Download or read book The French Influence on Middle English written by Nadja Litschko and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2004-04-12 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 2 (B), http://www.uni-jena.de/ (Anglistics/ American Studies), course: PS Introduction to Chaucer's Middle English, language: English, abstract: The English language has undergone tremendous changes over the years of its development from Old English to the Modern English as it is known today. During that time, especially during the Middle English period, several other languages exerted a significant influence and were therefore partly responsible for the changes brought to English over the years. These languages were Latin, French and Old Norse. This paper will focus on the influence of the French language on Middle English, brought on by the Norman Conquest through William the Conqueror. First there will be an explanation of the historical events, which preceded the developments in the England. Afterwards the focus of this paper will rest on the effect of the French language on the Middle English vocabulary, spelling and phonology. This will be explained on the example of an extract of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Nun's Priest Tale. During the course of this paper it will be proved that the French language was one of the main influences, which affected the English language during the Middle Ages.
Download or read book The french influence on the english vocabulary in middle english written by Claudia Stehr and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2007-05-13 with total page 18 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2000 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,3, Technical University of Braunschweig (Englisches Seminar), course: Historical Linguistics, language: English, abstract: The French influence on the English vocabulary had its greatest expansion in the period of the Middle English (1150 – 1500). During this time over 10,000 French words were adapted into the English language and about 75 per cent of these are still in use. The reasons for that are, firstly, the bilingualism in England which had been prevailing since the Norman Conquest in 1066. Secondly, the English culture was regarded as inferior, i.e. it had more to gain from the language spoken by the upper classes. Although, these extensive changes were important for the improvement of the English language, there were also disadvantages to it. The loss of native words, the different Middle English dialects, the need of a Standard English are only some examples for this. Does that mean the English we speak today would not have been the same, if there had been no French influence? Undoubtedly, every influence on something does change the circumstances of it, otherwise it would not be an influence. The question now would be, if English really profited from the French language or if it was more a drawback to its further development. I want to deal with this matter of fact in my research paper. I will show the historical conditions from the Norman Conquest up to the 15th century in a diachronical way, as it is important to know about the situation in England at that time to understand the changes in the English language. As the French influence hardly affected the English grammar, I only consider the changes in the vocabulary. I also briefly refer to other language borrowings to show that the French influence was not the only one, but the most effective in the period of great change – the Middle English.
Download or read book The French Influence on Middle English Morphology written by Christiane Dalton-Puffer and published by Walter de Gruyter. This book was released on 2011-05-02 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The future of English linguistics as envisaged by the editors of Topics in English Linguistics lies in empirical studies which integrate work in English linguistics into general and theoretical linguistics on the one hand, and comparative linguistics on the other. The TiEL series features volumes that present interesting new data and analyses, and above all fresh approaches that contribute to the overall aim of the series, which is to further outstanding research in English linguistics.
Download or read book Twentieth Century Borrowings from French to English written by Julia Landmann and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2013-01-16 with total page 590 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: French has long been the donor language par excellence in the history of English. French has contributed to the English vocabulary in the form of new words since before the Norman Conquest. The French influence on the English lexicon represents the focus of linguistic concern in a considerable number of investigations of the language and its development. Yet French borrowings which have recently been adopted into English have as yet figured little if at all in such studies. The present study sets out to shed light on the French impact on English in the recent past. The results presented in this book are based on a corpus of 1677 twentieth-century French borrowings collected from the Oxford English Dictionary Online. On the basis of their meanings, the words under consideration have been assigned to different subject fields in order to give a tour d’horizon of the manifold areas and spheres of life enriched by French in recent times. The first part of the present investigation concentrates on the phonological and orthographical reception of the various borrowings. The focus of this study is on the semantic development of the French borrowings in comparison to their sources in the donor language. Emphasis has been placed upon analysing whether a particular meaning a borrowing assumes after its first attested use is taken over from French, or whether it represents an independent semantic change within English.
Download or read book Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue written by John McWhorter and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2009-10-27 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammar Why do we say “I am reading a catalog” instead of “I read a catalog”? Why do we say “do” at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, Our Magnificent Bastard Language distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one lively history. Covering such turning points as the little-known Celtic and Welsh influences on English, the impact of the Viking raids and the Norman Conquest, and the Germanic invasions that started it all during the fifth century ad, John McWhorter narrates this colorful evolution with vigor. Drawing on revolutionary genetic and linguistic research as well as a cache of remarkable trivia about the origins of English words and syntax patterns, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue ultimately demonstrates the arbitrary, maddening nature of English— and its ironic simplicity due to its role as a streamlined lingua franca during the early formation of Britain. This is the book that language aficionados worldwide have been waiting for (and no, it’s not a sin to end a sentence with a preposition).
Download or read book Borrowed Words written by Philip Durkin and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2014 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book shows how, when, and why English took words from other languages and explains how to find their origins and reasons for adoption. It covers the effects of contact with languages ranging from Latin and French to Yiddish, Chinese, and Maori, from Saxon times to the present. It will appeal to everyone interested in the history of English.
