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LESSON-3.-Before-Old-English

The Origins of English: Before Old English

  • Exploration of the English language's roots and its evolution.

  • Utilizes linguistic, archaeological, and genetic evidence to trace language development.

  • Presentation prepared by Florrench M. Gabin.

Origins of Language

  • Early Hominids:

    • Evolutionary split between humans and chimpanzees occurred around 7 million years ago.

    • Homo sapiens was labeled by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 within genus Homo.

  • Emergence of Language:

    • Human language likely emerged between 150,000 and 80,000 years ago.

Early Writings Linguistic Insights

  • Early writings illuminate changes in language structure:

    • Cuneiform: Developed by Sumerians ~5,100 years ago; uses wedge-shaped marks.

    • Hieroglyphics: Ancient Egyptian pictorial writing to represent sounds.

    • Indus Script: Used symbols in the Indus Valley ~5,500 years ago; remains unreadable.

    • Runes: Carved letters by Germanic tribes, characterized by straight lines.

Indo-European to Germanic: Sound Changes

  • Cognates and the Comparative Method:

    • Introduces cognates and methods for linguistic relationship establishment.

  • Grimm's Law:

    • Formulated from Sir William Jones's connections among Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit.

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

  • IPA is a system representing sound pronunciation, aiding language learning.

  • Indo-European Family:

    • Encompasses numerous modern languages, including English, Spanish, Hindi, and Russian.

Sound Changes: Indo-European to Germanic

  • Grimm's Law: Explains sound changes in Germanic languages.

    • Voiceless stops to voiceless fricatives:

      • /p/ → /f/

      • /t/ → /θ/

      • /k/ → /h/

    • Voiced stops to voiceless stops:

      • /b/ → /p/

      • /g/ → /k/

Grimm's Law: Examples

  • IPA Symbols and Their Transitions:

    • /p/ pater → faðer (Father)

    • /t/ deka → tiene (Ten)

    • /k/ kwon → hwa (Who)

    • /b/ bhrāter → broðor (Brother)

    • /g/ gʰeu̯ → cēosan (To Choose)

    • /v/ wódr → water

Voiced Stops to Voiceless Stops

  • Examines respective transformations with examples:

    • Indo-European bhrāter → Germanic broðor (Brother)

    • Indo-European gʰeu̯ → Germanic cēosan (To Choose)

Aspirated Voiced Stops to Voiced Stops

  • /bʰ/ → /b/: Indo-European bʰréh₂tēr → Germanic broðor (Brother).

  • /dʰ/ → /d/: Indo-European dʰegʰom → Germanic deorfan (To Dear).

Grimm's Law: Significance

  • Language Evolution: Illustrates language changes over time.

  • Historical Linguistics: Traces history and relationships of languages.

Key Takeaways

  • IPA aids in pronunciation understanding.

  • Indo-European is a substantial language family with broad branches.

  • Grimm's Law elucidates sound changes in Germanic languages, reflecting language evolution.

Indo-European to Germanic: Changes in Morphology

  • Morphology studies word formation transformations from Indo-European to Germanic.

  • Shift from highly inflected systems to more analytic structures has been explored.

Word Formation Before Old English

  • Earlier languages utilized endings for indicating actions and relationships.

Cases in Sanskrit

  • Sanskrit employs a case system indicating grammatical functions via endings on nouns:

    • Nominative Case: (Subject) Example: Rāmaḥ (रामः)

    • Accusative Case: (Direct Object) Example: Rāmaṁ (रामं)

    • Genitive Case: (Possession) Example: Rāmasya (रामस्य)

    • Instrumental Case: (Means) Example: Rāmena (रामेण)

    • Dative Case: (Indirect Object) Example: Rāmāya (रामाय)

    • Locative Case: (Location) Example: Rāme (रामे)

    • Ablative Case: (Separation) Example: Rāmāt (रामाि)

    • Vocative Case: (Direct Address) Example: O Rāma! (हे राम!)

From Inflection to Analysis

  • Shift from inflected systems to more analytic structures in older Germanic languages.

  • Changes have significantly impacted the structure of Germanic languages.

The Impact of Change

  • Transition to a more analytic system simplifies morphology; however, it reduces richness.

  • Old English features fewer cases than Sanskrit.

The Evolution of Word Formation

  • Morphological changes influence contemporary speaking and writing.

  • Understanding historical morphology aids appreciation of language complexity and beauty.

Conclusion

  • Word endings facilitated understanding of actions and relationships.

  • Building blocks of language contribute to meaningful sentence formation.

Key Takeaways

  • Morphological evolution from Indo-European to Germanic has been significant.

  • Language adaptations reveal complexity while providing insight into linguistic history.

Changes in Syntax from Indo-European to Modern English

  • Syntax concerns word order structure in sentences.

Word Order in Indo-European vs. Modern English

  • Latin Example: Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) Structure:

    • "Puella librum legit."

    • Translation: "The girl reads the book."

  • Modern English Alternative: Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) Structure:

    • "The girl reads the book."

  • Change reasoning: Movement to fixed word order clarifies meaning.

Continued Exploration of Word Order Differences

  • Sanskrit (Indo-European): Flexible word order with SOV.

  • Modern English: Standardized SVO for clarity.

Additional Comparisons of Syntax

  • Ancient Greek: Flexible SOV/SVO.

  • Old High German: Often SOV.

  • Evolution toward a standardized SVO structure in English for clearer communication.

Summary of Changes

  • Historical flexibility in word order ex. VSO is becoming stricter SVO in Modern English.

    • Shift aids in clarity and reliance on predictable structures.

Linguistic Reconstruction

  • Discusses reconstructing proto-languages from existing families.

  • Emphasizes challenges of tracing linguistic changes.

Cultural and Political Influences on Language Development

  • Examines impact of migrations and cultural interactions.

  • Highlights the role of linguistic identity in shaping social dynamics.