- •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
Appendix 2: Control tests
Variant I
Part I.
Subject: The Indo-European Family of Languages. Germanic languages.
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.
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Tasks: |
Explanations: |
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Part II.
Subject: The Old English Period
Instructions: Provide grammatical analysis of the suggested elements from the sentence below:
Nouns — define the declension type (strong or weak), number, case.
Adjectives — define the declension type (strong or weak), number, case, gender, degree of comparison.
Verbs — strong or weak type, define tense, aspect, mood, person, number.
Pronouns — class, if possible, person, number, case.
Translate the sentence in Modern English.
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Abraham þa gecierde sona to his cnapum and ferdon him ham swa mid heofonlicre bletsunge. |
Glossary:
bletsung - (noun fem) blessing
cnapa - (noun) servants
feran – (verb) proceed
gecierran (verb) returned
ham - (adv) homewards
heofonlic - (adj) heavenly
mid - (prep) with
sona - (adv) immediately
swa - (adv) so; thus
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Word as used in the text |
Form, notes |
Corresponding ModE word |
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Part III.
Subject: The Middle English period
Instructions: Read the passage in Middle English, analyze the part in bold and do the tasks below.
An extract from The Canterbury Tales: The Miller's Prologue
Lines 12-23: The Miller offers to tell a tale.
About The Miller's Prologue and Tale:
The travellers have just listened to the Knight's tale and agree on the high standing of the Knight's tale. The Miller offers to tell the next tale and is convinced that he will beat the Knight. The Host suggests that the Miller should wait as he is quite drunk. The Miller replies that he insists on telling his tale about a carpenter. The Reeve, who is a carpenter by trade, urges the Miller not to make jokes about carpenters. The Miller replies he has no intention to insult carpenters in general. Chaucer warns the reader for the Miller's rude language.
The Miller's tale is about an old carpenter who has a young wife and is duped by the suitor of his wife. The suitor is eventually duped by another suitor.
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Middle English text |
Modern English translation |
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12 The Millere that for dronken was al pale, So that unnethe upon his hors he sat, He nolde avalen neither hood ne hat, 15 Ne abyde no man for his curteisie, But in Pilates voys he gan to crie, And swoor, "By armes and by blood and bones, I kan a noble tale for the nones, With which I wol now quite the Knyghtes tale." 20 Oure Hooste saugh that he was dronke of ale, And seyde, "Abyd, Robyn, my leeve brother, Som bettre man shal telle us first another, Abyd, and lat us werken thriftily." |
The miller, who of drinking was all pale, So that unsteadily on his horse he sat, He would not take off either hood or hat, 15 Nor wait for any man, in courtesy, But all in Pilate's voice began to cry, And "By the arms and blood and bones," he swore, "I have a noble story in my store, With which I will requite the good knight's tale." 20 Our host saw, then, that he was drunk with ale, And said to him: "Wait, Robin, my dear brother, Some better man shall tell us first another: Submit and let us work on profitably." |
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Explain the development of the following words from OE to MidE:
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Old English |
Middle English |
Explanation: |
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was (Line 12) |
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hood (Line 14) |
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Knyght (Line 19) |
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