Language History Flashcards

Flashcards based on lecture notes about language history, focusing on the history of English and comparative reconstruction.

What is Philology?

The study of language history and change.

What did the study of Philology in the 19th century result in?

The creation of language 'family trees' to show how languages were related.

Who suggested that languages from different geographical areas might have a common ancestor?

Sir William Jones, a British government official in India.

What does 'Proto' refer to in the context of language families?

The original form of a language that was the source of modern languages.

What are the major branches of the Indo-European language family?

Balto-Slavic, Indo-Iranian, Germanic, Celtic, Italic, and Hellenic.

Which language family has the largest population and distribution in the world?

Indo-European.

What is a cognate?

A word in one language that has a similar form and meaning to a word in another language, indicating a possible family connection.

What is comparative reconstruction?

A procedure to reconstruct what must have been an earlier or possible 'proto' form in the common ancestral language.

What are the two general principles in carrying out comparative reconstruction?

Majority principle and most natural development principle.

What is the 'majority principle' in comparative reconstruction?

In a cognate set, if three words begin with a [p] sound and one begins with a [b] sound, assume [p] is the original.

What is the 'most natural development principle' in comparative reconstruction?

Certain types of sound changes are very common, while changes in the other direction are extremely unlikely.

List the four periods in the history of English.

Old English (before 1100), Middle English (1100 to 1500), Early Modern English (1500 to 1700), Modern English (after 1700).

Which tribes primarily influenced the development of Old English?

Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.

What is the origin of the term 'Anglo-Saxons'?

It comes from the names of the Angles and Saxons tribes who settled in Britain.

What is the origin of the word 'Englisc'?

It comes from the term 'Anglo', referring to the language of the Anglo-Saxons.

Which language influenced English between the 6th and 8th centuries, introducing words like 'angel' and 'church'?

Latin, due to the conversion of Anglo-Saxons to Christianity.

Which group of people influenced English from the 8th to 10th centuries, contributing words like 'sky' and 'law'?

The Vikings, with their language Old Norse.

What event marks the end of the Old English period and the beginning of the Middle English period?

The arrival of the Norman French in England in 1066.

What language became the language of nobility, government, and law in England after the Norman invasion?

French.

What was the 'Great Vowel Shift'?

A significant change in the pronunciation of English vowel sounds that began around 1500.

What year did the introduction of printing occur?

1476

What is the difference between internal and external language change?

Changes reflecting influences from the outside are an example of external change, whereas other changes are the result of processes of internal change.