English Language

Question 1

The Great Vowel Shift

Answer 1

the major change in English pronunciation that took place from 1350 to the 1700s. ex- “bear” used to sound like “be” plus “-ar,” but after the Great Vowel Shift it’s sound changed to its current pronunciation

Question 2

Informal Language

Answer 2

language appropriate for texts and emails to friends

Question 3

Vernacular

Answer 3

everyday language used by the common people in their daily lives. ex- the word “hi”

Question 4

Religious (Influence on Language)

Answer 4

the language will evolve to meet the morals and values of the culture. ex-Protestant Reformation

Question 5

Dialect

Answer 5

form of a language particular to a specific region or community

Question 6

Lexicon

Answer 6

the collective vocabulary of a person or language. ex- Reading over the summer increased the student’s lexicon for the following school year.

Question 7

Semantics

Answer 7

The study of word or symbol meaning. ex- “love” which has many different meanings in English

Literal vs figurative meaning of “Raining cats and dogs”

Question 8

Affix

Answer 8

A letter or letters that change a root word’s meaning. ex- prefixes or suffixes

Question 9

Clarity / Word Choice

Answer 9

Use of vocabulary or other organizational choices to ensure the intended meaning comes through.

Question 10

Modern English

Answer 10

type of English widely used following the Great Vowel Shift

Question 11

Historical (Influence on Language)

Answer 11

language evolves and changes with history. ex- Norman Conquest

Question 12

Root

Answer 12

Base words to which prefixes, suffixes, and syllables can be added

Question 13

Cultural (Influence on Language)

Answer 13

factors related to a student’s cultural background that lead to differences in language usage. ex- social class

Question 14

Middle English

Answer 14

period when English changed because of contact with the French language through the Norman Conquest; used between 1150 and 1470. ex- The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Question 15

Technological (Influence on Language)

Answer 15

words associated with technology come and go in the daily lexicon. ex- to google

Question 16

Cultural Language Variations

Answer 16

factors in a student’s life lead to cultural variations in language. ex- dialect

Question 17

Formal Language

Answer 17

language appropriate for essays and written responses to literature

Question 18

Gender (Influence on Language)

Answer 18

the fact that language can be gender specific. ex- he or she

Question 19

Etymology

Answer 19

the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history

Question 20

Tone

Answer 20

The attitude of the author in writing, and which might be comical, serious, frightening, joyful. Sometimes called diction.

Question 21

Technical Language

Answer 21

language specific to a profession or subject. ex- medicine

Question 22

Old English

Answer 22

the original English language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons until around 1150. ex-

Beowulf

Question 23

Social (Influence on Language)

Answer 23

current influences; such as changes in technology, family structures, or society. ex- popular music

Question 24

Ethnic (Influence on Language)

Answer 24

a person’s race and family heritage impacts their language usage. ex- words associated with specific foods

Question 25

Regional (Influence on Language)

Answer 25

in different places, words may be different or the same word may be pronounced differently

Question 26

Orthography

Answer 26

Spelling patterns of language

Question 27

Contemporary American English

Answer 27

late 1990s to today represent another period in the evolution of the English language