14.12.2010 introduction to linguistics

HISTORY OF ENGLISH

1. old english(--> end of 11^th c.)

2. middle english(1100-1500)

3. modern english(1500—->)

Germanic tribes

1. Angles

2. Saxons

3. Jutes

Angles and Saxons are Anglo-Saxon-> people

Engla- Land → country

6-8^th c – Christianisation

Latin influences: angel, bishop, candle, church, priest, school.

8-10^th c. - Vikings

Old Norse influences: give, leg, law, skin, sky, take, they.

Middle English 1066 ( Battle of Hastings) → Norman conquest.

French influences: sheep, mutton, cows, beef, swine, pork.

Biggest change between Old and Middle English is different in pronautiation of vowels.

EXTERNAL ← CHANGE → INTERNAL (Language still develops)

SOUND CHANGES:

1. quality of vowel

2. some sounds disappear

3. metathesis (reverse of sounds)

4. epenthesis

5. prothesis

Modern eng. Obsreves loss of a large number of effectional inflexions.

Isogloss – a boundry between areas which reagard to one particular linguistic item.