History of English Flashcards
1
Q
Characteristics of the spread of English:
A
- Dramatic colonisation
- Peaceful immigrants
- ‘Planting’ itself in foreign territory
- Capacity to absorb others
2
Q
Conquest
A
1066 - William the Conquerer invades and conquers England
Battle of Hastings
- 85% of Old English lost as a result
- Coronation did in English/Latin but he spoke French throughout
- Ruling classes are now French speakers
- French heavily influence English
3
Q
Why do new words come into English?
A
- new things to be described
- boredom/fun/amusement
- lack of appropriate translation from other languages
- abbreviations/contractions/shortenings - laziness
- promotion of products
- commonisation
4
Q
Language change Subsystems:
A
- Graphic
- Lexical
- Phonological
- Grammartical
5
Q
Graphic Changes
A
- Spelling
- punctuation
- Letter shapes
- paragraphing
6
Q
Lexical
A
- Archaism
- Dissapperance of words
- change in meaning
7
Q
Phonological Differences
A
- sound of words altered
- sounds have disappeared
- changes in pronunciation
- long consonants
8
Q
grammartical changes
A
- word order
- phrasing
- inflectional ending
9
Q
Intro
A
- Setting (when)
- register (what)
- Purpose (why)
- Context + author + title
10
Q
The Great Vowel Shift
A
The Great Vowel Shift (GVS) was a sound change impacting the long vowels* of English from the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries (about 1350-1700CE).
11
Q
Old English
A
850 - 1100 CE
12
Q
Middle English
A
1150 - 1400 CE
13
Q
Early Modern English
A
1600 - 1800 CE
14
Q
Modern/Contemporary English
A
1850 CE - Present
