This course traces the development of English, looking at both the English language (its sounds, its vocabulary, its dialects) and the social and political forces that have influenced the language. Three basic themes provide the structure for our semester: history, diversity, and change. We'll examine the history of English as it developed in England, the United States, and other parts of the world. We'll explore the diversity of English, a language now used by millions (billions?) of speakers, yet paradoxically viewed by some in the US as a language so threatened that it needs government protection in the form of English-Only laws. We'll learn about ways English as it's spoken in the USA differs from that spoken in the United Kingdom, Canada, the Caribbean, India, Nigeria, and other countries in which English is either an official language or a common second language. We will explore diversity historically, tracing the development of English dialects as well as attitudes about those dialects. Finally, we'll look at language change, exploring the ways in which English, like any language, has evolved.

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