- •The aims of studying the history of the English language. Synchronic and diachronic approaches to studying the language. The concept of ‘language change’
- •Proto-Indo-European language and comparative linguistics
- •Proto-Germanic language, its development from Proto-Indo-European
- •Modern Germanic languages
- •The earliest descriptions of the Germans, the ancient tribes that spoke Germanic languages
- •Eastern Germanic, Western Germanic and Northern Germanic groups of languages
- •The runic alphabet. Old English alphabet and pronunciation.
- •Common phonetic characteristics of the Germanic languages
- •Changes in the system of vowels in the Germanic languages
- •Grammar characteristics common to the Germanic languages
- •Vocabulary
- •Periodisation in the history of the English language, Old English written records.
- •The historical background of Old English
- •Phonetic processes in Old English (the system of vowels)
- •Independent changes. Development of monophthongs
- •Phonetic processes in Old English (the system of consonants)
- •Velar consonants in Early Old English. Growth of New Phonemes
- •Old English dialects
- •The nominal system of Old English
- •The vocabulary and word-building means in Old English
- •Old English syntax.
- •The verbal system in Old English (grammatical categories)
- •The verbal system in Old English (morphological classification)
- •Economic and social conditions in the 11-12th centuries.
- •The Scandinavian invasions, the Norman Conquest & the way they influenced English.
- •Changes in the alphabet and spelling in Middle English. Middle English written records
- •Middle English dialects. The London dialect.
- •Phonetic processes in Middle English (the system of vowels)
- •Phonetic processes in Middle English (system of consonants)
- •Changes in the categories of the noun in Middle English
- •Practical Part
- •Breaking and Diphthongization
- •Comparison of Adjectives in Old English
- •Conjugation of Preterite-Presents in Old English
- •Conjugation of Verbs in Old English
- •Declension of Adjectives
- •Declension of Nouns in the Late 14th and 15th centuries
- •Declension of nouns Strong Declensions (Vocalic Stems)
- •Strong Declensions (Vocalic Stems)
- •Consonantal Stems
- •Declension of Personal Pronouns
- •Declension of sē, sēo, þæt (Demonstrative pronouns)
- •Development of Old English Diphthongs in Early Middle English
- •Development of Sibilants and Affricates in Early Middle English
- •Middle English Vowels
- •Morphological Classification of Nouns in Old English
- •Old English Consonants
- •Palatal Mutation
- •Peculiarities of Middle English Spelling
- •Principal Middle English Written Records
- •Quantitative Vowel Changes in Late Old English and Early Middle English
- •Strong Verbs in Old English
- •Weak Verbs in Old English
Breaking and Diphthongization
-
Conditions
Change illustrated
Examples
Early OE
OE
Other OG languages and OE dialects
WS
NE
Breaking
before l + l or l + other consonants
æ
ea
Gt alls
Merc all
North ald
eall
eald
all
old
h
h + other consonants
æ:
æ
e
ea:
ea
eo
OHG nâh
Gt ahtau
OHG fehtan
neah
eahta
feohtan
near
eight
fight
r + other consonants
e
æ
eo
ea
OHG herza
OHG arm
Gt hardus
heorte
earm
heard
heart
arm
hard
Diphthongisation
sk’
after
k’
e
æ
ie
ea
OHG skild
OHG scal
Gt skadus
scield, scyld
sceal
sceadu
shield
shall
shade
e
æ
ie
ea
cerasus (L)
loan-
words castra (L)
cieres,
cyrs
ceaster
cherries
chester (camp)
j
æ:
e
ea:
ie
OHG jâr
Gt giban
зear
зiefan
year
give
Comparison of Adjectives in Old English
-
Means of
form-building
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
NE
Suffixation
soft
wēriз
softra
wēriзra
softost
wēriзost
soft
weary
Suffixation plus
vowel interchange
зlæd
lonз
eald
(also:
зlædra
lonзra
ieldra
ealdra
зlædost
lenзest
ieldest
ealdost, ealdest)
glad
long
old
Suppletion
зōd
lўtel
micel
bettra
lǽssa
māra
bet(e)st
lǽst
mǽst
good
little
much