SEL3046 : English Grammar through Time
- Offered for Year: 2019/20
- Module Leader(s): Dr William van der Wurff
- Owning School: English Lit, Language & Linguistics
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
Aims
The aim of this module is for students to acquire a good knowledge of the main changes that have affected the grammar of English during its history. This will include an understanding of the mechanisms by which these changes have come about and their possible causes. Students will also learn how to collect data for the study of grammatical change in English and to critically assess and evaluate current research in the field.
Outline Of Syllabus
The themes to be covered in the lectures (further discussed/applied in the seminars) will include changes in the structure of NPs, the elements in the verb group, the forms of clausal constituents such as subjects and objects, word order and subordinate clauses, as well as various practical and theoretical issues involved in the study of such changes. There will be some discussion of developments in grammar at medieval stages of the language (Old and Middle English), but there will be a stronger focus on changes in more recent times (the period 1500-today).
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 50:00 | 50:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 24 | 1:00 | 24:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 1 | 84:00 | 84:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Skills practice | 1 | 10:00 | 10:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 12 | 1:00 | 12:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 20:00 | 20:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Jointly Taught With
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| SEL8329 | Diachronic Syntax |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The lectures will introduce the material listed under the Knowledge Outcomes. In the seminars, this material will be further discussed and illustrated with reference to actual texts and published studies of such texts, contributing further to the Knowledge Outcomes and practising the Skills Outcomes.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 90 | 1 | A | 50 | N/A |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | 50 | Collecting and presenting info & data on the development of a specific grammatical phenomenon. 2000 words |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The written exercise will test students' ability to present information on one specific grammatical change and carry out some small-scale independent data-collecting for it. The written exam will test students' knowledge and understanding of all the material dealt with.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- SEL3046's Timetable