Upon successful completion of this course unit, students will be able to:
understand, analyse, illustrate, and explain the causes and mechanisms of language change;
identify and explain the broad outlines of the history of the English language;
demonstrate at least a C1 level in receptive skills and a B2 level in productive skills, as defined by the Council of Europe (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – CEFR).
The overall aim of this course is to complement the study of contemporary English (the subject of the LANGB101 and LANGB201 courses) with the study of the history of English and of linguistic change (how and why?) more generally.
In terms of language skills, the goal (in particular of the exercise modules) is to attain (or exceed) proficiency levels C1 for receptive skills, and B2 for productive skills, as defined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
This course focuses on processes of language change in general, including grammaticalization and (inter)subjectification phenomena, and the history of English in particular. (see also the table of contents for more details)
The exercises develop, on the one hand, some of the themes touched on in the course, and on the other hand, writing and oral expression skills.
Part 1. The history of English: Reading assignment
Part 2. Principles and typology of language change
2.1 Internal and external causes of change
2.1.1 Internal causes of change
2.1.2 External causes of change
2.2 Mechanisms of change
2.2.1 Where’s the evidence and where are the tools?
2.2.2 Phonological change
2.2.3 Morphosyntactic change
2.2.4 Semantic change
Part 3. Grammaticalization and (inter)subjectification
3.1 Towards a theory of grammaticalization and (inter)subjectification
3.1.1 Changing foci in grammaticalization research
3.1.2 Subjectification and intersubjectification
3.1.3 A note on ‘degrammaticalization’ and ‘lexicalization’
3.2 Two case studies of subjectification in grammaticalization
3.2.1 From free/bound to modal subordination: The case of while
3.2.2 Comment clauses: The case of (I) say and (let us) say
The exercises fall into four modules, the first two of which develop themes already touched on in the course itself:
"English: one language, many voices"
"Studying and discussing language attitudes"
"Writing lab"
"Oral expression practice"
English proficiency [LANGB102]
Lectures, and exercises.
Students are required to read "The English Language: A Historical Introduction" (Charles Barber, Joan C. Beal & Philip A. Shaw, Cambridge University Press, 2026 [3rd edition]) independently as part of the course's self-study component. Key themes and arguments from this reading will be integrated into class discussions and evaluated in the final examination.
Taking part in any activities organised by the department (whether intra muros or extra muros) as part of this course is considered to be part and parcel of the learning experience and is obligatory.
Exams in January:
written exam about the course (10/20)
oral exam on the module "English: one language, many voices" (2/20)
Exams in June:
oral exam on the module "Studying and discussing language attitudes" (1/20)
essay writing exam ("writing lab") (2.5/20)
oral expression exam (2.5/20)
written exam on vocabulary (self-study) and grammar points (treated during the writing lab) (2/20)
Barber, Charles, Joan C. Beal and Philip A. Shaw (2026) The English language: A historical introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (3rd edition)
McCarthy, Michael and Felicity O’Dell (2017) English vocabulary in use: Upper-intermediate. 4th edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Vandelanotte, Lieven. Language change and the history of English. Course notes, University of Namur.
| Training | Block | Credits | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor in Modern Languages and Literatures: German, Dutch and English | 2 | 5 | Yes |