The subject of the History of English.
The history of English language covers the main events in the historical development of the English language: the history of phonetic structure and spelling, the evolution of its grammatical system, the growth of its vocabulary, and also the changing historical conditions of English-speaking communities relevant to language history. The history of English language is of considerable interest to all students of English, since the English language of today reflects many centuries of development. One of the aims of the history of English language is to provide the student with a knowledge of linguistic historysufficient to account for the principal features of present-day English. Another important aim of this course is of a more theoretical nature. While tracing the evolution of the English language through time, students will be confronted with a number of theoretical questions such as the relationship between statics and dynamics in language, the role of linguistic and extralinguistic factors, the interdependence of different process in language history. One more aim of the course is to provide the student of English with a wider philological outlook. The history of the English language shows the place of English in the linguistic world; it reveals its ties and contacts with other related and unrelated tongues.
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