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Lecturer(s)
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Spáčilová Libuše, prof. PhDr. Dr.
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Course content
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The following topics will be covered during the semester: 1. The Nature of Language Change. 2. The Historiography of the German Language. 3. Theories of Language Change: Linguistic Economy, Innovation, Variation, and Evolution. 4. Phonological, Morphological, Syntactic, Semantic, Lexical, Pragmatic, and Graphemic Change. 5. The Periodization of the History of the German Language. 6. The Prehistory of the German Language: Language Families of the World and the Indo-European Languages. 7. From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic: The First (Germanic) Sound Shift. 8. Proto-Germanic. 9. The Period of the Germanic Tribal Languages (1st Century BCE to 5th Century CE). 10. The Emergence of the German Language and the Second (High German) Sound Shift. 11. A Brief Overview of the Historical Stages of German: Old High German, Middle High German, Early New High German, and New High German.
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Monologic Lecture(Interpretation, Training)
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Learning outcomes
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The aim of the lecture series Introduction to Diachronic Linguistics is to provide students with the essential knowledge of the historical development of the German language and to familiarize them with the fundamental principles and interrelationships underlying language change. The course seeks to enable students to understand the diachronic evolution of German, from Proto-Indo-European to present-day Standard German, as a natural and regular linguistic process. Building on this foundational knowledge, students will be able to explain selected grammatical phenomena of contemporary German from a historical perspective.
Students will acquire a fundamental understanding of language variation and change and will be able to identify and define both external and internal factors of linguistic change. They will gain knowledge of the hypothetical Proto-Indo-European language, describe the major developments within the Germanic languages, and present the principal stages in the historical development of German, namely Old High German, Middle High German, Early New High German, and New High German. Furthermore, they will be able to provide informed explanations of the major linguistic changes that have shaped the German language, including sound shifts, as well as developments in morphology, syntax, and the lexicon.
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Prerequisites
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The course is intended for undergraduate students enrolled in the degree programme in German Philology. Successful completion of the course and the final examination at the end of the semester presupposes a basic command of the German language as well as familiarity with German linguistic terminology at the level covered in the course Introduction to Linguistics.
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Mark, Written exam, Student performance
A key requirement for successful completion of the course is a thorough command of the material covered in the lectures (45 minutes per week) throughout the semester. The course is concluded by a written examination designed to assess the theoretical knowledge acquired during the lecture series.
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Recommended literature
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Fleischer, W.; Helbig, G.; Lerchner, G. (Hrsg.). (2001). Kleine Enzyklopädie deutsche Sprache. Frankfurt am Main. u.a.
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KÖNIG, Werner. (2001). dtv-Atlas Deutsche Sprache. München.
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NÜBLING, Damaris. (2006). Historische Sprachwissenschaft des Deutschen. Eine Einführung in die Prinzipien des Sprachwandels.. Tübingen.
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PAUL, Hermann. (1995). Prinzipien der Sprachgeschichte. Tübingen.
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POLENZ, Peter von. (2000). Deutsche Sprachgeschichte vom Spätmittelalter bis zur Gegenwart. Band I. Einführung. Grundbegriffe.. Berlin.
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POLENZ, Peter von. (2020). Geschichte der deutschen Sprache. Berlin.
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SCHMIDT, Wilhelm. (2013). Geschichte der deutschen Sprache.. Stuttgart.
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STEDJE, Astrid. (2007). Deutsche Sprache gestern und heute. München.
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