- •Федеральное агентство по образованию
- •Contents
- •Introduction the subject of the history of the english language. The indo-european family of languages. Germanic languages. The periods in the history of english 5
- •Indo-European Language Family 6
- •Variant I 86
- •Causes of language changes
- •Historical Linguistics
- •Indo-European Language Family
- •Indo-European languages tree
- •Germanic Languages
- •Peculiarities of Germanic languages
- •Germanic people. Origin and culture
- •Germanic Alphabet
- •Periods in the History of English
- •The Old English period: brief outline and main features
- •The Middle English period: brief outline and main features
- •The Modern English period: brief outline and main features
- •The old english period Historical Background: Prehistoric Britain, Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon Britain
- •Old English Writings
- •How Do We Know What Old English Pronunciation Was Like?
- •The Old English Sound System
- •Phonetic Changes in Old English
- •Vowel changes
- •Consonants changes
- •Old English Grammar The Old English Noun
- •The Old English Pronoun
- •Interrogative pronouns
- •Indefinite pronouns
- •The Old English Adjective
- •The Old English Verb
- •Irregular (anomalous) verbs.
- •The Old English Numeral
- •The Old English Adverb
- •The Old English Auxiliary Words
- •The Old English Syntax
- •Old English Vocabulary Composition
- •Word building
- •Foreign influences on Old English
- •The middle english period Historical background: Medieval Britain
- •Changes in Spelling
- •Phonetic Changes in Middle English
- •Vowel changes:
- •Changes in Middle English Grammar
- •Changes in Middle English Vocabulary
- •The modern english period Historical background: Tudor Britain, Stuart Britain
- •General Changes in Modern English Phonology
- •The Great Vowel Shift
- •Early Modern English Grammar Changes and features of ModE noun system
- •The Modern English Pronoun
- •Changes and features of Early ModE verbal system
- •Early Modern English Syntax
- •Features of Early ModE vocabulary:
- •Part II The Old English Period
- •Part III the Middle English period
- •Part IV The Modern English Period
- •Appendix 1: British History Timeline
- •Appendix 2: Control tests
- •Part III.
- •Task IV.
- •Instructions: Read the following extract from Hamlet by Shakespeare and do the tasks below.
- •Variant II
- •Instructions: Basing on the Grimm’s law, explain the correspondences of underlined sounds in the following words of the common root from Germanic and non-Germanic Indo-European languages.
- •Instructions: Provide grammatical analysis of the suggested elements from the sentence below:
- •Verbs — strong or weak type, define tense, aspect, mood, person, number.
- •Part III.
- •Instructions: Read the passage in Middle English, analyze the part in bold and do the tasks below.
- •Task IV.
- •Instructions: Read the following extract from Hamlet by Shakespeare and do the tasks below.
- •Variant III.
- •Part III.
- •Instructions: Read the passage in Middle English, analyze the part in bold and do the tasks below.
- •Task IV.
- •Instructions: Read the following extract from Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare and do the tasks below.
- •Variant IV
- •Part III.
- •Instructions: Read the passage in Middle English, analyze the part in bold and do the tasks below.
- •Task IV.
- •Instructions: Read the following extract from The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare and do the tasks below.
- •Variant V
- •Part III.
- •Instructions: Read the passage in Middle English, analyze the part in bold and do the tasks below.
- •Task IV.
- •Instructions: Read the following extract from the Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare and do the tasks below.
- •Related reading
- •Internet resources
- •Г. А. Васильцова история английского языка и введение в специальную филологию
Part III the Middle English period
Check-up questions:
What event is considered to be the boundary between Old English and Middle English?
What changes occurred in OE after the Scandinavian invasion?
Describe the linguistic situation in England after the Norman Invasion.
What changes in spelling system took place after the Norman invasion? Why did they occur?
Why is the MidE called the period of leveling of endings?
Describe the main changes in phonetic system in Middle English.
