Wintersemester 2011/12 - Institut für Anglistik/Amerikanistik ...

70027
Wannisch
Proseminar
Mi 9.15-10.45
U-H3-223
An Introduction to Old English
Have you always wondered why English has irregular verbs? By tracing the history of English from its
beginnings to the Norman Conquest on different levels of language, we will find out that modern irregularities
were part of an earlier regular system. This course introduces the major characteristics of Old English and
provides a glimpse at the processes and principles behind language change. Old English is much more similar to
German than present-day English, so your knowledge of German will help you with a hands-on analysis and
translation of authentic texts.
Participants must have successfully passed the Introduction to English Linguistics.
Hauptstudium Sprachwissenschaft
70039
Dr. Petra Steiner (Vertretung Prof. Bös)
Hauptseminar
Do 11.15-12.45
AB 8028
Pragmatics in Transcultural Contexts
Pragmatics studies the meaning of utterances in their linguistic and situational/social context. This course will
provide a survey of the central topics such as the concepts of meaning and the semantics/pragmatics distinction,
deixis, speech acts, conversational maxims, and the information structure of discourse. During the course, we
will analyze texts and film clips and discuss the factors that make human communication fail or succeed in
transcultural and multilingual contexts.
A reader with all the required texts will be provided at the beginning of the term.
70038
Kornexl
Hauptseminar
Di. 9:15-10:45
AB8023
Structural Change in the History of English
This seminar will explore a variety of systemic changes that have affected English grammar from Anglo-Saxon
times up to the present day. The analytical and evaluative criteria established from a study of theoretical
approaches to linguistic change will be applied to major shifts in the sound system, changes in word structure
and accentual patterns, and key processes such as the loss of inflexional markers and the divergent compensatory
strategies. Texts from the various stages of the history of English will be provided both for illustration and
practical analysis.
70037
Kornexl
Hauptseminar
Mi. 9:15-10:45
AB8023
Etymology: The Study of Word Histories
This seminar will explore major issues in English etymology, i.e. word origins, the structure and meaning of
words, changes in word form and semantics, and mechanisms, patterns and paths of borrowing. Practical
exercises based on the Oxford English Dictionary will provide an opportunity to further methodological and
analytical skills in the field of lexical study.
Course book: Philip Durkin (2011), The Oxford Guide to Etymology, Oxford: Oxford University Press (ISBN:
978-0-19-969161-6, pbk.)
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