Brief history of the English language Flashcards
1
Q
Diachronic change
A
Studying historical development and evolution of language
2
Q
Synachronic change
A
Studying language change at a particular moment in time
3
Q
Features of old English (4)
A
- English developed from the speech of Angles, Jutes and Saxons (Anglo Saxons)
- Viking raiding began from 793 until the start of 1000s
- English was a phonetic language - words spelt as they sounded
- Meant little consistency in written language
4
Q
Features of Middle English (5)
A
- French and Latin believed to be more prestigious than English
- French became dominant language whilst rest of country spoke versions of English, after Normans invaded in 1066
- English came to prominence towards the end of the Middle English period, Chaucer choosing to write in English rather than French
- Black Death kept English alive 1337 - 100 years war began and France became the enemy - English spoken even more freely
- 1400- GVS changed the way words were pronounced - vowels became shorter
5
Q
Early modern English features (3)
A
- Caxton introduced printing press (1476)
- Growing interest and pride in English as a language; Shakespeare, king James, and scientists
- 1604 - Cawdrey published dictionary purely in English
6
Q
Modern English features (8)
A
- Increase in travel brought back new words (loan words)
- Contractions were commonly used
- Grammarians proposed correct ways of speaking
1700 onwards - English became more standardised
Swifts proposal - Louth’s laws
- School compulsory until 12
7
Q
Present day English features (1)
A
Influence of media technology and travel helped establish English as global language
e.g. scurvy model, random fluctuation, functional theory etc
