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Questions and Answers
What characterizes a synthetic type of language?
What characterizes a synthetic type of language?
Which of the following is an example of a lexical remnant from Scandinavian influence?
Which of the following is an example of a lexical remnant from Scandinavian influence?
Which of the following sound changes reflects Scandinavian influence on English?
Which of the following sound changes reflects Scandinavian influence on English?
What happened to word final 'n' in some nouns during the grammatical changes?
What happened to word final 'n' in some nouns during the grammatical changes?
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What does the suffix '-by' in place names indicate?
What does the suffix '-by' in place names indicate?
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Which personal pronoun changed from Old English to reflect Scandinavian influence?
Which personal pronoun changed from Old English to reflect Scandinavian influence?
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Which of the following pairs of words is an example of synonymous words differing semantically?
Which of the following pairs of words is an example of synonymous words differing semantically?
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In which of the following scenarios does the analytical type of language express case relations?
In which of the following scenarios does the analytical type of language express case relations?
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What is a characteristic of Old English words in relation to their Germanic roots?
What is a characteristic of Old English words in relation to their Germanic roots?
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Which of the following is an example of a lexical loan from the Roman language?
Which of the following is an example of a lexical loan from the Roman language?
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Which of these terms refers to the decline of nouns in Old English?
Which of these terms refers to the decline of nouns in Old English?
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What type of remnants can be identified in modern names like London and York?
What type of remnants can be identified in modern names like London and York?
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Which of the following words illustrates the synthetic type of Old English?
Which of the following words illustrates the synthetic type of Old English?
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Which term is NOT a consequence of the influence of Christianity on the English language around 597 A.D.?
Which term is NOT a consequence of the influence of Christianity on the English language around 597 A.D.?
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What is meant by the terms 'synchrony' and 'diachrony' in language studies?
What is meant by the terms 'synchrony' and 'diachrony' in language studies?
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Identify a feature of Old English words that differs from their modern descendants.
Identify a feature of Old English words that differs from their modern descendants.
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What type of gender does a synthetic type of language primarily utilize?
What type of gender does a synthetic type of language primarily utilize?
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Which of the following is a phonological change associated with Scandinavian influence?
Which of the following is a phonological change associated with Scandinavian influence?
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What do the suffixes '-by' and '-thorp' in place names typically indicate?
What do the suffixes '-by' and '-thorp' in place names typically indicate?
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Which of the following was a characteristic change in personal pronouns during the grammatical changes?
Which of the following was a characteristic change in personal pronouns during the grammatical changes?
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What historical shift occurred in the treatment of weak declensional nouns?
What historical shift occurred in the treatment of weak declensional nouns?
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Which of the following words is a lexical remnant from the Scandinavian influence?
Which of the following words is a lexical remnant from the Scandinavian influence?
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In the grammatical changes, which verb underwent a shift resulting in the final 'an' being dropped?
In the grammatical changes, which verb underwent a shift resulting in the final 'an' being dropped?
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What type of word pairs represents synonymous terms that differ semantically in Old English and Old Scandinavian?
What type of word pairs represents synonymous terms that differ semantically in Old English and Old Scandinavian?
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Which of the following is a lexical remnant from the Celtic language visible in modern English?
Which of the following is a lexical remnant from the Celtic language visible in modern English?
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What is a significant influence on the English language that introduced words like 'altar' and 'monk'?
What is a significant influence on the English language that introduced words like 'altar' and 'monk'?
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Which of the following Old English verbs means 'to teach'?
Which of the following Old English verbs means 'to teach'?
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Which of the following represents a typical lexical loan from the Roman language?
Which of the following represents a typical lexical loan from the Roman language?
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Which of the following pairs of words illustrates the concept of toponyms linked to Roman language influence?
Which of the following pairs of words illustrates the concept of toponyms linked to Roman language influence?
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Which characteristic distinguishes Old English words from their modern counterparts?
Which characteristic distinguishes Old English words from their modern counterparts?
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What is referred to by the term 'lexical loan' in the context of language evolution?
