HEl Exam 2
What accounts for the -E in Modern English stone, the Old English form of which was Stan in the nominative and accusative singular?
The -e was extended from the dative and genitive form to the nominative and accusative form
In which ME writers is aureate diction most evident?
a little in Chaucer, Lydgate and runs riot in James I, Henryson, Dunbar
Godwin
a powerful Earl under Cnut. father of harold godwinson
What happened to Englishmen in positions of church and state under William's rule?
All killed or removed from their positions and filled with normans
Generally what happened to inflectional endings of nouns in Middle English
All lost - what was left was -s and -es for plurals
What does English literature between 1150 and 1350 tell us about the changing fortunes of the English language?
Almost exclusively religious or admonitory - big deal because before then illegal to have bible in English as it was seen as a high status and should be in French or latin
why were the losses not so great in the personal pronouns? What distinction did the personal pronouns lose?
Already in the nominative - only had to change neuter and she pronouns - also loss of dual cause you can just use pural
Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman spoken in England differed from the language of Paris , which was central french
What principle is illustrated by the pairs ox/beef, sheep/mutton, swine/pork, and calf/veal?
Animal reference is English as that is what the peasants who raised the animals spoke and the meat that was served and eaten was referred to in French as the nobility were the ones eating it
From what settlers does Normandy derive its name? When did they come to France?
Band of Northmen who settled there in the ninth and tenth centuries
How did William divide his lands at his death?
Gave Normandy to one son, and England to the other
Aureate diction
Introduction of unusual words from Latin became a stylistic device in the fifteenth century
Analogy
Process by which the inflectional stuff becomes shortened and efficient - strong and weak verbs
What was generally the attitude of the French kings and upper classes to the English language?
Ranged from being considered a disgrace to be called and Englishmen to mutual respect and peaceful cooperation
Strong vs weak verbs
Regular = weak (end in "ed" like walk -> walked) Irregular = strong run -> ran
What do the literary accomplishments of the period between 1350 and 1400 imply about the status of England?
Represents the high point in English literary achievement in the Middle Ages - 1350-1400 called the period of great individual writers
Edward the Confessor (1042-1066)
died leaving no heirs and remitted the odious danegeld
Why did the speech of London have special importance during the Middle Ages?
emergence of London/East Midland dialect as standard spoken and written language; dominance of London as commercial center, seaport, proximity to Westminster court
Metathesis
--the alteration in the normal sequence of elements, especially of sounds the inversion of the [s] and [k] in "ask" when pronounced as "aks
Epenthesis
--the insertion of an extra (epenthetic) sound in the middle of a word the addition of the [u] in the pronunciation of "nuclear" as "nucular"
Apocope
--the omission of a final syllable, sound, or phoneme in a word the deleted /f/ in "two o'clock" is an example of apocope
Petersboroug Chronicle
showed changed from OE to ME
What general conclusions can one draw about the position of English at the end of the thirteenth century?
one draw about the position of English at the end of the thirteenth century? It was spreading steadily among the upper class
What two methods of indicating the plural of nouns remained common in early ME
s and es
William Caxton
set up the first printing press in England in 1476 and increases literacy
Assimilation
the influence exercised by one sound upon the articulation of another, so that the sounds become more alike; the in- in the word 'impossible' is a result of assimilation
Harold Godwinson
the last Anglo-Saxon king claimed Edward the Confessor left the thrown to him died in the Battle of Hastings ultimately losing to Willam the Conqueror
Syncope
the loss of sounds or letters from the middle of a word the deletion of the /e/ and [ə] from Old English "stanas" to Modern English "stones"
Geoffrey Chaucer
wrote the Canterbury Tales and his writing demonstrates many of the vowel shifts in Middle english
Leveling
-m --> -n ending ; vowels: a,o,u,e, -an, -um changed to indeterminate vowel -e which was schwaAll inflectional endings reduced what consonant is dropped and vowel changes to a schwa -eFor unstressed vowels
What phonetic changes brought about the leveling of inflectional endings in Middle English?
-m --> -n vowels: a,u,e,-an, -um --> schwa e
when did the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle continued to be written
1154
In what year did England lose Normandy? What events brought about the loss?
1204; King John married someone who was betrothed to someone else - anticipating an attack, he attacked first and was brought to French court and he didn't show so his French land was taken (Normandy)
What is the period of the greatest borrowing of French words? Altogether about how many French words were adopted during the ME period?
1250-1400; 40% of French words; slightly over 10,000 words
In what year was Parliament first opened with a speech in England?
1337
The Black Death
1348-1351, death of one third of English population, social chaos, labor shortages, emancipation of peasants, wage increases, rise in prestige of English as language of working classes
When did English begin to be used in the schools?
1349
For how long after the Norman Conquest did French remain the principal language of the upper classes in England?
