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Questions and Answers
Which of the following best exemplifies dissimilation in language change?
Which of the following best exemplifies dissimilation in language change?
- The addition of a vowel sound at the beginning of a word, like `schola` becoming `escuela`.
- The pronunciation of `/æθliːt/` as `/æθəliːt/`.
- The change from Old English `wulfas` [wulfas] to Middle English [wulvas].
- The alteration of 'fifth' [fɪfθ] to [fɪft], where the second fricative is replaced by a stop. (correct)
In the context of sound change, what distinguishes 'conditioned' change from 'unconditioned' change?
In the context of sound change, what distinguishes 'conditioned' change from 'unconditioned' change?
- Unconditioned changes are predictable, while conditioned changes are random.
- Conditioned changes are more likely to affect the meaning of words.
- Conditioned changes are influenced by neighboring sounds, while unconditioned changes occur independently. (correct)
- Unconditioned changes are more common in rapidly evolving languages.
The evolution of Middle English [i:s] to Modern English 'ice' [aɪs] is an example of what type of sound change?
The evolution of Middle English [i:s] to Modern English 'ice' [aɪs] is an example of what type of sound change?
- Deletion
- Monophthongization
- Metathesis
- Diphthongization (correct)
Which of the following scenarios exemplifies metathesis?
Which of the following scenarios exemplifies metathesis?
The change of 'holy day' to 'holiday' represents which type of semantic change?
The change of 'holy day' to 'holiday' represents which type of semantic change?
Which of the following best illustrates semantic reduction?
Which of the following best illustrates semantic reduction?
Which of these words has undergone semantic elevation?
Which of these words has undergone semantic elevation?
Which of the following is the best example of semantic degradation?
Which of the following is the best example of semantic degradation?
The insertion of a sound at the beginning of a word, such as in the evolution of 'schola' to 'escuela', is known as:
The insertion of a sound at the beginning of a word, such as in the evolution of 'schola' to 'escuela', is known as:
Which of the following Old English sentence structures is no longer grammatically correct in Modern English?
Which of the following Old English sentence structures is no longer grammatically correct in Modern English?
In Old English, adjectives agreed with the nouns they modified in gender, number and case. Which of the following options best describes the effect of this grammatical feature on sentence construction?
In Old English, adjectives agreed with the nouns they modified in gender, number and case. Which of the following options best describes the effect of this grammatical feature on sentence construction?
Which of the following best describes the major shift in English grammatical structure from Old English to Modern English?
Which of the following best describes the major shift in English grammatical structure from Old English to Modern English?
Which of the following sentences exemplifies a syntactic structure that was permissible in Early Modern English but is no longer standard in Modern English?
Which of the following sentences exemplifies a syntactic structure that was permissible in Early Modern English but is no longer standard in Modern English?
Considering the examples sealde ('he gave') and sealdest ('you gave'), what linguistic process has significantly diminished since Old English?
Considering the examples sealde ('he gave') and sealdest ('you gave'), what linguistic process has significantly diminished since Old English?
What is the most likely origin of syntactic changes in a language?
What is the most likely origin of syntactic changes in a language?
A sentence in Old English reads: 'him man ne sealde'. How would this most accurately be translated, maintaining the original word order influence, and reflecting the double negative, according to Old English grammar?
A sentence in Old English reads: 'him man ne sealde'. How would this most accurately be translated, maintaining the original word order influence, and reflecting the double negative, according to Old English grammar?
The word 'starve' used to mean 'to die, from any cause' but now means 'to die, from lack of food.' What type of semantic change does this illustrate?
The word 'starve' used to mean 'to die, from any cause' but now means 'to die, from lack of food.' What type of semantic change does this illustrate?
Which of the following sound changes is exemplified by the change from 'hring' to 'ring'?
Which of the following sound changes is exemplified by the change from 'hring' to 'ring'?
Given that 'beef', 'veal', and 'venison' are likely from French origin, and 'calf', 'ox', and 'deer' are likely from Old English, what general trend in language can be inferred concerning culinary vocabulary?
Given that 'beef', 'veal', and 'venison' are likely from French origin, and 'calf', 'ox', and 'deer' are likely from Old English, what general trend in language can be inferred concerning culinary vocabulary?
Which of the following best exemplifies semantic reduction?
Which of the following best exemplifies semantic reduction?
Which of the following processes is at play when 'OK' (as in, okay) comes into being?
Which of the following processes is at play when 'OK' (as in, okay) comes into being?
