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Questions and Answers
What is internal history of a language concerned with?
What is internal history of a language concerned with?
- Social and cultural events that influenced the language
- Changes in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary over time (correct)
- Theoretical linguistic methods and notions
- External factors affecting the language speakers
What is a common misconception about British English?
What is a common misconception about British English?
- It has borrowed heavily from American English.
- It has remained unchanged since the 17th century.
- It is the same as Shakespeare's English. (correct)
- It is more similar to American English than Shakespeare's English.
What is an example of external history of the English language?
What is an example of external history of the English language?
- The development of the English alphabet
- The change from a diphthong to a monophthong in English
- The colonization of North America by England (correct)
- The loss of a pronoun in Modern English
Why is it necessary to study the history of individual languages?
Why is it necessary to study the history of individual languages?
What is the purpose of periodization in historical sciences?
What is the purpose of periodization in historical sciences?
What is the focus of theoretical historical linguistic studies?
What is the focus of theoretical historical linguistic studies?
What is a significant difference between British and American English?
What is a significant difference between British and American English?
How does language change over time?
How does language change over time?
What can be an outcome of language contact, according to the passage?
What can be an outcome of language contact, according to the passage?
What is the main reason for the change from 'his' to 'their' in sentence (1) above?
What is the main reason for the change from 'his' to 'their' in sentence (1) above?
What is beyond the scope of the present textbook, according to the passage?
What is beyond the scope of the present textbook, according to the passage?
What is a common misconception about American English?
What is a common misconception about American English?
What type of pronunciation is described in the text as having changed in standard British English?
What type of pronunciation is described in the text as having changed in standard British English?
What can be inferred about the history of the English language?
What can be inferred about the history of the English language?
What is the name of the branch of linguistics that studies language change?
What is the name of the branch of linguistics that studies language change?
What is the focus of the theoretical aspect of historical linguistics?
What is the focus of the theoretical aspect of historical linguistics?
What type of change is described in the text as being more difficult to spot than others?
What type of change is described in the text as being more difficult to spot than others?
What is the focus of the applied aspect of historical linguistics?
What is the focus of the applied aspect of historical linguistics?
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Study Notes
Language Development and History
- English language developed in different ways in England and America after colonization.
- By the end of the 18th century, differences between British and American English became significant.
Language Change and Periodization
- Language is constantly changing, and Britain is no exception.
- Present-day British English is different from early 17th century English.
- American English is closer to Shakespeare's pronunciation in many ways.
- Periodization is dividing the history of a studied object into periods, used in all historical sciences.
Internal and External History
- Internal history of a language describes changes in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
- External history concerns non-linguistic circumstances that affected the language's development.
- Examples of internal history: loss of a pronoun, change from a diphthong to a monophthong.
- Examples of external history: colonization of North America, social, cultural, or political events that affected the language.
Language Change Examples
- Pronunciation and grammar changes occur, but more slowly and are harder to spot.
- Example: the older use of the masculine pronoun "his" to refer back to "everyone" is now replaced with "their".
- Standard British English pronunciation (Received Pronunciation) has changed from a diphthong to a long monophthong in words like "sore", "boar", and "story".
Historical Linguistics
- Historical linguistics studies language change in general and the history of individual languages.
- Theoretical aspect: deals with language change mechanisms and common types of change in all human languages.
- Applied aspect: studies the history of individual languages.
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