This course focuses on a particular aspect of the history of English varieties, e.g., Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English, Global Englishes in the 18th-21st centuries, or the phonological or orthographic history of the language. Using methods from linguistics, ENG 371 will examine primary texts from various periods in the development of English, emphasizing the historical and social context of language change through phonology, lexicon, and grammatical structure.