1. English Language Development Flashcards
(92 cards)
1
Q
What branch of the Indo-European family does the English language belong to?
A
West Germanic branch
The closest living relatives of English are Scots and Frisian.
2
Q
What were the main reasons for the historical invasions of Britain?
A
- Large size of the country
- Rich in fertile land and materials
- Central island location
- Growing populations of invaders
- Popularity among tribes
- Technological capability to conquer
3
Q
Who were the first Indo-European speakers to move across Europe?
A
Celts
They settled in various regions, developing different dialects.
4
Q
What new influences did the Romans introduce to Britain?
A
- New way of life
- New language (Latin)
- Laws and police
- Roads and towns
5
Q
What happened to Britain after the Romans left?
A
The country became disorganized and unprotected
6
Q
Which tribes drove the British Celts to the north and west of Britain?
A
Germanic Tribes
7
Q
What were the four main dialects of Old English?
A
- West Saxon
- Kentish
- Mercian
- Northumbrian
8
Q
What is a defining characteristic of Old English?
A
It was completely a Germanic language with very few Celtic words.
9
Q
What significant event occurred in the 6th century that impacted the English language?
A
The introduction of Christianity by monks from Rome
10
Q
Name a significant piece of literature from the Old English period.
A
Beowulf
11
Q
What percentage of Old English vocabulary was replaced in Modern English?
A
About 85%
12
Q
What were the main sources of new English vocabulary during the Old English period?
A
- Latin
- Greek
- Old French
13
Q
How did the Anglo-Saxons influence the English language?
A
They introduced Latin influence through Christianity.
14
Q
What grammatical feature was notable in Old English nouns?
A
Three genders in nouns
15
Q
What was a key change in the verb system from Old English to Modern English?
A
The addition of -ed for past tense and vowel changes
16
Q
Who was King Alfred and what did he contribute to the English language?
A
An Anglo-Saxon king who made English the language of education and literature
17
Q
What was the Danelaw?
A
The part of England controlled by the Vikings
18
Q
What impact did the Vikings have on the English language?
A
Simplified the language and influenced grammar and vocabulary
19
Q
Fill in the blank: Old English had a _______ system for communicating meanings in sentences.
A
case
20
Q
True or False: The Vikings and the English had entirely different languages.
A
False
21
Q
What was the significance of The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle?
A
It was the first book of its kind in Western Europe, written in English.
22
Q
What is the Old Norse term for sister?
A
syster
Replaced the Old English term ‘sweostor’.
23
Q
Which two words from Old English and Old Norse both mean ‘wish’?
A
wish (OE) / want (ON)
Demonstrates synonym usage between the two languages.
24
Q
What is the Old Norse word for church?
A
kirk
Survived in certain dialects.
25
What is the origin of modern words beginning with 'sk-'?
Old Norse
## Footnote
Examples include skin, skirt, and sky.
26
Name three modern English words of Old Norse origin.
* bag
* cake
* die
## Footnote
Other examples include egg, get, give, husband, leg, neck, same, take, window.
27
What do the suffixes 'by', 'thorp(e)', and 'toft' in English place names indicate?
* -by = farm or town
* -thorp(e) = small village
* -toft = piece of land
## Footnote
Examples include Whitby, Scunthorpe, and Blacktoft.
28
What historical event occurred on 14 October 1066?
The Battle of Hastings
## Footnote
Marked the beginning of the Norman Conquest.
29
What language became the governing class's language after the Norman Conquest?
Norman French
## Footnote
Dominated for 200 years in England.
30
What was the primary language of the peasant class in England during the Norman Conquest?
Old English
## Footnote
Examples include sheep, cows, swine.
31
Which language influenced government, law, and literature in England after the Norman Conquest?
French
## Footnote
Along with Latin in government and church.
32
What significant change occurred to English between 1100 and 1500?
It became grammatically simpler
## Footnote
This period is known as Middle English.
33
What is the Great Vowel Shift?
A major change in the pronunciation of English vowels
## Footnote
Occurred during the period of Middle English.
34
How many French words were integrated into English between 1100 and 1500?
About 10,000
## Footnote
Three-quarters are still in use today.
35
What is the best-known work of Geoffrey Chaucer?
The Canterbury Tales
## Footnote
Chaucer wrote in the East Midlands dialect.
