History of English Flashcards
Abbreviation
Shortened versions of a word created through its initials and other symbols
St (Saint)
Acronym
A word formed from the initial letters of a series of words that are pronounced as a word
ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps)
Initialism
A word formed from the initial letters in a series of words that are pronounced as a letters
VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education)
Shortening
Forming a new word by removing part of a longer word
pram (perambulator)
Contraction
A word formed by removing part of a longer word
She’s (she is)
Compounding
A word formed by joining two full words together into a single word
keyboard (key + board)
Blending
A word formed by joining parts of two or more words together into a single word
kidult (kid + adult)
Conversion
Changing the part of speech to which a word belongs without adding affixes
email (noun -> noun + verb)
Backformation
The process of forming a word by removing a part of a word that is mistakenly thought to be an affix of a longer word.
televise -> television
Affixation
The process of forming a new word by the addition of affixes
government (govern + -ment)
Borrowing
A word taken from another language and adapted for English
pen (from Latin)
Commonisation
Forming a common noun from a proper noun
esky (brand -> common)
Nominalisation
Forming a noun from an existing verb or adjective
‘walk’
Neologism
A newly coined word
Deterioration
The process of a words connotation becoming more negative
‘gossip’
Elevation
The process of a word’s connotation changing to become more positive
‘sick’ (colloquially)
Broadening
Words meaning becoming less specific (gains meanings)
‘viral’ (+internet)
Narrowing
Words meaning becomes more specific (loses meanings)
‘apple’ (-all fruits)
Shift
The process of a words changing what it denotes to something different.
pretty (crafty/clever -> attractive)
Obsolesce
A term or phrase is no longer used in language
‘groak’
Taboo
A term or phrase that is considered unacceptable socially to say
swear words
Connotations
The modern of slang meanings of words
‘sick = cool’
Etymology
the history of words
example was derived from ‘eximere’ or take out in Latin
Euphemisms
a mild or indirect word or substituted for a harsh or blunt one
passed away-> dead
Assimilation
The process of making one sound segment similar to neighbouring one
sandwich -> samwich
Archaism
Very old or old-fashioned/out dated words
lave - washing over
What was the Great Vowel Shift?
the shift in the pronunciation (moved up position in mouth) of the seven long vowels from 1400 - 1700 CE
What influenced the Great Vowel Shift?
Black Death - mixing of dialects
Hundred Year War - desire to shift away from French sounding vowels
Hyper-Correction - over correction speech to sound closer to the French
Why was the Great Vowel Shift significant?
All seven long vowels shifted pronunciation greatly affecting current pronunciation of long vowel sounds
3 reasons for words to change their meanings?
Movement between Domains - specific domain needs new words (leads to borrowing, narrowing and broadening)
Innovation requiring New Lexemes - new creations need new words
Societal Changes - change in societal norms (elevation, deterioration and shift)
Indo-European language
a language derived from the Proto-Indo-European language
Proto language
the language that is considered to be the ancestor of all languages
Cognates
a lexeme that is similar to another and indicate a relationship or shared history
brother (ENG) -> bror (NOR)
Grimm’s Law
the discovery of relationships and similarities between words/phonetics of Germanic and Latinate languages
heart (ENG) -> hart (DUT)
What was the Viking invasions?
The invasion of the Vikings in Britain during 8th to 11th centuries
How did the Viking invasions impact English?
- Introduced Old Norse
- simplified the language
- removed many inflectional morphemes
- subject-verb-object sentence structure
What was the Norman Conquest?
The take over of Britain by the French 1066 - 1362
How did the Norman Conquest impact English?
- French became official language
- added many French words to the language
- continued to simplify and clarify the structure and overall language
What were the Christian missionaries?
Catholic missionaries sent from Rome to convert the people of Britain
several but first Gregorian missionaries occurred 6th century
How did the Christian missionaries impact English
-introduced Latin influence
- Latin used in church and education
- added words related to English
- influenced sentence structures and grammar to closer resemble Latin
What was the plague (Black Death)?
The first wave of the bubonic plague that killed 50% of Europe’s population occurring 1348-1353
How did the Black Death impact English?
- lead to the mixing of dialects
- eliminated many regional dialects
- deaths of Latin and French speakers lead to resurgence of English use
What was the printing press?
A machine that allowed the printing of texts made 1440 (Gutenberg) and English version made 1476 by Caxton
How did the printing press effect English?
- English texts more accessible
- increased popularity of English
- began standardisation
- popularised literature
What was the first dictionaries?
Bullokar Pamphlet - 1586 - book on English grammar rules
Dr Johnsons Dictionary - 1755 - first comprehensive dictionary
Websters Dictionary - 1828 - first American dictionary
How did the dictionaries effect English?
- providing accurate spellings and clear definitions
- standardise and codify the English language
- greatly aided language learners and the education system
What were the first typewriters/keyboards?
machine allowing letters to be printed on paper 1714 by Henry Mill
QWERTY keyboard - Chirstopher Sholes - 1867 - speedier typing
How did typewriters and keyboards effect the English language?
- enabled easy production of text
- standardised alphabet
What is the internet?
global network of interconnected devices that communicate with each other and enable fast exchange of information
created in 1983
available to public 1993
How did the internet effect English?
- allowed people to communicate overseas instantaneously
- revolutionised communication
When was Old English
450-1150 CE
When was Middle English
1150 - 1500 CE
When was Early Middle English?
1500 - 1750 CE
When was Modern English?
1750 - present CE
Codification
the methods in which language is standardised (dictionaries)
Standardisation
the process of making something conform to a widely accepted and uniform form
English Language that has specific grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation rules
Importance of codification and standardisation
- clarifies language
- easy to learn and understand
- allows for easier translation
What are the reasons for word loss?
BUTO
Brevity
Unknown Reasons
Taboo
Obsolescence
Brevity
words become too short and are either cut completely or are used as morphemes (sometimes change back into a word)
ig -> igland -> island
What are descriptivists?
people who view language change as a natural part of a languages evolution and do not dictate how it should be used
What are prescriptivists?
people who dictate who others should use language, strive for codification and standardisation for clarity and function.
