Historical Sociolinguistics: The Changing Face of English

FaculteitFaculty of Humanities

NiveauBachelor

Studiejaar2026-2027

Beschrijving

Course goals

By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- apply the central ideas and methodologies of historical linguistics to data analysis
- interpret their understanding of the principles of historical linguistics from the perspective of societal factors
- carry out research using the method of corpus linguistics and report on their findings in appropriate academic English.
- apply their understanding of the relationship between language and society in its historical dimension to an understanding of modern-day prejudice

Content

Have you ever wondered why English uses the pronoun ‘they’ for singular reference or why a Germanic language like English has so many French words in it? These questions can only be answered by considering language change from the perspective of the relationship between language and society in its historical dimension.

On this course you will learn how to answer questions like these by applying the principles and methodologies of historical linguistics through the lens of social factors like gender, social class and communities of practice. You will also “get your hands dirty” with historical data ranging from the writings of Queen Elizabeth I and Shakespeare to the letters and diaries of ‘ordinary’ people.

Special attention will be paid to the multilingual worlds of medieval England that helped shape the English we speak today and the Early Modern period that produced some of England’s most legendary writers as the language slowly edged towards standardisation.

Additional information

This course is part of 'The Social Life of English' specialisation.

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