Week 10 Part 2 (Language Change)

Question 1

what are language-external factors?

Answer 1

from contact with other languages

Question 2

list the language-external factors

Answer 2

borrowing, formation of new languages, language ‘death’

Question 3

describe the impact of language external factors on English

Answer 3

After French-speaking Normans settled in Britain, French became the prestige language. It did not have case marking, so that was lost

Question 4

what are language-internal factors?

Answer 4

factors that arise within a language

Question 5

what are the language-internal factors?

Answer 5

simplification through analogy and phonological factors encouraging levelling

Question 6

what is analogy?

Answer 6

applying patterns to other words

Question 7

what is levelling

Answer 7

lack of distinction in sounds (e.g. ‘bulldozing’ words down flat)

Question 8

describe the genitive

Answer 8

A case-marking suffix used in Old English which distinguished the case and gender of a noun which was lost after Norman settlement

Question 9

What sequence does Modern English use?

Answer 9

SVO

Question 10

what was the declarative sequence for Old English?

Answer 10

SVO/SOV

Question 11

what was the sequence for declaratives with initial verbs?

Answer 11

VSO

Question 12

describe declaratives with initial verbs

Answer 12

clauses beginning with “then”/”not” are called Verb Second

Question 13

what did Old English do to interrogatives?

Answer 13

inverted the subject and first-verb (e.g. hearest thou?)

Question 14

what does Modern English do to interrogatives

Answer 14

inverts the subject and auxiliary verb

Question 15

How long did VSO initial adverb declarative structure persist?

Answer 15

until Early Modern English