Download or read book A History of the English Language written by Elly van Gelderen and published by John Benjamins Publishing Company. This book was released on 2014-04-03 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The English language in its complex shapes and forms changes fast. This thoroughly revised edition has been refreshed with current examples of change and has been updated regarding archeological research. Most suggestions brought up by users and reviewers have been incorporated, for instance, a family tree for Germanic has been added, Celtic influence is highlighted much more, there is more on the origin of Chancery English, and internal and external change are discussed in much greater detail. The philosophy of the revised book remains the same with an emphasis on the linguistic history and on using authentic texts. My audience remains undergraduates (and beginning graduates). The goals of the class and the book are to come to recognize English from various time periods, to be able to read each stage with a glossary, to get an understanding of typical language change, internal and external, and to understand something about language typology through the emphasis on the change from synthetic to analytic. This book has a companion website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/z.183.website
Download or read book The Standard of Usage in English written by Thomas R. Lounsbury and published by . This book was released on 1908 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book William the Conqueror written by David Charles Douglas and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1964 with total page 492 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Both a study of Anglo-Norman history based upon long and detailed research and also the biography of a man whose personal career was spectacular.
Download or read book The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye written by Raoul Lefèvre and published by . This book was released on 1894 with total page 552 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book English as a Contact Language written by Daniel Schreier and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-01-17 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent developments in contact linguistics suggest considerable overlap of branches such as historical linguistics, variationist sociolinguistics, pidgin/creole linguistics, language acquisition, etc. This book highlights the complexity of contact-induced language change throughout the history of English by bringing together cutting-edge research from these fields. Special focus is on recent debates surrounding substratal influence in earlier forms of English (particularly Celtic influence in Old English), on language shift processes (the formation of Irish and overseas varieties) but also on dialects in contact, the contact origins of Standard English, the notion of new epicentres in World English, the role of children and adults in language change as well as transfer and language learning. With contributions from leading experts, the book offers fresh and exciting perspectives for research and is at the same time an up-to-date overview of the state of the art in the respective fields.
Download or read book A History of the English Language written by Albert Croll Baugh and published by . This book was released on 1963 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Multilingualism in Later Medieval Britain written by D. A. Trotter and published by Boydell & Brewer. This book was released on 2000 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essays reappraising the relationship between the various languages of late medieval Britain. The languages of later medieval Britain are here seen as no longerseparate or separable, but as needing to be treated and studied together to discover the linguistic reality of medieval Britain and make a meaningful assessment ofthe relationship between the languages, and the role, status, function or subsequent history of any of them. This theme emerges from all the articles collected here from leading international experts in their fields, dealing withlaw, language, Welsh history, sociolinguistics and historical lexicography. The documents and texts studied include a Vatican register of miracles in fourteenth-century Hereford, medical treatises, municipal records from York, teaching manuals, gild registers, and an account of work done on the bridges of the river Thames. Contributors: PAUL BRAND, BEGON CRESPO GARCIA, TONY HUNT, LUIS IGLESIAS-RABADE, LISA JEFFERSON, ANDRES M. KRISTOL, FRANKWALTMOHREN, MICHAEL RICHTER, WILLIAM ROTHWELL, HERBERT SCHENDL, LLINOS BEVERLEY SMITH, D.A. TROTTER, EDMUIND WEINER, LAURA WRIGHT Professor D.A. TROTTER is Professor of French and Head of Department of European Languages at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.
Download or read book The Oxford History of English written by Lynda Mugglestone and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2012-11-29 with total page 613 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text traces the language from its obscure Indo-European roots to its 21st-century position as the world's first language. It describes the history of English within the British Isles, its changing roles in different places, and its rise to global pre-eminence.
Download or read book An Introduction to Middle English written by E.E. Wardale and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-06 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1937, this book supplies a history of the living growth of the English language from Old English to the medieval period. It offers an in-depth study of the growth of vocabulary through literature and social interaction, bringing out the fact that it is chiefly words that foreign influence has affected — leaving sentence structure almost unaltered. Isolative and combinative changes in phonology, the accidence of nouns and plurals, pronouns and adverbs, and verbs are also examined in detail, along with a general overview of the features Middle English and a brief outline of each dialect’s most striking characteristics.
Download or read book The Oxford Guide to Etymology written by Philip Durkin and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2011-07-07 with total page 752 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This practical introduction to word history investigates every aspect of where words come from and how they change. Philip Durkin, chief etymologist of the Oxford English Dictionary, shows how different types of evidence can shed light on the myriad ways in which words change in form and meaning. He considers how such changes can be part of wider linguistic processes, or be influenced by a complex mixture of social and cultural factors. He illustrates every point with a wide range of fascinating examples. Dr Durkin investigates folk etymology and other changes which words undergo in everyday use. He shows how language families are established, how words in different languages can have a common ancester, and the ways in which the latter can be distinguished from words introduced through language contact. He examines the etymologies of the names of people and places. His focus is on English but he draws many examples from languages such as French, German, and Latin which cast light on the pre-histories of English words. The Oxford Guide to Etymology is reliable, readable, instructive, and enjoyable. Everyone interested in the history of words will value this account of an endlessly fascinating subject.
Download or read book Cambridge Advanced Learner s Dictionary written by Kate Woodford and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 1550 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary is the ideal dictionary for advanced EFL/ESL learners. Easy to use and with a great CD-ROM - the perfect learner's dictionary for exam success. First published as the Cambridge International Dictionary of English, this new edition has been completely updated and redesigned. - References to over 170,000 words, phrases and examples explained in clear and natural English - All the important new words that have come into the language (e.g. dirty bomb, lairy, 9/11, clickable) - Over 200 'Common Learner Error' notes, based on the Cambridge Learner Corpus from Cambridge ESOL exams Plus, on the CD-ROM: - SMART thesaurus - lets you find all the words with the same meaning - QUICKfind - automatically looks up words while you are working on-screen - SUPERwrite - tools for advanced writing, giving help with grammar and collocation - Hear and practise all the words.