200 years
How many of the OE strong verbs remain in the language today?
68
How many vowels changed in the great vowel shift?
7 and they were all long vowels
Aethelred the Unready
968-1016 exiled after Canute came Name really means "the ill-advised" Forced to pay the Danegeld (a tax to Danes and Vikings to prevent land from being ravished) Fled to Normandy while Danish King ruled England Son is Edward the Confessor
i-Umlaut
A sound change in which a vowel alters because it is influenced by the vowel in the following syllable.Example: *gosi --> geese
ablaut
A vowel change that gives a word a new grammatical function, also called gradation. Example: drink --> drank
What was the decisive battle between the Normans and the English? How did the Normans win it?
Battle of Hastings; English had upper hand on hill, so Normans began a false retreat and the English followed and Harold was killed in battle leaving the English confused and running around with no leade
What was the status of French throughout Europe in the thirteenth century?
Became a cultivated tongue supported by social custom and by business and administrative convention
In the borrowing of French words into English, how is the period before 1250 distinguished from the period after?
Before, roughly 900 were borrowed - many were such as the lower class would become familiar with through contact with a French speaking nobility
Name five strong verbs that were becoming weak during the thirteenth century
Burn, climb, help, step, walk
To what extent did the Norman Conquest affect the grammar of English?
By removing the authority that a standard variety of English would have, the Norman conquest made it easier for grammatical changes to go forward unchecked
The Hundred Years' War
Causes: controversy over success to French throne. French wanted Philip of Valois, but Edward of III of England declared himself king of France. Lots of fits and starts
When was William crowned king of England? How long did it take him to complete his conquest of England and gain complete recognition? In what parts of the country did he face rebellions?
Christmas Day 1066; half a century, north, west, and southwest
What kind of contact did the English have with speakers of Flemish, Dutch, and Low German during the late Middle Ages?
Constant and close relation
What happened to the demonstrative a se, seo, thaet, thes, theos, this, in ME?
Demonstrative loss was great - all that was left was the that and those and these
What accounts for the difference in pronunciation between words introduced into English after the Norman Conquest and the corresponding words in Modern French?
Different dialect - what was introduced in English was Norman and central French was what was in Paris and what became their modern version of french
How far down in the social scale was a knowledge of French at all general?
Down in Middle Class
Which dialect of ME became the basis for Standard English? What causes contributed to the establishment of this dialect?
East Midland
What effect did the decay of inflections have upon grammatical gender in ME?
Elimination of grammatical gender
Henry II
English king who added French lands to English holdings by marrying Eleanor of Aquitaine Rule began the Age of Chivalry and Arts (knighthood) all was written in Latin or French friend with Becket and appointed him Archbishop of Canterbury, but accidentally had him killed
About when did English become generally adopted for the records of towns and the central government?
Fifteenth century saw the adoption of English for the record - 1430, translating ordinances for towns
What tendency may be observed in the following sets of synonyms: rise-mount-ascend, ask-question-interrogate, goodness-virtue-probity?
First: English - Second: French - Third: Latin 3 sets of synonyms bc of the norman invasion of 1066 and latin influence of the roman invasion
William Duke of Normandy
Formerly known as William the bastard and after his victory was called William the Conqueror Became first Norman king of England by defeating Godwinson Claimed the thrown was his b/c he was Edward the confessor's cousin **
Why are the French words borrowed during the fifteenth century of a bookish quality?
French literature was really big during this time - principal source of words
Hybrid forms
French root with English prefix or suffix - poorness
In what way did the Hundred Year's War probably contribute to the decline of French in England?
French was the language of an enemy country, one of the causes for the disuse of french
In general, which parts of the population spoke English, and which French?
French was the language of the court and the upper classes, English the speech of the mass of the people
Isoglosses
Geographical boundary lines where different linguistic features meet. In the North and East dialects were different because of Danes and Dane Law in South and West there was Saxon Law
Into what general classes do borrowing of French vocabulary fall?
Governmental and administrative, ecclesiastical, law, army and navy, fashion, meals and social life, art, learning, and medicine
Despite the changes in the English language brought about by the Norman Conquest, in what ways was the language still English?
Grammar was still English, great and basic elements of the vocabulary were still english
What was the extent of the lands ruled by Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine?
Had Anjou and Maine that he inherited from his father, with his marriage came vast estates in the south, when he became King of England, controlled 2/3 of France
Despite the loss of Normandy, what circumstances encouraged the French to continue coming to England during the long reign of Henry III (1216-1272)?
He was wholly French in his tastes and connections - his wife was related to the French king
Which king is credited for starting the War of Roses?
Henry VI
What was the status of the French language in England by the end of the fifteenth century?
