The History of EnglishThe History of English: A Linguistic Introduction is for anyone interested in the history of the English language. While leading the reader through the pre-history of English, through Germanic times, Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English, and Modern English, the book also introduces the reader to concepts in theoretical and historical linguistics. It includes authentic texts from each period of the language, from Beowulf to the King James Bible. This book is a great introduction to the field of linguistics for anyone interested in language! |
From inside the book
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Page 4
... changes over time . Eventually , certain words , phrases , or pronunciations sound “ old fashioned ” to you ; children and teenagers sometimes seem to have their own “ language ” ; and new words ( often related to technology or popular ...
... changes over time . Eventually , certain words , phrases , or pronunciations sound “ old fashioned ” to you ; children and teenagers sometimes seem to have their own “ language ” ; and new words ( often related to technology or popular ...
Page 7
... sound and language changes. Below you can find more detail about the ... change that happened in a branch called the “Germanic language fam- ily ... change from Indo-European “t” to different sounds in Gothic (spelled “d”, but pronounced ...
... sound and language changes. Below you can find more detail about the ... change that happened in a branch called the “Germanic language fam- ily ... change from Indo-European “t” to different sounds in Gothic (spelled “d”, but pronounced ...
Page 8
... sound was probably something like a very “ breathy ” “ b ” sound . This sound became a breathy “ p ” sound in Greek , an “ f ” sound in Latin , and a non - breathy “ b ” in the Germanic languages . We also see the common change of Indo ...
... sound was probably something like a very “ breathy ” “ b ” sound . This sound became a breathy “ p ” sound in Greek , an “ f ” sound in Latin , and a non - breathy “ b ” in the Germanic languages . We also see the common change of Indo ...
Page 9
... sound before it , somewhat like “ dek - um ” . * kmtom means “ one hundred ” . The initial “ k ” makes the same regular changes in the other languages as in * dekm above . These few examples give you an idea of how languages can change ...
... sound before it , somewhat like “ dek - um ” . * kmtom means “ one hundred ” . The initial “ k ” makes the same regular changes in the other languages as in * dekm above . These few examples give you an idea of how languages can change ...
Page 12
... sound in “ cube ” , and through regular sound changes became these various sounds . Language Word Tocharian känt ... change from “ k ” to a new sound is not entirely unusual . In fact , in Latin itself , the original “ k ” sound of “ cen ...
... sound in “ cube ” , and through regular sound changes became these various sounds . Language Word Tocharian känt ... change from “ k ” to a new sound is not entirely unusual . In fact , in Latin itself , the original “ k ” sound of “ cen ...
Contents
7 | |
13 | |
The IndoEuropean Daughter Families | 28 |
Characteristics of the Germanic Languages | 34 |
The Subdivisions of Germanic | 47 |
The Germanic Daughter Languages | 48 |
Old Norse | 56 |
Old Saxon | 68 |
Sample Texts | 108 |
Literature | 114 |
Sample Texts | 133 |
EARLY MODERN ENGLISH | 139 |
Sample Texts | 158 |
THE FUTURE OF ENGLISH | 177 |
Sample Texts | 195 |
213 | |
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Common terms and phrases
adjective alphabet became best known called century chapter declension definite article dialects diphthongs Dutch Early Modern English England eventually example forms French Future English gender Germanic daughter languages Germanic languages gōdan gōde Gothic grammatical Greek Grimm's Law guage hæv Indo-European infinitive inflectional endings king Latin letter linguist lish long vowels masculine meaning Middle English Middle English period Modern German Modern Pronunciation modern-day nominative noun Old English Old Frisian Old High German Old Low Franconian Old Norse Old Saxon original Past Participle past tense periphrastic person plural person singular personal pronouns phonetic present participle Present Preterite pronounced reconstructed rhotacism Sample Texts schwa sentence shows simply sing sound change Spanish speakers of English spoken subjunctive syllable thematic third person thou tion versus voiced voiceless Vowel Shift vowel sounds weak verbs West Germanic West Germanic language word written
Popular passages
Page 5 - The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either, yet bearing to both of them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and in the forms of grammar, than could possibly have been produced by accident; so strong indeed, that no philologer could examine them all three, without believing them to have sprung from some common source, which, perhaps, no longer exists...
Page 3 - Therefore is the name of it called Babel ; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.