This course will be concerned with the interpretation of historical change in current phonological theories, with particular emphasis on theories of the representation of phonological units. We will examine the suitability of the generative paradigm for the description of sound changes such as Breaking, i-umlaut and the Great Vowel Shift, and will consider the status of processes such as Open Syllable Lengthening and Homorganic Lengthening.
Timetable
The timetable will be available from June 1st on the Internet.
Method of Instruction
Two-hour seminar per week.
A la carte and contract teaching
Not available as modular course or a la carte.
Course objectives
To extend the students’ knowledge of phonological theory acquired in earlier courses (e.g. Linguistics 5B and Advanced English Phonology) to historical data; to introduce them to the question of the relationship between theory and historical data, in particular the extent to which a particular theoretical paradigm determines the reconstruction of what ‘actually happened’ in particular sound-changes in the history of English.
Required reading
*Articles.
Examination
Paper and written examination.
Information
English Department, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 102c. Tel. 071-5272144. English@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Blackboard/webpage
No blackboard available.