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English 121 09/27

English 121 09/27. --Quiz --Influences on Old English --Reasons for loss of inflectional endings --French influence on English. Language change.

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English 121 09/27

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  1. English 12109/27 --Quiz --Influences on Old English --Reasons for loss of inflectional endings --French influence on English

  2. Language change We know (from people like Sir William Jones and Jakob Grimm) that a number of languages are related to a single Proto Indo-European language. But…

  3. How do we get from Proto-Indo-European to English?

  4. Why do languages change? • Internal Reasons • External Reasons

  5. Internal reasons: inflectional endings on nouns He gave me a book for my daughter’s birthday • NOMINATIVE: Subject • He • ACCUSATIVE: Direct object of a transitive verb • a book • GENITIVE: Indicates possession • my daughter’s • DATIVE: indirect object of verbs; objects of prepositions • me; birthday

  6. Internal Reasons: looking at language as a system Old English had a complicated system of word endings stán (stone) Singular Plural Nominativese stán þá stánas Accusative þone stán þá stánasstánas Genitive þæs stánes þára stána Dative þæm stáne þæm stánum

  7. Internal reasons (cont’d) Some nouns had no difference in cases hus (house) Singular Plural Nominative hus hus Accusative hus hus Genitive huses husa Dative huse husum

  8. Dutch and German are still moderately inflected (English has some inflections as well)

  9. Internal reasons (cont’d.) • Complicated words endings reduced to a single vowelə sofa--sofə • Some nouns didn’t need word endings (e.g., hus) so why did others?

  10. Problems with internal reasons • Other Germanic languages still have many inflections but they did not change • Why was a change adopted in the first place?

  11. External reasons • Language Contact of mutually intelligible languages • Societal structure and language change • Examples: • BBC English and RP • Change from above • The Queen no longer speaks Queen’s English • Change from below

  12. Language Contact Many Old Norse words will appear familiar, or even completely intelligible, to an English-speaker. "góð" (good) "blóð" (blood) "goð" (god) "taka" (take)

  13. Origin of the Kings of England (927-1154) Origin Date Anglo-Saxon 927-1013 Danish 1013-1014 Anglo-Saxon 1014-1016 Danish 1016-1042 Anglo-Saxon 1042-1066 French 1066-1154

  14. Loss of inflections… • Internal • External What do you think?

  15. French Royalty in England1066--1400 • The Norman Kings 1. King William I Also known as William the Conqueror Reigned 1066-1087 2. King William II Reigned 1087-1100 Killed in a hunting "accident"; probably murdered 3. King Henry I Reigned 1100-1135 4. King Stephen Reigned 1135-1154

  16. The Angevin Kings (French province of Anjou) 1. King Henry II Reigned 1154-11892. King Richard I Reigned 1189-11993. King John Reigned 1199-1216

  17. The Plantagenet Kings (broom flower (planta genesta) 1. King Henry III Reigned 1216-12722. King Edward I Reigned 1272-13073. King Edward II Reigned 1307-1327 Deposed and murdered in 1327.4. King Edward III Reigned 1327-13775. King Richard II Reigned 1377-1399 Deposed. Murdered in 1400.

  18. Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe At court, and n the castles of the great nobles, where the pomp and state of a court were emulated, Norman French was the only language employed; in the courts of law, the pleadings of judgments were delivered in the same tongue. In short, French was the language of honour, of chivalry, and even of justice, while the far more manly and expressive Anglo-Saxon was abandoned to the use of rustics and hinds [farm-servants], who knew no other.

  19. What we can take from this quote… • Social stratification of language --French—upper class --English—lower classes • English had many speakers—the language was vital • Language contact very different that with the Vikings

  20. Words that reflect areas where French was used English < Norman duke < duc court < curt mass< mass scholar< clerc war< were peace< pais

  21. Other words English < Norman = Frenchfashion < faichon = façoncabbage < caboche = choucastle < castel = châteaucauldron < caudron = chaudroncauseway < cauchie = chausséecatch < cachi = chassercater < acater = achetermug < mogue/moque = tassewicket < viquet = guichet

  22. Doublets: Latin and French influence Pairs of words that have the same source, but that differ in meaning because they had been introduced into the English language by two separate languages. The Latin and French influence, for instance, made for many of such word pairs. Latin vocabulary adopted by the Celts directly became a part of English. The same vocabulary was sometimes adopted by the Gauls and introduced to English via Norman French.

  23. Examples DOUBLETS: adj.--urban: (area) having qualities of a large settlement--urbaine: having a certain sense for culture noun --curtsy: female gesture of respect (bending the knees) --courtesy: politeness

  24. More possible doublets? • warranty - guarantee • ward - guard • warden - guardian

  25. Next Time • CEEL pp. 118-129 • Homework #2 Due • Hand in your “Mother tongue” responses

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