36
What year did William Caxton bring the printing press to London?
1476
## Footnote
Marked a significant development in English literature.
37
What was the dominant language of learning in Europe by the beginning of the 16th century?
Latin
## Footnote
English began to gain prominence with the invention of printing.
38
What significant change occurred in English by the end of the 17th century?
English was accepted as a language of learning
## Footnote
Notably seen in Sir Isaac Newton's works.
39
What is the primary language of education in Europe?
Latin
## Footnote
Latin has historically been the language of education in Europe.
40
Name three sources of new words in the English language.
* Latin
* French
* Creativity of people
## Footnote
New words can also come from various cultures and languages like American, African, and Asian.
41
Who were some prominent literary figures during the age of Queen Elizabeth?
* Spencer
* Sidney
* Marlowe
* Johnson
* William Shakespeare
## Footnote
This period (1558-1603) saw a great flowering of literature.
42
What is significant about Shakespeare's vocabulary?
He had the largest vocabulary of any English writer, creating about 2,000 words and many expressions.
## Footnote
Shakespeare used approximately 20,000 words in his plays.
43
What major translation of the Bible was completed in 1611?
King James Bible
## Footnote
This translation had a significant influence on the English language for the next 300 years.
44
True or False: By the 17th century, the 'do' auxiliary verb began to be used in questions and negatives.
True
## Footnote
The usage of 'do' became more common in questions and negatives during this time.
45
What change occurred in English pronouns by 1500?
Both 'ye' and 'you' were used
## Footnote
By the 17th century, only 'you' was used, and a new pronoun 'its' appeared.
46
What occurred in English spelling and grammar in the 17th century?
A need was felt to standardize spelling and grammar.
## Footnote
This led to the publication of spelling guides and dictionaries.
47
What was the first English-English dictionary published?
1604 - a collection of about 3,000 'hard English wordes'
## Footnote
Samuel Johnson's 'A Dictionary of the English Language' was published in 1775.
48
What is the time period referred to as Late Modern English?
1800 - present
## Footnote
This period features not many differences in grammar and pronunciation compared to today's English.
49
Approximately how many new words have entered the English language in the last 100 years?
About 100,000 new words
## Footnote
Many of these new words arose from discoveries and inventions.
50
Fill in the blank: The word 'airport' was coined in _______.
1919
## Footnote
'Airport' is an example of a new word formed by combining two older words.
51
What are some examples of words derived from foreign languages?
* Disco (French)
* Pizza (Italian)
## Footnote
About 5% of new words have come from foreign languages.
52
What is a loanword?
Borrowings from other languages
## Footnote
Examples include words from Latin, Greek, and French.
53
What new words have emerged from technological advancements?
* User-friendly (1977)
* Download (1980)
* Online (1950)
## Footnote
These words reflect developments in computing.
54
What does the term 'affixes' refer to in word formation?
Prefixes or suffixes added to make new words
## Footnote
Examples include 'disinformation' and 'unputdownable'.
55
What is an example of a word that has been shortened?
* Photo (from photograph)
* Plane (from aeroplane)
* Telly (from television)
## Footnote
These examples show how words can evolve over time.
56
What is the primary language of education in Europe?
Latin
## Footnote
Latin has historically been the language of education in Europe.
57
Name three sources of new words in the English language.
* Latin
* French
* Creativity of people
## Footnote
New words can also come from various cultures and languages like American, African, and Asian.
58
Who were some prominent literary figures during the age of Queen Elizabeth?
* Spencer
* Sidney
* Marlowe
* Johnson
* William Shakespeare
## Footnote
This period (1558-1603) saw a great flowering of literature.
59
What is significant about Shakespeare's vocabulary?
He had the largest vocabulary of any English writer, creating about 2,000 words and many expressions.
## Footnote
Shakespeare used approximately 20,000 words in his plays.
60
What major translation of the Bible was completed in 1611?
King James Bible
## Footnote
This translation had a significant influence on the English language for the next 300 years.
61
True or False: By the 17th century, the 'do' auxiliary verb began to be used in questions and negatives.
True
## Footnote
The usage of 'do' became more common in questions and negatives during this time.
62
What change occurred in English pronouns by 1500?
Both 'ye' and 'you' were used
## Footnote
By the 17th century, only 'you' was used, and a new pronoun 'its' appeared.
