- •2.Concept of ‘language change’.
- •Linguistic facts:
- •Archeological facts:
- •Lecture 2 Proto-Germanic language, its development from Proto-Indo-European
- •1. Archeological findings.
- •2. Modern Germanic languages.
- •3. The earliest descriptions of the Germans, the ancient tribes that spoke Germanic languages.
- •4. Eastern Germanic, Western Germanic and Northern Germanic groups of languages as Germanic.
- •West Germanic
- •North Germanic
- •Lecture 3 Old Germanic Writing
- •1. The runic alphabet. Old English alphabet and pronunciation.
- •2. Old English alphabet and pronunciation.
- •Lecture 4 Common phonetic characteristics of the Germanic languages.
- •1. Word Stress
- •2. Consonants. Proto-Germanic consonant shift.
- •3.. Changes in the system of vowels in the Germanic languages.
- •The development of vowels in Early oe consisted of the modification of separate vowels, and also of the modification of entire sets of vowels.
- •Development of diphthongs
- •Assimilative vowel changes: Breaking and Diphthongization
- •Lecture 5 Periodisation in the history of the English language, Old English written records
- •1. Periodisation
- •2. Old English written records.
- •3. Old English dialects.
- •Lecture 6 The Scandinavian invasions, the Norman Conquest & the way they influenced English
- •1. Economic and social conditions in the 11-12th centuries.
- •2. Scandinavian invasions.
- •3. The Norman Conquest.
- •4. Effect of the Norman Conquest on the linguistic situation.
- •5. Changes in the alphabet and spelling in Middle English. Middle English written records. Changes in the alphabet and spelling in Middle English.
- •6. Middle English dialects. The London dialect.
- •7. Phonetic processes in Middle English (the system of vowels). Word Stress in me and Early ne
- •Unstressed vowels
- •Quantitative vowel changes in Early me
- •Qualitative vowel changes. Development of monophthongs
- •Development of diphthongs
- •Lecture 7 Middle English Grammar
- •1. Changes in the categories of the noun in Middle English.
- •2. The grammatical category of Case.
- •3. Middle English literature
- •In 1357 Geoffrey is found, apparently as a lad, in the service of Elizabeth, countess of Ulster, wife of Lionel, Duke of Clarence
- •In 1359, as we learn from his deposition in the Scrope suit, Chaucer went to the war in France.
- •Lecture 8 New English Period.
- •Economic and Political Unification. Conditions for Linguistic Unity.
- •2. Progress of Culture. Introduction of Printing
- •3. Establishment of the Written Standard
- •4. Normalizing Tendencies.
- •5. New English Vocabulary
- •Borrowings from contemporary languages:
- •Borrowings from contemporary languages:
- •Literature
- •Lecture 9 Modern English History
- •Essential knowledge and literary terms to understand Shakespeare
- •2. Standardization of the Modern English Language
Lecture 8 New English Period.
Plan of the lecture.
1. Economic and Political Unification. Conditions for Linguistic Unity.
2. Progress of Culture. Introduction of Printing.
3. Establishment of the Written Standard.
4. Normalizing Tendencies.
5. New English Vocabulary.
Economic and Political Unification. Conditions for Linguistic Unity.
The formation of the national literary English language covers the Early NE period (1475-1660). There were at least two major external factors which favoured the rise of the national language:
the unification of the country;
the progress of culture.
Economic and social changes were accompanied by political unification in the late 15th c. England became a centralized state. Economic and political unification played a decisive role in the development of the English language. The rise of capitalism helped to knit together the people and to unify their language. Economic and political unification played a decisive role in the development of the English language. The rise of capitalism helped to knit together the people and to unify their language.
2. Progress of Culture. Introduction of Printing
Of all the outstanding achievements of this great age, the invention of printing had the most immediate effect on the development of the language, especially its written form. Printing was invented in Germany in the mid-15th c.; the first printer of English books was William Caxton. The first English book, printed in 1475, was Caxton’s translation of the story of Troy. This period is known as the “age of Shakespeare” or the English Literary Renaissance. The most notable forerunners of the literary Renaissance in the first half of the 16th c. were the great English humanist Thomas More (1478-1535) and William Tyndale. Towards the end of Early NE, one of the forms of the national literary language – its Written Standard – had been established. Its growth and recognition as the correct or “prestige” form of the language of writing had been predetermined by the factors described above.
3. Establishment of the Written Standard
The Written Standard of the 17thc. was far less stabilized and normalized. The writings of the Renaissance display a wide range of variability at all linguistic levels. Correct usage and protection of the language from corruption and change became the subject of great concern and numerous discussions. In 1664 the Royal Society appointed a special committee "for improving the English tongue".
4. Normalizing Tendencies.
The fixed structures of dead languages – Greek and Latin – made the neo-classicists regard all linguistic change as corruption that ought to be checked. The role of English grammars and dictionaries in the period of normalization was very significant.
The greatest achievement of the 18th c. English lexicography is certainly connected with the name of Dr. Samuel Johnson, who believed that the English language should be purified and corrected.
5. New English Vocabulary
Borrowings from classical languages:
In the 16th and 17th centuries Latin was the main language of philosophy and science. There were some borrowings from Greek: pertained to scientific terminology, theatre and literature.