History of English – Early Semester
$157.07
“My whole life, I have heard people talk about the inherent beauty of certain languages. English never makes the list. As I’ve spent more time learning languages, I’ve discovered that there is no inherent beauty. It must just be something someone said once and people just keep repeating it. The most beautiful language is the language each person uses to express their thoughts and feelings to their loved ones.”
~ Prof. Lauren
Enrollment
Available
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Step 2: Enroll Your Registered Student
| Instructor | Prof. Lauren Allen |
| Content Levels | Grades 6-7 • Middle School Grades 7-8 • Junior High Grades 9-10 • Lower High School Grades 11-12 • Upper High School |
| Course Length | 8 weeks |
| Live Webinars Held On | Thursdays, 11:00 - 11:50 AM Pacific - 1/23/25 - 3/15/25 |
English is the de facto lingua franca of the world. Between 1.5 and 2 billion people around the world speak English, but more than a billion of them are non-native speakers. English is a Germanic language, but yet somewhere around 40% of written academic English utilizes Latin derived vocabulary. Where did English come from and how did it get to where it is today?
Our course will follow the Germanic languages from the earliest evidence we have of Germanic peoples through the sound changes and history that made it modern English. Along the way, we will meet some of the other medieval Germanic languages, talk about Vikings, dig in a little bit to some Old and Middle English, explore invasions and migrations that impacted the language and talk a little bit about standardized spelling, language purity, and the differing dialects of the English language.
Note to Parents:
- This class will make use of original texts written in Old, Middle, and Early Modern English. Many original texts were Christian biblical texts and/or were inspired by the religious fervor of the time. While this class strives to use non-biblical texts when possible, sometimes the text that is the best (or most widely available) for highlighting a specific linguistic trait or feature of English or the Germanic languages, in general, will be a biblical text. The biblical content (or lack thereof) of any given reading is not the purpose or concern of this class. This class focuses primarily on development of the language.
Taught by Prof. Lauren Allen
What to expect in the Required section in the classroom each week:
- A forum in which students can reflect and talk about the week’s material
- A language based assignment
- A reading
What to expect in the Highly Suggested & Optional sections in the classroom each week:
- Curated resources, including readings, websites, videos, and interactive content are provided to excite learners and add depth to the subject matter.
What to expect during the weekly webinar:
- Weekly webinars are 50 minutes long. Webinars are recorded and are available for students with schedule conflicts.
- Primary instruction and guided discussions are provided during live webinars.
- Active Participation via the microphone, chat, and whiteboard in online class discussions.
Before taking this course, students should be able to:
- Read at a solid 6th-grade level or above.
- Write a few sentences independently.
Students should be willing to:
- Make mistakes and communicate when not understanding.
- Be prepared for the webinar– including reading the text and completing the activities in the Required section.
- Participate in webinar discussions.
- Ask questions when they don’t understand or are confused.
- Respond with positive and encouraging comments on their classmates’ posts in the classroom forums.
Required books & materials:
- There are no external resources. All materials are provided.