History of English
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Questions and Answers

What event in 410CE led to the replacement of Latin with the languages of various invading tribes in England?

  • Samuel Johnson's publication of Johnson’s Dictionary
  • Norse raiders' settlement in Northern and Eastern England
  • Roman Invasion of England
  • Goths' destruction of Rome and Roman withdrawal from Britain (correct)

    • What was the consequence of William of Normandy's conquest of England in 1066CE?

  • Norman French became the ruling class language (correct)
  • English language was completely replaced by French
  • Old English became the ruling class language
  • Latin became the dominant language again

    • What was the approximate number of French words that entered English over a period of 200 years?

  • 15000
  • 20000
  • 5000
  • 10000 (correct)

    • Who defeated the Norse raiders in 784CE?

    <p>King Alfred the Great</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the significance of 700CE in the history of the English language?

    <p>Earliest manuscripts written in England in Old English</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a result of the Industrial Revolution on the English language?

    <p>The introduction of thousands of new words in various areas</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What occurred in the 16th Century that affected the English language?

    <p>The introduction of nouns as verbs</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the varieties of English spoken by those living today?

    <p>Present Day English (PDE)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the study of the pronunciation and sound patterns of a language?

    <p>Phonology</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the part of language concerned with letters and spelling?

    <p>Orthography</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the process of forming new words by changing existing words?

    <p>Derivation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for a word that is derived from another language?

    <p>Loanword</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries that affected the English language?

    <p>The introduction of new words for industrial products</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the rules for organising meaning in a language?

    <p>Grammar</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the study of the visual elements of a language?

    <p>Graphology</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was one of the key factors that helped to standardise spelling, punctuation and the system of writing in Early Modern English?

    <p>The invention of the printing press by William Caxton</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was one of the significant changes that occurred in the English language during the Great Vowel Shift?

    <p>The change in pronunciation of vowels, particularly long vowels</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the significance of Samuel Johnson's publication in 1755 CE?

    <p>It recorded language as it was used at that time</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the outcome of the contact with other countries and their ways of life through travel and exploration during the Early Modern English period?

    <p>The introduction of new words and idioms from European languages</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a significant feature of William Shakespeare's contribution to the English language?

    <p>He introduced new words and idioms into the English language</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the reasons suggested for the changes in pronunciation during the Great Vowel Shift?

    <p>The movement of people in the 14th century to the south-east of England</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of Late Modern English?

    <p>It is a continuation of Early Modern English, with regards to spelling, punctuation and grammar</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the ways that writers such as Geoffrey Chaucer contributed to the development of Early Modern English?

    <p>They wrote in the London dialect, which emerged as the variety of written and spoken English</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of how the pronunciation of words changed during the Great Vowel Shift?

    <p>Before the Shift, 'feet' sounded more like 'fate'</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a significant publication that introduced many new words and idioms into the English language?

    <p>The works of William Shakespeare</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for words that are named after their creator?

    <p>Eponym</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the changing of a word’s meaning or function without changing its form?

    <p>Conversion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for creating new words by combining two complete words?

    <p>Compounding</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the shortening of longer words while maintaining function and meaning?

    <p>Clipping</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the creation of new words by combining a segment of a word with another segment or a full word?

    <p>Blending</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the process of replicating sounds through words?

    <p>Onomatopeia</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the study of the ways in which words change their meaning?

    <p>Etymology</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the process in which the meaning of a word becomes more positive?

    <p>Amelioration</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the process in which the meaning of a word becomes more negative?

    <p>Pejoration</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the view that language change involves a decline in the standards of English?

    <p>Prescriptivist View</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Language Change Overview

    • Old English: 400-1066 CE, characterized by the merging of dialects from various invading tribes, including the Picts, Scots, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Frisians.
    • Middle English: 1066-1500 CE, emerged from the fusion of Norman French and Old English dialects, with approximately 10,000 French words introduced into English.

    The Development of Early Modern English

    • Early Modern English: 1500-1800 CE, marked by the standardization of spelling, punctuation, and grammar, and the introduction of new words from Classical Latin and Greek, as well as European languages.
    • Key developments:
      • Introduction of the printing press in 1476 CE, which standardized spelling and punctuation.
      • Publication of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language in 1755 CE, which recorded language usage at that time.
      • The Great Vowel Shift, a complex process that changed the pronunciation of vowels, particularly long vowels, between 1350-1700 CE.

    Late Modern English

    • Late Modern English: 1800 CE-present, characterized by the expansion of lexis in response to industrial and social developments, as well as colonialism.
    • Key developments:
      • The Industrial Revolution led to the introduction of new words for industrial products, social changes, and colonialism.
      • Borrowing from other languages, such as Indian, Australian, and American languages.

    Changes in Language

    • 16th Century Changes:
      • Nouns became usable as verbs.
      • Auxiliary verbs replaced inverted verb and subject combinations.
      • Verb conjugations changed, with the replacement of '-th' with '-s'.
      • The distinction between 'you' and 'thou' ceased to be.
      • The introduction of new words and linguistic variations.

    Language Formation

    • Derivation: The process of forming new words by changing existing words.
    • Borrowing: The derivation of words from other languages.
    • Coinage: The creation of new words, such as 'Google'.
    • Neologism: Words that seemingly come from nothing, often used in advertising.
    • Eponym: Words named after their creator or a similar concept.
    • Prefix: Addition to the root of a word, e.g. 'un-' to 'like'.
    • Suffix: Addition to the stem of a word, e.g. 'slow' to 'slowly'.
    • Conversion: The changing of a word's meaning or function without changing its form.
    • Telescoping: The shortening of words or phrases to create new words.
    • Acronyms: Creating singular words from the initials of multiple words.
    • Compounding: The creation of new words by combining two complete words.
    • Blending: The creation of new words by combining segments of words.
    • Clipping: The shortening of longer words, often raising informality.
    • Coalescence: The merging of sounds in pronunciation, often in informal speech.
    • Backformation: The creation of new words by clipping longer words.
    • Onomatopeia: The process of replicating sounds through words.
    • Reduplication: The process of duplicating sounds, often raising liveliness and lowering formality.

    Changes in Meaning

    • Etymology: The study of the ways in which words change their meaning.
    • Amelioration: The process of a word's meaning becoming more positive.
    • Pejoration: The process of a word's meaning becoming more negative.
    • Broadening: The process of a word's meaning losing its specificity and becoming more general.
    • Narrowing: The process of a word's meaning increasing in specificity and losing its broad nature.

    Views and Approaches

    • Prescriptivist View: The view that language change involves a decline in the standards of English.
    • Descriptivist Approach: The approach that language is made up of what people say and write, and that no one variety is superior.

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