Describe the main changes in grammar system in Middle English:
changes in the categories of noun;
changes in the categories of adjectives;
changes in the pronoun system and rise of the article;
changes in the categories of verb;
appearance of analytical verb forms;
changes in syntax.
Describe the main changes in vocabulary system in Middle English.
Practical assignments
Task 1. Explain the phonetic correspondences of the words.
|
OE |
MidE |
|
wīsdom |
wisdom (wisdom) |
|
talu |
tāle (tale) |
|
specan |
spēken (speak) |
|
gān |
gōn (go) |
|
cnāwan |
knōwen (know) |
|
bēam |
bēm (beam) |
|
stānas |
stōnes (stones) |
|
tǣcan |
tēchen (teach) |
|
cycen |
kichen (kitchen) |
|
tigele |
tīle (brick) |
|
grēg |
grey (grey) |
Task 2. Text analysis.
Extract from The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
Prologue
|
Middle English text |
Modern English translation |
|
Whan that Aprille with his showres soote The droughte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendered is the flour |
When April with his sweet showers
The draught of March has pierced to the root And bathed every vein in such liquor, Of which (=whose) virtue (=power) engendered is the flower |
Explain the development of the following words from OE to MidE.
|
Old English |
Middle English |
|
scūr |
shour (shower) |
|
wið |
with |
|
swēte, swōte |
soote |
|
rōte |
roote |
|
baðian (weak verb, Class 2) |
bathed |
Task 3. Text analysis.
Extract from The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer.
The Man of Law's Introduction.
Lines 1–15
|
Middle English Text |
Modern English translation |
|
Oure Hooste saugh wel that the brighte sonne The ark of his artificial day hath ronne The ferthe part, and half an houre and moore; And though he were nat depe expert in loore, 5 He wiste it was the eightetethe day Of Aprill, that is messager to May; every tree Was as in lengthe the same quantitee
That was the body erect that caused it,
10 And therfore by the shadwe he took his wit That Phebus, which that shoon so clere and brighte, Degrees was fyve and fourty clombe on highte; And for that day, as in that latitude,
It was ten at the clokke, he gan conclude, 15 And sodeynly he plighte his hors aboute. |
Our good host saw well that the shining sun The are of artificial day had run
A quarter part, plus half an hour or more; And though not deeply expert in such lore, 5 He reckoned that it was the eighteenth day Of April, which is the prelude to May; And saw well that the shadow of each tree Was, as to length, of even quantity As was the body upright causing it.
10 And therefore by the shade he had the wit To know that Phoebus, shining there so bright, Had climbed degrees full forty-five in height; And that, that day, and in that latitude, It was ten of the clock, he did conclude, 15 And suddenly he put his horse about. |
Glossary:
Phebus, noun Phoebus Apollo, the sun;
shadwe, noun shadow;
sodeynly, adv. Suddenly;
saugh, verb, pst. sg. Saw;
sonne, noun sun;
took his wit, idiomatic verbal phrase calculated;
wiste, verb, pst. sg. knew; wist pst. prtcpl. Known.
Read the passage in Middle English and:
Find new spelling variants introduced by French scribes.
Find adjectives and define their forms.
Find pronouns and explain which changes they underwent in Middle English.
Give Middle English forms of the OE verb rinnan (str., Class 5)-ran – runnon – runnen.
Find words borrowed from French (if you don’t know French and find it difficult to guess, make use of the etymological dictionary).
Explain the development of the following words from OE to MidE:
|
Old English |
Middle English |
|
lār |
lore (Line 4) |
|
sunne |
sonne (Line 1) |
|
healf |
half (Line 3) |
|
briht |
bright |
|
dēop |
dēp |
|
sceadu |
shadwe |
|
scān (scinan, str. 1) |
shoon (Inf. schinen) |
|
abūtān |
aboute |
|
dæg |
day |
|
Read more of The Canterbury Tales at http://www.librarius.com/– Selectable tales in Middle english with an extensive hypertext glossary |