Computing in the School of English and Scottish Language And Literature (SESLL) at the University of Glasgow

The STELLA project (Software for Teaching English and Scottish Language and Literature) has served the School of English and Scottish Language and Literature at the University of Glasgow since 1987. We have produced teaching packages and brought research databases into use in teaching. All our programs have been thoroughly tested in the classroom, and have been subjected to comment and detailed criticism by thousands of students, and their teachers, since their first appearance.

Teaching Packages

English Grammar: an Introduction

This revised program takes the university student of English from identifying parts of speech in context through the more complex processes involved in parsing phrases and clauses. The central feature of the teaching package is the exercise. There are five types, from naming parts of speech in context through to parsing phrases and clauses. The grammatical model is Hallidayan, but the primary reference is to the online coursebook. (Professor CJ Kay & Dr J.B. Corbett)

The Basics of English Metre:

This package uses a traditional approach to introduce students to the main conventional metres used in English verse, especially iambic pentameter. It can be used both with students who require a straightforward grounding in the subject and with those who study it in greater depth. (Professor CJ Kay)

ARIES Assisted Revision in English Style:

ARIES is designed to help the user achieve competence in written style. It consists of interactive exercises, each focusing on problem areas in punctuation, grammar and spelling, with explanations and examples. (Professor CJ Kay)

The Essentials of Old English:

These courses teach the rudiments of Old English from scratch. The courses consist of graded sessions, each a combination of different kinds of materials, including gap-filling, parsing, word lists and comprehension exercises. There is substantial help and texts with translations and notes. The current set of programs falls into two parts: Basics - a single series of short exercises designed for beginners in the subject; Plus - a suite of five distinct sets of exercises, designed to support a structured learning-programme whereby students of Old English develop a thorough grounding in the principles of Old English grammar. (Dr JJ Smith)

A Guide to Scottish Literature:

Essays on Scottish Literature, covering the period from 1350 to 1920. The essays are followed by notes, questions and topics for discussion, and are suitable for use in courses from sixth-year studies upwards. The material is divided into three sections: Medieval and Renaissance Literature 1375-1700; Poetry and Fiction 1700-1900; Poetry, Fiction and Drama Since 1920. (Professor DG Gifford)

A Guide to Older Scots:

This package consists of a reference book for students of the Older Scots language. It contains an introduction, an historical outline, a summary of the chronology, information on spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and style, and comprehensive reading lists. (Dr JJ Smith)

An Anthology of 16th and Early 17th Century Scots Poetry:

The anthology contains works of twenty of the major Scottish poets of the period. It is linked to online teaching materials for a course in medieval and renaissance Scottish Literature. (T. Van Heijnsbergen)

STELLA also maintains a web site for Scots texts: STARN the Scots Teaching and Research Network <http://www2.arts.gla.ac.uk/COMET/level2.htm> and email discussion lists for Scottish Literature and Language <http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/scotlanglit-all/sub.html>.

A Guide to Piers Plowman:

This is a full hypertext edition of the B- text, complete with notes and supplementary materials. It is intended for a spectrum of undergraduate users and provides assistance in areas such as glossing and explanatory notes. (DM O.Brien)

The Historical Thesaurus of English:

This is a major research database project which is creating the first historical thesaurus to be compiled for any of the world's languages, and will include almost the entire recorded vocabulary of English from Old English to the modern period. It will resemble works like Roget's Thesaurus in that words will be arranged according to their meanings rather than listed alphabetically. It will, however, differ from any other thesaurus so far produced by listing obsolete words and obsolete meanings of current words as well as treating contemporary English comprehensively.