One Day University

English has changed remarkably in its thousand-year history, and it is changing even more quickly today. How can we find the roots of English in the words we still use? And how do new words in the language reflect contacts among different nations, regions, classes, and identities? This course seeks to answer these questions by looking at the history of English as a guide to understanding its present and gauging its future. We will explore the fascinating ways in which English has coined new words: from the Old English period of evocative compounds (sea derives from swanrad for “road of the swan” and spider from gangelwefere for “the walking weaver”) to the modern age of popular slang (dude), computer culture (boot), and wartime (fragg). We will also explore how English borrows words from other languages, from the great influx of French terms after the Norman Conquest through the age of technology. From languages throughout the world, we now have camels, moustaches, ketchup, and verandahs. This course explores whether English is now a world language, and how the world is changing it.