63
What occurred in English spelling and grammar in the 17th century?
A need was felt to standardize spelling and grammar.
## Footnote
This led to the publication of spelling guides and dictionaries.
64
What was the first English-English dictionary published?
1604 - a collection of about 3,000 'hard English wordes'
## Footnote
Samuel Johnson's 'A Dictionary of the English Language' was published in 1775.
65
What is the time period referred to as Late Modern English?
1800 - present
## Footnote
This period features not many differences in grammar and pronunciation compared to today's English.
66
Approximately how many new words have entered the English language in the last 100 years?
About 100,000 new words
## Footnote
Many of these new words arose from discoveries and inventions.
67
Fill in the blank: The word 'airport' was coined in _______.
1919
## Footnote
'Airport' is an example of a new word formed by combining two older words.
68
What are some examples of words derived from foreign languages?
* Disco (French)
* Pizza (Italian)
## Footnote
About 5% of new words have come from foreign languages.
69
What is a loanword?
Borrowings from other languages
## Footnote
Examples include words from Latin, Greek, and French.
70
What new words have emerged from technological advancements?
* User-friendly (1977)
* Download (1980)
* Online (1950)
## Footnote
These words reflect developments in computing.
71
What does the term 'affixes' refer to in word formation?
Prefixes or suffixes added to make new words
## Footnote
Examples include 'disinformation' and 'unputdownable'.
72
What is an example of a word that has been shortened?
* Photo (from photograph)
* Plane (from aeroplane)
* Telly (from television)
## Footnote
These examples show how words can evolve over time.
73
What is the definition of etymology?
Etymology is a branch of lexicology studying the origin of words.
74
How is the English vocabulary divided etymologically?
The English vocabulary is divided into native words and loan words.
75
What is a native word?
A native word is a word which belongs to the original English word stock known from the earliest available manuscripts of the Old English period.
76
What is a loanword?
A loanword is a word taken over from another language and modified according to the standards of the English language.
77
What is the process of adopting words from a source language into a native language called?
The process is called borrowing.
78
What are the two types of borrowings?
Borrowings may be direct and indirect.
79
What are the main intermediary languages for English?
The main intermediary languages for English are Latin and French.
80
What is the difference between 'source of borrowing' and 'origin of borrowing'?
'Source of borrowing' is the language from which the word is taken, while 'origin of borrowing' is the language to which it may be traced.
81
What are some examples of native words of Indo-European origin?
* Terms of kinship (father, mother, son)
* Terms from nature (sun, moon, water, tree)
* Names of animals (bull, cat, wolf)
* Parts of the human body (arm, eye, foot)
* Most frequent verbs (come, sit, stand)
82
What characterizes words of the Common Germanic stock?
They have parallels in German, Norwegian, Dutch, Icelandic, etc., and their character is mainly general.
83
What percentage of the 500 most frequent words in English are native words?
Native words constitute about 80%.
84
What are the characteristics of native words?
* High lexical and grammatical valency
* High frequency
* Developed polysemy
* Often monosyllabic
* Great word-building power
* Enter a number of set expressions
85
What is assimilation of borrowings?
Assimilation of borrowings is the process where borrowed words conform to the phonetical, graphical, morphological standards, and semantic system of the receiving language.
86
What factors affect the degree of assimilation of a borrowed word?
* Way of borrowing (oral or written)
* Importance for communication
* Length of period of usage
87
What are the three degrees of assimilation for borrowed words?
* Completely assimilated words
* Partially assimilated words
* Unassimilated words (barbarisms)
88
Give examples of completely assimilated words.
* Latin: wall, cup, wine, mile, pen
* Scandinavian: give, take, get, fellow
* French: face, table, chair
89
What are partially assimilated borrowings?
* Words not assimilated semantically
* Words not assimilated grammatically
* Words not assimilated phonetically
* Words not assimilated graphically
90
What are examples of words not assimilated semantically?
* toreador
* taiga
* steppe
* valenki
* shah
* minaret
91
What defines a barbarism?
Barbarisms are not assimilated in any respect and are felt as foreign.
92
Provide examples of barbarisms.
* alter ego (Lat)
* tête-a-tête (Fr)
* dolche vita (It)
* ciao (It)
* Fürher (Germ)
* Hausfrau (Germ)
