History of the English Language
ENGL 202
Prof. G. Steinberg


Suggested Paper Topics

  1. Research the history and linguistic properties of a particular word. Where did the word originate? When did it come into usage? How has it evolved over the centuries? What words have derived from it? Trace its semantic, phonological, orthographic, and morphological changes from its origins (as far back as we know) through the present.

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  2. Analyze the linguistic and historical properties of a short poem (not more than 14 lines in length). How do phonetics, morphology, semantics, and syntax operate in giving the poem meaning? How are the phonetics, morphology, semantics, and syntax of th e poem typical of its time period? How are they atypical? How does knowing something about linguistics and the history of our language improve our understanding and appreciation of the poem?

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  3. Write a research paper on a particular figure or school of thought in the history of linguistics (e.g., Jakob Grimm, transformational grammar, neurolinguistics, Noam Chomsky, or behavioralism). What are the basic tenets of this school or figure? What are the basic assumptions about language? How effective are those assumptions at describing language accurately? How does what you've learned about this school or figure help you to understand better how language works?

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  4. Write a research paper about a current issue (such as Ebonics) or about the history of a long-term issue (such as the many revisions of the International Phonetic Alphabet or the history of autism research) in the field of linguistics. What is/was the issue? How is/was it to be resolved? What effect has the issue had on our understanding of our language and its history?

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