VARIATION OVER TIME TERMINOLOGY

Allusion

A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, political or literary significance. They do not describe in detail the person or thing to which they refer. It is just a passing comment and the reader is expected to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text e.g. ‘He’s a bit of a Romeo’.

Allegory

A story which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a political or moral one. e.g. The boy who cried wolf.

Idiom

A metaphorical phrase which is understood within a shared culture to mean something quite different to what the individual words could imply. These aren’t original metaphors anymore, therefore it is best to adapt them or put an original twist on them in a creative text. e.g. ‘If we play our cards right’.

Assonance

This occurs when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonants e.g. ‘Men sell the wedding bells’.

Consonance

Repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase. This repetition often takes place in quick succession. e.g. ‘pitter patter’.

History of English: Key dates

450 - Arrival of Germanic tribes - beginning of the Old English period

1066 - Norman inquest, French ruling classes forced English underground - beginning of Middle English period

1476 - Caxton establishes the first printing press - beginning of Early Modern English period

1698 - Use of the first steam engine, rise of British Colonialism in America and the Caribbean - beginning of Modern English period

History of English - Periods

1. Old English - 450-1100 (Beowulf)

2. Middle English - 1100-1450 (Canterbury Tales)

3. Early Modern English - 1450-1700 (King James Bible, Shakespeare)

4. Modern English 1700-1900 (Jane Austen and Victorian era)

5. Late Modern English 1900-present

Descriptivism

An approach to language study that seeks to describe language use, variation and change, where no judgement or negative attitude is imposed on a language.

Prescriptivism

The notion that language should be fixed, prescribing to a set standard of rules for language usage, with any shift away from these rules or standards being seen as incorrect.

Diachronic Linguistics

The study of how a language evolves over a period of time. Variation over time is typically Diachronic Variation.

Synchronic Linguistics

Aims at describing a language at a certain point, usually the present.

Lengua Franca

A shared language used for communication by people who do not speak the same native language (mutual language)

Old English Variation

Old English evolved in a land that was full of migrants, raiders, mercenaries, temporary settlers, long-established families and rapidly changing power bases.

The society was not very numerous - the total population of Britain in the 5th century was less than half a million, but it was highly scattered,

People lived in small communities and group were continually on the move, these conditions were ideal for a proliferation of dialects.