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.