1. OE poetry. Subjects of OE poems. Characteristics of OE poetic texts (versification, stylistic devices, poetic vocabulary)
Literature:
Rastorguyeva T.A. A History of English. Ch. VI 106107, 275278. P. 6667, 147
Assignments:
1. Do assignments 7, 8, 9, 13, 14 on The Story of Isaac's Deceit by ælfric (A Reader in the History of English. P. 23).
2. Do assignment 6 on The Story of Isaac's Deceit by ælfric (A Reader in the History of English. P. 23).
3. Revise the model of grammar and etymological analysis of an OE text (A Reader in the History of English. P. 5051) and analyse the etymology of the words from The Story of Isaac's Deceit according to the model.
5. Read Beowulf (A Reader in the History of English. P. 8).
6. Do assignments 2, 6, 7, 9 on Beowulf (A Reader in the History of English. P. 9).
7. Account for the peculiar features of the OE poetry from Beowulf by providing examples of:
alliteration;
kennings and poetical compounds;
synonyms.
4. Analyse the text of Beowulf (lines 210-216) according to the model (A Reader in the History of English. P. 5051).
Seminar 5
Topics for discussion in class
1. Innovations in spelling in ME as compared with OE (reflecting sound changes, French influence, means of avoiding misreading).
2. Sound changes in ME and NE:
vowel changes in ME (quantitative and qualitative changes, rise of new diphthongs);
major vowel changes in NE (the Great Vowel Shift)
major consonant changes in ME and in Early NE (appearance of new consonants, treatment of fricative consonants, loss of consonants).
Literature:
Rastorguyeva T.A. A History of English. Ch. XIII 355410. P. 184214.
Topics for independent study
1. Historical foundations of Modern English spelling.
Literature:
Rastorguyeva T.A. A History of English. Ch. XIII 411417, Ch XVI 576. P. 214218, 307.
Assignments:
1. Make a list of digraphs introduced in ME and NE. Account for the sounds they denote.
2. Make a list of ME vowels and analyse the differentiating features in them. Compare them with OE.
3. Make a list of ME consonants and analyse the differentiating features in them. Compare them with OE.
4. Read The Canterbury Tales by G.Chaucer, lines 134 (A Reader in the History of English. P. 3334).
5. Do assignments 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 on The Canterbury Tales by G.Chaucer, lines 134 (A Reader in the History of English. P. 41-42).
6. Study the model of phonetic and orthographic analysis of an ME text (A Reader in the History of English. P. 5253) and continue the analysis of lines 1-24 following the model.
Seminar 6
Topics for discussion in class
1. The evolution of the English grammatical system in ME and NE. Form-building means used in a) ME and b) NE.
2. Changes in the English nominal system:
the simplification of the nominal system in ME and NE and its causes;
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the rise of the articles.
3. Changes in the English verbal system:
simplifying changes in the verb conjugation in ME and NE;
the rise of analytical forms within the verbal system in ME and NE
Literature:
Rastorguyeva T.A. A History of English. Ch. XV 418468, 475527, 547555. P. 220245, 248276, 290294.
Topic for independent study
1. The major trends in the development of the syntactic system in ME and NE.
Literature:
Rastorguyeva T.A. A History of English. Ch. XIX 528555, P. 277294.
Assignments:
1. Compare the productivity of different form-building means in different historical periods of English by compiling the table:
| Form-building means | OE | ME | NE |
| Synthetic inflections sound interchange suppletion | |||
| Analytical analytical forms word-order special use of prepositions |
2. Make a list of noun and verb flections in NE and trace their origin (show the grammatical and dialectal sources).
3. Do assignments 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 25 on The Canterbury Tales by G.Chaucer, lines 134 (A Reader in the History of English. P. 42-43).
4. Study the model of grammar and etymological analysis of an ME text (A Reader in the History of English. P. 54) and continue to analyse the grammar of lines 1-24 according to the model.
Seminar 7
