Linguistics

SINGLE CLASS REGISTRATION ONLINE SOON
Thursday Art & Linguistics packages still available
Instructor: Emily Goss
Single Class - Semester Tuition: $225
This class meets a total of 12 times on Thursdays weekly Sept. 12th - Dec. 5th. No class on Thanksgiving, 11/28.
Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm
Ages: 13-17

This course provides students with an introduction to the history of the English language - as it has been written and spoken through the centuries and across continents. We will look at how different communities of people speaking different languages came into contact and shaped the Englishes we know today. The course will be a blend of the basics of linguistics and a history of the settlement Britain and its colonies. It is not an English grammar course. You will not be learning “proper English,” but will learn what proper English is and how it evolved. You will learn more about why our spelling is so erratic, why it may not be so bad to say “aint,” and why splitting an infinitive is not linguistically catastrophic. We will discuss the Celts, the French, the Vikings, slavery, Shakespeare, and the f-bomb, among other things. You do not need previous knowledge of linguistics or English history. You do need to be prepared to read a lot.