What is referred to by the term 'lexical loan' in the context of language evolution?
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Which of the following words is derived from Old English and denotes family relationships?
Which of the following words is derived from Old English and denotes family relationships?
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Study Notes
Old English Period (800-1100)
- Key Terms: Synchrony (variation at one point in time) vs. Diachrony (variation over time); Lexical Loan (borrowed word); Remnant (trace of a previous language); Decline/Declination (noun changes); Conjugate/Conjugation (verb changes); Phonetic, Phonological, Morphological, Syntactical, Lexical, Semantic, Stylistic analysis.
Remnants of Celtic Language
- Toponyms: London, York, Thames, Avon, Dover
- Lexical remnants: Bannock, brock, bin, ass
Remnants of Roman Language
-
Lexical loans (borrowed words):
- Agriculture: Cherry, butter
- Trade: Buy, cheap
- Domestic life: Table, carpet, kitchen
- Toponyms: Chester, caster (Lancaster)
- Latin to Modern English: Wine (from Lat. vinum), plum (from Lat. prunus)
Christianity's Influence (597 AD)
- Borrowed words: Church, angel, pope, bishop, nun, mass, altar, candle, monk, priest, school
Old English (OE) Characteristics
-
Germanic origins: OE words often resemble Modern English words.
- Example: OE "níman" = Mod. E "take"
- Example: OE "learan" = Mod. E "teach"
- Grammatical Gender Differences: OE "stan" (masculine) vs. Mod. E "stone" (neuter)
Anglo-Saxon Period Vocabulary
- Common Words: Mother, father, man, woman, child, spring, summer, goose, mouse, ox, duck, red, green, white, heart, foot, eye, star, sun, moon, water, come, sit, keep, make, see
Old English: Synthetic Language Type
- Synthetic Language: Expresses grammatical relationships through inflectional endings.
- Examples: OE noun and verb inflections.
Synthetic vs. Analytical Languages
-
Synthetic language: Grammatical gender; declension system; inflectional endings.
- Example: Old English (OE) "níman" (infinitive)
-
Analytical language: Natural gender; auxiliary words; no inflectional endings.
- Example: Modern English "to take"
Scandinavian Influence
-
Phonological Changes:
- Latin "sch-" -> Scand. "sk-" (e.g., school, scheme, skill, skull)
- Initial "g" remains unpalatalized before "e" or "i" (e.g., Scand. "get" vs. Lat. "giant")
- Grammatical Changes: Pronoun shifts; weakening grammatical case for nouns and verbs; loss of inflectional endings.
Scandinavian Influence: Lexical Remnants
- Toponyms: -by (Derby), -thorpe (Astonthorpe), -ness (Lochness)
- Surnames: Scandinavian-origin surnames (e.g., Johnson)
- Lexical Remnants (Words): gap, leg, knife, window, husband, die, take, give, get, cut, call, happy, sick, wrong, ugly, angry, steak, cake, law, loan
Lexical Remnants (Words)
- More borrowed words from Scandinavian: gap, leg, knife, window, husband, die, take, give, get, cut, call, happy, sick, wrong, ugly, angry, steak, cake, law, loan
Grammatical Changes
- Pronoun shifts: OE "hie" -> Scand. "they"; OE "hím" -> Scand. "them"
- Loss of inflectional endings: weakening grammatical case for nouns, verbs
- Examples of grammatical change: OE "jēvan" (give) -> Scand. "give"; OE "níman" (take) -> Scand. "take"; OE "jētan" (get) -> Scand. "get";
- Example (to be): OE "sindon" > Scand. "are"
Synonymous Word Pairs (Differing in Meaning)
- OE vs. Old Scandinavian: ditch/dike; rise/raise; ill/sick; craft/skill
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Description
Test your knowledge on the Old English Period, including key terms such as synchrony, diachrony, and the influences of Celtic and Roman languages. Explore how Christianity shaped the language and its vocabulary, along with the characteristics of Old English. Dive into the remnants and lexical loans from different cultures that have contributed to this fascinating era.
