History of English - W01 Flashcards

1
Q

Saussure (Language)

A

Language is a system of systems

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2
Q

Language as a convention

A

It is always meaningful

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3
Q

Language 2 main things

A
  • System (difference - e.g. dog and dogs)
  • Convention
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4
Q

Do all human beings have language?

A

Yes

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5
Q

All Languages…

A
  • Creative and Symbolic
  • Finite sets of Discrete Sounds
  • Governed by finite set of rules (Grammar) (not essential)
  • Semantic Universals (e.g. Male, Female, Human)
  • Change Overtime
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6
Q

All Languages have Grammar

A

Different (not essential)

  • Gramm. Categories (noun, verbs)
  • Gramm. Evolution (no improvement, no complexification, no primitive language)
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7
Q

Grammar Evolution

A

Change

  • No improvement
  • No Complexification
  • No Primitive Language
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8
Q

Declension

A

Deformation of a word in a language indentifying grammatical case, number, gender.

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9
Q

Homo amat Feminem

(exemple of…)

A

Declension

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10
Q

Study of Language history because

A
  • Show Development
  • World View (Cognition + Perception of Reality)
  • Language is Cultural Construct
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11
Q

Basic Thruth about Language

A
  • Always on a way to change in a New One
  • Changes are All Logical
  • Mixture is Inevitable and Natural part of Lang Ch.
  • Changes in Different Random Directions among different Groups
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12
Q

Latin is Origin of

A
  • Portuguese
  • Romanian
  • French
  • Spanish
  • Italian
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13
Q

Diachrony

A

(through time) = evolution and change

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14
Q

Synchrony

A

(at the same time) = given system at given point in time

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15
Q

Language as a System

A

Synchronically

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16
Q

Language as a Constantly Evolving Organism

A

Diacronically

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17
Q

What Percent of pop = what percent of all languages

A

94 pc of Pop = 6 pc of Worlds Language

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18
Q

Most Spoken Language Rank

A

1 - Chinese

2 - Spanish

3 - English

French - 16

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19
Q

English as a Lingua Franca

A
  • Colonizers’ Language
  • Internation Organizations Official Lang. (EU, UN)
  • Olympics, Miss Universe
  • International Business & Technology
    • 3/4 mail, telexes, cables
    • 1/2 Scientific - technical periodicals
    • 30% info stored in Computers
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20
Q

Dialect

A

Form of language used by a speech community

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21
Q

Form of language used by a speech community

A

Dialect

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22
Q

Dialect Categories

A
  • Regiolect
  • Sociolect
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23
Q

Sociolect

A

Social Speech Patterns

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24
Q

Regional Speech Patterns

A

Regiolect (dialect)

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25
Q

Social Speech Patterns

A

Sociolect (dialect)

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26
Q

Accent

A

Manner of Pronunciation

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27
Q

Manner of Pronunciation

A

Accent

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28
Q

Strandard Language

A

Dialect supported by an institution (convention)

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29
Q

Dialect supported by an institution (convention)

A

Standard Language

30
Q

Standard Language (Exemples)

A

RP + BBC (Before WWII)

Standard American English (Since WWII)

31
Q

RP

A

Received Pronunciation (before WW2)

32
Q

Standardization (Causes)

A
  • Writing
  • Dictionaries
  • Industrialization
  • Middle class mobility and class consciousness
  • Spoken media
33
Q

Localization

A

Identification with clan/tribe/people/ideology

Nationalism

34
Q

Truths about English

A
  • Highly idiomatic language
  • Impossible Characteristics (th, vowel sounds, spelling vs pronun)
  • Gender of nouns determined by meaning
  • Grammar of great simplicity and flexibility
  • Vast Vocabulary
35
Q

Demarcation of the History of English

A

OE: 450 - 1100

ME: 1100 - 1500

EModE: 1500 - 1800

PDE: 1800 - now

36
Q

Germanic tribes arrive on the island

A

449

37
Q

The Norman Conquest

A

1066

38
Q

The Introduction of printing

A

1476

39
Q

The American Revolution

A

1776

40
Q

Studying Hist. of English Helps… Understand:

