Middle English: Lexis Flashcards
1
Q
Loan words in Middle English
A
- Core vocabulary and function words are Germanic
- Loan words were not immediately taken over from French into English after the Norman Conquest
- Most words entered English from 1300 onwards
2
Q
French loans mirror Anglo-French culture in the following areas:
A
Fields of Vocabulary
- Government and Administration
- Church
- Jurisdiction
- Military
- Science and Arts
- Fashion and Food
3
Q
Government and Administration
A
- majesty
- parliament
- empire
4
Q
Church (ecclesiastical Words)
A
- confession
- temptation
- abbey
5
Q
Jurisdiction, law
A
- rule
- judgement
- crime
6
Q
Military
A
- army
- navy
- battle
- enemy
7
Q
Lifestyle, Fashion and Food
A
- feast
- jewel
- beef
- pork
- veal
8
Q
Science, art, learning and medicine
A
- beauty
- chapter
- music
9
Q
Latin loan words in Middle English
A
- Third Period/ Norman Conquest
- 14th & 15th century (new influx of Latin loan words
- Latin as the base for most of the French loan words
- direct loans from Latin: adjacent, allegory, contempt
10
Q
Consequences of loan words
A
many loan words
- Sometimes
> new words competing with old words
> synonyms
Option 1; one word dies out
Option 2: meaning(s) change(s)
11
Q
Synonyms
A
- Equivalents
- Synonyms
- Differentiation of synonyms
12
Q
Equivalents
A
- words with the same meaning in different languages
Example: to ask sth.
West Germanic: Verb - ascian
Old French: Verb - questionner
Latin: Verb - interrogare
13
Q
Synonyms
A
- similar/identical meaning in one language
Example: three Middle English verbs - asken
- questyone
- interrogare
14
Q
Differentiation of synonyms
(near-synonyms)
A
- historical process related to Modern English near-synonyms
Example - to ask: speak or write to someone in order to get an answer
- to question: to ask questions in order to get information (police)
- to interrogate: ask a lot of questions for a long time
> meaning/ connotation changes
15
Q
Doublets
A
- two words in a language that have the same etymological root. The two words have entered the language through different routes.
E.g.: garden/guarden (Old French) - warden: Anglo-Norman
- guardian: Central French
- Similarities in their meaning
- Difference in initial letter <w> vs <g></g></w>
- Loan words from two different French dialects
> Anglo-Norman <w>
> Central French <g></g></w>
16
Q
Five Dialect areas in Middle English
(there were 4 in Old English)
A
- West Midland
- Southern
- Kentish
- East Midland
. Northern
17
Q
East Midland
A
- modern standardised English goes back to this dialect
- most spoken, densely populated area
- the capital London was in the area
Chaucer’s writing was mostly in the East Midland dialect
(Dominant poet of the time)
18
Q
Minim Problem
A
- insular script was replaced by Norman style f handwriting: Carolingian minuscule
- Difficulty: distinction of <m,n,v,w,i,u> when they occurred together
> one could not distinguish where one letter started or ended
