English 281: History of the English Language

Course Syllabus
I. Course Code : ELS105
II. Course Title : Syntax
III. Course Credits : 3 units
IV. Contact Hours : 3hours per week
V. Course Description : The course provides the understanding necessary to teach English and writing. It focuses on the basic
grammatical constructions of English and several approaches to describe and represent them. This course
will cover lexical categories, syntactic categories, grammatical and dependency relations, syntactic
structure of the sentence, analysis of sentence and text connection.

VI. Pre-requisite : ELS 103

VII. Learning Outcomes : The students are able to achieve the following objectives at the end of the
course;
LO1 : To equip students with knowledge about the syntactic structure of English.

LO2 : To clarify the problematic issues of English.

LO3 : To enable the correct use of language by the student.

VIII. Major Course Outputs : As proof and evidence of acquiring the desired, learning outcomes, students are required
to do and submit the following task
and requirements and comply the following during the given term.
 Learning Outcome Required Output Due Date
LO1 Report materials, notes and
references
LO2 Essay writing and composition
LO3 Public Speaking

IX. Other Course Requirements & Assessments:

Syntax I is a challenging course which prepares students to do coursework at the graduate level. To this end, there are in-depth classroom discussions and
problem-solving practice during class times. For this reason, all students are expected to attend every class period and arrive on time for every meeting.
Disruptive behaviour of any sort during class times will not be tolerated. Examples of disruptive include (but are not limited to) coming in late, leaving early,
chatting, shuffling papers, snoring, listening to music, packing early, and cell phone ringing.

If there is a rare occasion when you have to leave early or come late, please notify me in advance and sit as close to the door as possible so as to limit the
disturbance to others.

Grading: Exams (1&2): 50%

Homework: 25%

Project: 15%

Reading questions: 10%

Total 100%

You should complete the assigned readings before the lecture. The readings complement the lectures and provide the necessary background; however, you
should not assume that they will be fully summarized or reviewed in class. Reading Questions You will be given a list of questions to answer about each
reading. You are required to submit your answers by the beginning of class on the day that the reading will be discussed. The purpose is to help you
understand the readings and prepare for class discussions. Your answers will not be graded for content. But I will check to make sure that you made a
sincere effort to answer each question on the basis of the material. Class Participation Attendance and participation are important components of success
in this course.

There will be discussions of the textbook chapters, homework problems, exams, etc. There will also be frequent small-group practice which is intended to
prepare students for homework assignments and exams. In my teaching experience, I have observed that students who are prepared for each class and
actively participate in discussions gain a better understanding of the material and earn higher grades than those who do not. Exams Both exams will be in
class, closed book. Note exam dates in the course schedule. There will be no opportunities to retake, postpone, or take an exam early. Make-up exams will
only be allowed for (1) University sanctioned events (verification required) or (2) extraordinary circumstances (verification required – e.g., physician's note).
If you know you are going to miss an exam for either of these reasons, please notify me as soon as possible BEFORE the exam so that appropriate
arrangements can be made.

Homework Problems will be assigned from the book, approximately one problem set per week. You will have one week to do them. Homework problems
must be submitted by the beginning of class on the due date. Late homework will not be accepted. Extra credit/make-up/redo homework will not be
assigned. If you must be absent on the day that homework is due, you may make your submission electronically or place a hardcopy in my mail box in the
Linguistics Department office. Please either type your homework assignments or write them very neatly and legibly.

X. Main Reference :

XI. Other References : Davis, Norman ed. Sweet's Anglo-Saxon Primer. 9 th ed. Oxford: Clarendon, 1953. Millward, Celia M., and Mary Hayes. A
Biography of the English Language. 3 rd ed. Boston, Mass: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012. Truss, Lynne. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance
Approach to Punctuation. NY: Gotham, 2004. Winchester, Simon. The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford
English Dictionary. NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1999.
XII. Detailed Course Content

Week Topics Learning Learning Strategies/Activities Assessment of Learning and Outcome

Outcome
1  Introduction to History of LO2 Emphasize the important role of
Language history and its Discussion
Contribution to the modern Small Group and Big Group Discussion
development of language by recalling Sharing/Oral Recitation
significant past events in the students
lives and how it affected their present

 Hypothesis and Theories of
Language
2 proposed hypothesis by group
 The Germanic Period
3-4
 The Old English Period
5 LO1, LO3
PRELIM EXAMINATION
6-7
 The Middle English
8-9  The Early Modern English
reality.
LO1, LO2 Understand the beginning of language
through its early theories and Discussion
Group Engagement Activity
engagement activities and assimilating Quizzes
the earliest practices on how humans
are believed to have acquired
language and eventually
communicate.
Appreciate and understand significant Discussion
LO1, LO3 events during the period and identify Group Reporting
the characteristic of the said period. Interaction/Group Activity
Appreciate and understand significant Discussion
events during the period and identify Group Reporting
the characteristic of the said period. Interaction/Group Activity
Film Showing
LO1, LO3 Appreciate and understand significant Discussion
events during the period and identify Group Reporting
the characteristic of the said period. Interaction/Group Activity
LO1, LO3 Appreciate and understand significant
events during the period and identify Discussion
the characteristic of the said period. Group Reporting
Interaction/Group Activity
 10  Modern English LO1, LO3 Appreciate and understand significant Discussion
events during the period and identify Group Reporting
LO2 the characteristic of the said period. Interaction/Group Activity

 Midterm Examination

11-12  Early-Modern English LO1, LO3 Compare significant events to the Ground Reporting
present and its characteristics. Group Engagement
LO2

13 - 14  Post-Modern English LO1, LO3 Compare significant events to the Discussion

present and its characteristics. Identify Group Reporting
syntax and the vowel and consonant Interaction/Group Activity
shifts of the period.

SEMI-FINAL
EXAMINATION
15-18  History of Dictionaries and
Grammar

 Dialects of English American

Language

 Modern Applications English

American Language
FINAL
EXAMINATION
XII. Expectations from Students : Our class time will be a combination of lecture, discussion, student presentations,
and short tests. Some of the tests are take-home exercises, mostly will be done in class. Students are expected to come to school
on time and are highly expected to participate in all the classroom activities. Furthermore, it is a must that they shall take the
major examinations on the scheduled dates.

XIII. Policy on Absences : Regular attendance is required in this course. Students may miss three classes
without penalty; further unexplained absences (i.e., without a doctor's or dean's note) will affect your grade. If you miss a test,
you will not be able to make it up and no grade/score shall be reflected as per the records. Late homework will be accepted only
with a truly excellent excuse. Note that class participation accounts for 10% of the students’ final grade. This is not a gift for
regular attendance, but an encouragement to participate in the discussions and ask questions after lectures and presentations.

XIV. Grading System

Oral participation and presentations, Portfolio, Project and Output - 30%

Quizzes, Assignment, written Reports - 20%

Major Examination - 40%

Attendance - 10%

TOTAL - 100%

Prepared by; Checked by: Approved by:

NEIL NOLAN B. CAJES, M.A MARCELINA A. SALES, Ph.D MARIA FE COMAHIG, Ph.D
Program Head – English Language VP for Academic Affairs College President