A bakery starts selling a new type of pastry by calling it a 'swirlnut,' combining features of two existing pastries. What word formation process is at work here?
A bakery starts selling a new type of pastry by calling it a 'swirlnut,' combining features of two existing pastries. What word formation process is at work here?
In linguistics, what term describes the alteration of a word's meaning to take on a more negative connotation over time?
In linguistics, what term describes the alteration of a word's meaning to take on a more negative connotation over time?
What type of sound change is exemplified by the pronunciation shift from the Old English [ˈriːkn̩] to the Modern English [ˈriːkən] (written as 'reach')?
What type of sound change is exemplified by the pronunciation shift from the Old English [ˈriːkn̩] to the Modern English [ˈriːkən] (written as 'reach')?
Which of the following scenarios illustrates 'conversion' as a word formation process?
Which of the following scenarios illustrates 'conversion' as a word formation process?
Flashcards
Sound Change
Sound Change
An alteration in phonetics due to phonological processes.
Assimilation
Assimilation
A process where a sound changes to become similar to a neighboring sound.
Dissimilation
Dissimilation
When two similar sounds in a word become different.
Deletion
Deletion
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Insertion
Insertion
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Monophthongization
Monophthongization
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Diphthongization
Diphthongization
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Epenthesis
Epenthesis
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Prothesis
Prothesis
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Syntactic changes
Syntactic changes
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Word order in OE
Word order in OE
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Possessive determiners
Possessive determiners
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Inflectional suffixes
Inflectional suffixes
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Adjective agreement in OE
Adjective agreement in OE
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Double negatives
Double negatives
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Case-marking
Case-marking
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Syntactic system
Syntactic system
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Old English verbs
Old English verbs
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Sound changes examples
Sound changes examples
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Coinage
Coinage
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Conversion
Conversion
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Semantic Extension
Semantic Extension
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Study Notes
Language Change
- Sound change is a phonological alteration of a sound, resulting from phonological processes. Introduction of new phonological processes can cause sound changes.
Sound Change Examples
- Assimilation: Old English "wolves" ([wulfas]) changed to Middle English pronunciation ([wulvas]), where the voiceless fricative became voiced due to surrounding sounds.
- Dissimilation: In some varieties of English, the second fricative in "fifth" ([fIf0]) changed to a voiceless stop ([t]), becoming [fIft].
- Deletion: Unstressed vowels, such as [ə], were deleted in word-final positions, like in Middle English "nose" ([nO:zə]) changing to Modern English "nose" ([noUz]).
- Insertion: A sound can be inserted into a word, like in some pronunciations of "athlete" becoming /'ædəli:t/
- Monophthongization: A diphthong (two vowel sounds) can become a single vowel sound. For instance, Middle English [aU] in words like "law" evolved to the single vowel [o] or [a] in Modern English.
- Diphthongization: Vowel change to a diphthong, as in Middle English "is" ([i:s]) evolving to Modern English "ice" ([aɪs]).
- Metathesis: Reversal of sounds' position in a word, such as "frist" becoming "first."
- Epenthesis: A sound is added within a word, like "æmtig" becoming "empty."
- Prothesis: A sound is added to the beginning of a word, such as "schola" becoming "escuela".
- Raising/Lowering: Modification of the height of a vowel (e.g., [0:] becoming [u:]).
- Backing/Fronting: Modification of a vowel's position in the mouth (e.g., [a] becoming [æ]).
Semantic Change
- Semantic extension: A word's meaning expands, for example, "holy day" becoming "holiday."
- Semantic reduction: The meaning of a word becomes narrower (e.g., "hund" to "hound").
- Semantic elevation: A word gains a more positive meaning, like a squire's status rising.
- Semantic degradation: Words gain negative connotations (e.g., "lust" evolving a negative meaning).
Syntactic Changes
- Word order changes: The positioning of subjects, verbs, and objects in a sentence can differ or evolve (e.g., Subject-Verb-Object order, or Subject-Object-Verb order.
- Loss of inflectional markers: Changes in grammatical structure that are typically marked by suffixes that get lost (e.g., Old English to Modern English).
- Agreement changes: The agreement in number, gender, and case between adjectives and nouns in sentence structures.
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Description
This lesson describes language changes, focusing on the phonological alterations of sounds due to phonological processes. It provides sound change examples like assimilation, dissimilation, deletion, insertion, and monophthongization. These examples illustrate how sounds evolve over time.