A
  • Ourselves and How we think
  • Literature Written in Earlier Periods
41
Q

Why does a Language Change (Motivation)

A

Internal or External Motivation

42
Q

Internal Motivation (Language Change)

A

Intrinsic to Language System

  • Structural pressure
  • General tendencies
43
Q

Structural Pressure

A

Regularities Stronger than Irregularities (which Disappear)

e.g. pease-peas(zplur)-pea

44
Q

General Tendencies

A

Disappearance of Declension

45
Q

External Motivation (language change)

A

Social Context

  • Laziness (least effort)
  • Desire to be Different
  • Historical Circumstances
46
Q

Language is Systemic

A

Does not live Sporadic Change

47
Q

Language change is systemic

A
  • Permanent alteration
  • Affects an entire subsystem of language
  • Normally irreversible, can occasionally be temporary
48
Q

3 types of Change

A
  • Loss of a feature
  • Gain of a feature
  • Substitution (one feature for another)
49
Q

Factors Facilitating Language Change

A
  • Perceived prestige
  • Changes in social values or perceptions
  • Extensive contacts with (an)other language
50
Q

Factors Impeding language change

A
  • Considerable changes in one subsystem stop other subsystems from changing
  • Writing and written literature provide ‘norms’
  • Certain Types of Spoken Language (Standard American, RP)
51
Q

Perceived prestige or the desire to belong to a social group

(Example)

A

French borrowings: beige, garage, genre;

52
Q

Changes in social values or perceptions

(Example)

A
  • Desexed language, political correctness
  • Taboo subjects & euphemisms
53
Q

Extensive contacts with (an)other language

(Example)

A
  • Coexistence of Anglo-Saxon with Old Norse, later with Norman - - French
54
Q

Writing and written literature provide ‘norms’

(Example)

A
  • Influence spoken language (spoken pronunciation often)
  • Prescriptive grammars vs descriptive grammars
55
Q

Changes Affecting Sub-Systems

A
  • Phonological (Modifications of language sounds)
  • Lexical (+ or - words)
  • Semantic (word usage and meaning)
  • Morphological (word structure)
  • Syntactic (verb structure, word order, grammaticalization)
56
Q

Graphic Change

A

How all Changes of Subsystems are Written Down

57
Q

Phonological Change

(types)

A

Conditioned (specific phonetic env.)

Unconditioned (not specific)

58
Q

Phonological Conditionned Change

A
  • Specific Phonetic environ.
  • Assimilation (-) and Dissimilation (+)
  • brought about by linguistic or extra-linguistic context
59
Q

Phonological Unconditioned Change

A
  • Can affect all occurrences of a particular sound
  • No specific cause factor
60
Q

Assimilation (Phonological Change)

  • Example
A

Knight - ‘‘night’’ - (lost of k sound)

61
Q

Dissimilation (Phonological Conditioned Change)

A

Purpre - Purple - (Addition of L sound)

62
Q

Lexical Change

A

3 Processes

  • Loss
  • Conversion
  • Gain

(Compounding, borrowing, derivation)

63
Q

Semantic Change

A

5 distinct processes on Meaning

  • Generalization (broader)
  • Specialization (narrower)
  • Shift (changes)
  • Amelioration (+ connotation)
  • Pejorative (- connotation)
64
Q

Morphological Change

A

2 process on word Structures

1 - Re-analysis

2 - Analogy

As words are composed of sounds to form utterances, morphological change is closely related to changes in both phonology and syntax.

65
Q

Syntactic Change

A
  • Re-analysis
  • Word Order
  • Grammaticalization (when words lose all meaning)
66
Q

Old English (Event)

A

Germanic tribes arrive on the island (449)

67
Q

Middle English (Event)

A

The Norman Conquest (1066)

68
Q

Early Modern English (Event)

A

Introduction of Printing (1476)

69
Q

Present Day English (1800-now)

A

The American Revolution (1776)

70
Q

English Demarcation Important Dates

A
  • 449 – Germanic tribes arrive on the island
  • 1066 – the Norman Conquest
  • 1476 – introduction of printing
  • 1776 – the American Revolution
71
Q

Example of Unconditionned Change

A

Rising of all vowels during the Great Vowel Shift