Department of English

The English language is one of the most fascinating languages in the world, and yet it began as another Germanic dialect, one among many. It becomes worthy of our interest to discover why it has then become the "Latin" of today: surely political reasons can explain this formidable ascension in part, but the diachronically linguistic development of English can also illustrate much of its attraction as a language. English has the capacity to integrate and assimilate the languages surrounding it, as it also has the ability to shed the more rigid forms of its past grammar (declensions, gender - masculine, feminine, neuter) and to simplify its grammar, making it highly accessible. This language had the benefit of being the vehicle of excellent literature from very early times indeed. Students majoring in English can but wish to know about such a linguistic treasure because of this connection between language and literature, and also to uncover the richness of English, from its "conception" to its surprising development throughout the centuries.