it. Start with a broad topic and narrow it as you conduct your research. Past topics have included an analysis of language in Shakespeare and in Chaucer; the history of swearing and specific curse words; the background of the names for days of the week and for months; the role of language in Pygmalion; a history of Black English; a history of Spanglish; an examination of gravestone typography (this was a field work project); an examination of Romany; language acquisition; translations of the Bible (and the King James Version only movement); and the role of Noah Webster in American English. Do not rely on internet sources. You may not use Wikipedia as a source. You will be required to give brief updates on your research in class on 3 Oct. and 18 Nov. (20%)

All assignments should be in MLA format. If you do not know what MLA format looks like, consult a handbook, go to the Writing Lab, or come see me.

Classroom Etiquette: You are expected to comport yourself politely in class. I expect you to refrain from talking to your classmates during lectures and discussions unless you are asked to work in groups. If you have a question about what is being presented, ask me, not your neighbor. Students whose behavior disrupts the class will be asked to leave the classroom, and I will determine what constitutes disruptive behavior.

Cell Phones: Phones must be turned off for the duration of the class period. If your phone rings in class, you may be asked to leave. If I see you texting in class, I may ask you to leave. If you believe you should be excluded from the cell phone restriction, see me individually.

Assignment Formatting: All assignments must be submitted according to MLA formatting guidelines. For this class, do not use a title page for any of your papers. Use a 12-point font (yes, I can tell the difference) in Times New Roman (no fancy fonts in this class and no use of Courier). Failure to follow formatting instructions will result in your paper’s grade being lowered. You may find instructions for MLA formatting in any handbook.

Grammar and Mechanics: I expect your papers to have correct grammar and mechanics and to be proofread. Grammatical, mechanical, and formatting errors, especially proofreading errors, will lower your paper grade in the following manner: For every page of your out-of-class papers, you will be allowed one different type of error (e.g. 2 types of errors on a 2-page paper; 12 types of errors on a 12-page paper). Once you have exceeded your error allowance, you will lose 1/2 point per additional error type. Error types will be defined using the following rubric:

• Each proofreading error will count as 1 type (thus 5 proofreading errors will count as 5 types of errors).
• Homonym, usage, spelling, and other word-level errors will be counted by word (e.g. their/they’re/there is 1 type; it’s/its is 1 type; and wonder/wander is 1 type—if all 3 appear in the same paper, it will count as 3 types).
• MLA, mechanical (punctuation), and grammatical errors will be counted by first occurrence of an error only (e.g. 12 comma splices will count as 1 type; 5 comma errors will count as 1 type; a missing header will count as 1 type; a subject-verb agreement error will count as 1 type).

There is no limit to the number of points you can lose with this policy, so go through your papers carefully.

Late Work: I will accept work no more than one week late. All late work will lose 10%. If you know that you won’t be able to get work in on time, see me before the due date, and we may be able to make arrangements for an extension.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the passing off of another's work (whether quoted, paraphrased or summarized) as your own without proper documentation, including on take-home exams. If you are caught plagiarizing, you are subject to a variety of punishments, including expulsion from the university. Do your own work. See the University’s policy below for details on the Academic Dishonesty policy.

Grading Scale: The number percentages will be calculated as follows for letter grades:

Emergency Evacuation/Shelter-in-Place Procedures: In the event of an emergency evacuation (i.e., fire or other emergency), classes meeting in this building are directed to reassemble at Chase Gymnasium so that all persons can be accounted for.  Complete details of the College’s emergency evacuation, shelter-in-place and other emergency procedures can be found at <http://www.oneonta.edu/security/>.

University Policies: The following policies can be found in your Student Handbook or the Code of Student Conduct (both available online) and are particularly applicable to this class.

Flagrant Non-Attendance
• Students missing 25% or more of class, any time from the second week of class up until the last day to withdraw from an individual course (see Keydates and Deadlines or Faculty Reference Guide for specific dates) may be removed from the course by the instructor.
• The Registrar will assign a “WI” (Involuntary Withdrawal) grade.
• Students appearing on the final grade sheet will be assigned a final grade (not a “W”, Incomplete or Pending grade), regardless of student’s class attendance.

Final Exams
Instructors must follow the final exam schedule as posted in Keydates and Deadlines (www.oneonta.edu/registrar). The final exam week is part of the 15 class weeks required by the State Education Department. If an instructor does not hold a final examination, the final examination period must be used as the final class day. Exceptions to this may be made only in an emergency and only with prior approval of the department chair and the division dean. Under no condition shall a study day be used to administer a final exam. Students are held responsible for selecting a course schedule with the final exam schedule in mind. There is no policy preventing a student from having exams in one day.

Student Disability Services (SDS)
SDS provides a base of personal and academic support for students with a documented history of disability. The office provides consultation, advocacy, referral, testing and classroom accommodations. Students should call for an appointment (607) 436-2137. Located at 209 Alumni Hall.

All individuals who are diagnosed with a disability are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As such, you may be entitled to certain accommodations within this class. If you are diagnosed with a disability, please make an appointment to meet with Student Disability Services (SDS), 209 Alumni Hall, ext. 2137. All students with the necessary supporting documentation will be provided appropriate accommodations as determined by the SDS Office.
It is entirely your responsibility to contact SDS and concurrently supply me with your accommodation plan, which will inform me exactly what accommodations you are entitled to. You will only receive accommodations once you provide me with an SDS accommodation plan.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Academic dishonesty is defined as any act by a student that misrepresents or attempts to misrepresent to an instructor or any College official, the proficiency or achievement of that student or another student in any academic exercise for the purpose of influencing a grade on a piece of assigned work, on an examination or quiz or in a Course as a whole, or that is intended to alter any record of a student's academic performance by unauthorized means.
A Student deemed guilty of an act of academic dishonesty may, depending on the nature of the offense, be subject to one or more of the following measures: failure of the assignment or examination, failure of the course, or dismissal from the College. Furthermore, for a second offense, referral of the case to the Standing Disciplinary Board is mandatory. The penalties that may be assessed by the Board are listed under the Procedures of the Standing Disciplinary Board as published in this publication; however, the normal penalty is suspension or dismissal.
It is the Student's responsibility to read and understand the policy on all aspects of academic dishonesty as published in this publication and the Undergraduate Catalog. However, individual faculty members may wish to explain the policy as it relates to their courses. It is emphasized that a student who has any questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty has the responsibility of clarifying them by conferring with his/her instructors.

Examples of Academic Dishonesty:
The following examples, although not all-inclusive, are intended to help students understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. Other acts should not necessarily, be considered as falling outside the scope of this policy because of their absence from this list.
• Plagiarism that is, using materials from another's work without acknowledgment, using quotations without identification as such or paraphrasing without specific identification of the source.
• Copying and/or modifying another person's computer file, program, printout, or portion thereof for use in an assignment without permission of the instructor.
• Knowingly permitting one's computer file, program, printout, or portion thereof to be copied or modified by another student for use in an assignment without permission of the instructor.
• Unauthorized giving or receiving of information on an examination, laboratory procedure, or other exercise.
• Taking an examination for another student or allowing another student to take an examination for you.
• Altering or attempting to alter a grade on any piece of graded work, a grade written in an instructor's personal records, or a grade written on any College form or transcribed in any official College record.
• Submitting a College form with a forged signature.

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