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TOPIC 1

INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE :
“THE HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE”

1. The subject, the aim and the main tasks / problems of the

HEL
2. Methods of studying the HEL

3. Sources of studying the HEL

4. The connection between the HEL and the history of its
people

5. The periodization of the HEL

1 The subject, the aim and the main tasks / problems of the
HEL

Any language can be studied in different aspects:

1) phonetics; 2) grammar; 3) word stock (vocabulary). The aim
of this course is to study different linguistic processes, to show

causes and ways of formation of specific linguistic features of
the EL.

The history of the EL is closely connected with cognate
languages. In the process of the EL development the two main

trends can be observed: 1) the appearance of new forms and

words; 2) the disappearance of the obsolete forms.
1) Phonetics and spelling. English spelling is difficult because it

is more traditional, more conventional than phonetics. The value

of Latin letters differs from their value in other cognate
languages, such as German or French: bite – 4 letters, 3 sounds;

night – 5 letters, 3 sounds. Sound system changes rather slowly
because it must constantly preserve the contrast between the

phonemes that are essential to the differentiation between
morphemes.

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