Chapter 17: Language History and Change

Question 1

philogy

Answer 1

the study of language history and change

Question 2

what is the language family with the largest distribution and population in the world?

Answer 2

indo-european

Question 3

about how many language families exist?

Answer 3

30

Question 4

what language has the most native speakers?

Answer 4

chinese, then spanish, then english

Question 5

cognates

Answer 5

a word in one language that has similar form and past/present meaning with a word from another language

Question 6

comparitive reconstruction

Answer 6

using information from sets of cognates to reconstruct the proto form

Question 7

majority principle

Answer 7

if 3 words begin with [p] and one begins with [b], [p] is likely the original

Question 8

most natural development principle

Answer 8

certain sound changes are common, some are unlikely

Question 9

final vowels often disappear

Answer 9

vino -> vin

Question 10

voiceless sounds often become voiced

Answer 10

muta -> muda

Question 11

stops become fricatives

Answer 11

ripa -> riva

Question 12

consonants become voiceless at the end of words

Answer 12

rizu -> ris

Question 13

old english time period:

Answer 13

pre 1100

Question 14

middle english time period:

Answer 14

1100 - 1500

Question 15

early modern english time period:

Answer 15

1500 - 1700

Question 16

modern english time period:

Answer 16

1700 - present

Question 17

what are some words from old english?

Answer 17

mann (man), wif (woman), cild (child), hus (house),
drincan (drink), etan (eat)

Question 18

what are some words from middle english?

Answer 18

norman french influence:
army, arrest, court, defense, faith, prison

Question 19

external change

Answer 19

outside influence on language
(norman french, old norse)

Question 20

internal change

Answer 20

change within the language,
often sound; [e] -> [i] (hay -> he)

Question 21

metathesis

Answer 21

reveral of the position of two sounds in a word
(bridd -> bird, hros -> horse, parabola -> palabra)

Question 22

epenthesis

Answer 22

addition of a sound to the middle of a word
(spinel -> spindle, timr -> timber, something -> “sumpthing”)

Question 23

prothesis

Answer 23

addition of a sound to the beginning of a word
(schola -> escuela, scribere -> escribir, spiritus -> espiritu)

Question 24

what syntactic change did english undergo?

Answer 24

VSO -> SVO

Question 25

semantic changes:

Answer 25

loss of once-common words (egad, lo)
words with additional, different meanings (awfully, terribly)
broadening of meaning (holy day -> holiday)
narrowing of meaning (hund (dog) -> hound)

Question 26

what is the most pervasive source of change in language?

Answer 26

cultural transmission

Question 27

diachronic change

Answer 27

historical perspective of change over time

Question 28

synchronic change

Answer 28

differences in the same language between certain groups at the same time