Ignorance of French must h ave been quite common among the governing class in England from the beginning of the fifteenth century
King John
King of England who raised taxes and punished his enemies without a trial. He is best known for being forced to sign the Magna Carta. He is also called John Lackland because he lost the English hold of Normandy
Central French
Language of Paris - head differences in spelling and pronunciation
What was the main source of Latin borrowings during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries?
Law, medicine, theology, science, and literature
The Peasants' Revolt
Many lower class men left their towns looking for higher wages and left those who stayed to by burdened with more work with no increase in pay - general spirit of discontent arose --> revolt Outcomes: parliament stopped trying to control wages landowners paid, poll tax never raised again, marked breakdown of feudal system, and Lords treated peasants with more respect
How does modern english differ from OE
Modern is analytic OE is synthetic
Name five strong past participles that have remained in use after the verb became weak.
Molten, mown, shapen, swollen, sodden
Which form of the adjective became the form for all cases by the close of the ME period
Nominative singular
Differences between northen and southern dialects
North: th variants (them), 3rd person singular indicative s and es (telles), South: h type variant (hem), 3 person singular present indicatin th (telleth) Other differences: shall/should vs, sall and sould
What are the five principal dialects of ME?
Northern, east midland, west midland, southern, and kentish
What is the origin of the th- forms of the personal pronouns? What distinction did the personal pronouns lose?
Old Norse/Scandinavian - dual number
What specifically can one say about changing conditions for the middle class in England during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries? What effect did these changes have upon the English language?
Rise of craftsmen and merchant class - towns became free, self-governing communities, electing their own officers, assessing taxes in their own way, collecting them and paying them to the king in a lump sum, trying their own cases, and regulating their commercial affairs as they saw fit - by beginning of the fourteenth century, English was known by everyone
Word Order patterns in middle english
SOV (direct ober before verb) 1000: 53%, 1200 53%, 1300: 40%, 1400: 14%, 1500:2% SVO (direct object after verb) 1000: 47%, 1200: 47%, 1300: 60%, 1400: 86%, 1500: 98%
Statute of Pleading
Said that hereafter all lawsuits would be conducted in English - brought English into the courts and was the official recognition of English
Philip King of France
Saw an opportunity to embarrass John , his most irritating vassal, and to do this, he called him to French court for judgment and when John didn't show up Normandy was confiscated in 1204
What statute marks the official recognition of the English Language in England?
Statute of Pleading
What were the principal changes in the verb during the ME period?
Strong verbs were I n the loss - most became weak verbs
Latin influence of the Third Period
The influence of the Norman conquest - ultimate source of the new French words - also large number of words borrowed directly from Latin
According to Baugh and Cable, the Black Death reduced the numbers of the lower classes disproportionately and yet indirectly increased the importance of the language that they spoke. Why was this so?
The laboring class grew in importance and with that its language, English
How would the English language probably have been different if the Norman Conquest had never occurred?
The language would have most likely followed the same course as the other Germanic languages, retaining perhaps more of its inflections and preserving a predominantly Germanic vocabulary, adding to its word-stock by the characteristic methods of word formations, and incorporating words from other languages less freely.
What can one conclude about the use of French in the church and the universities by the fourteenth century?
The tendency to speak English was becoming constantly stronger even in those to most conservative institutions, the church and the universitites
What explains the fact that the borrowing of French words begins to assume large proportions during the second half of the thirteenth century, as the importance of the French language in England is declining?
The transference of words occurs when those who know French and have been accustomed to use it try to express themselves in English
What does the literature written under the patronage of the English court indicate about French culture and language in England during this period?
There was French Literature being produced = French was ruling the upper class
What generally happened to the OE prefixes and suffixes in ME?
They disappeared. A couple stayed and are used in MOE - lost their vitality and their ability to enter into new combinations
To what extent did the upper classes learn English? What can one infer concerning Henry II's knowledge of English?
They gathered familiarity wth it
What effect did the loss of Normandy have upon the nobility of France and England and consequently the English language?
They had to chose which king to be loyal to. Many had land in both kingdoms. After 1250, English nobility had to consider itself English - most valid reason for its use of French was gone
The arrival of foreigners during Henry II's reign undoubtedly delayed the spread of English among the upper classes. In what ways did these events actually benefit the English language?
Untied the Englishmen against the French for they did not know English and this caused a pride for speaking English and not French in everyday life
Harold Hardrada
Viking that claimed the throne in England died at the Battle of Stamford Bridge Descendant of Canute
What kind of French was spoken in England, and how was it regarded?
Was probably a mixture of various northern dialectal features, but with Norman predominating and under the influence of English linguistic tendencies, it gradually developed into something quite different from any of the continental dialects
How complete was the fusion of the French and English peoples in England?
Was rapid and was complete
Henry I
William's son, ruled 1100-1135, made a common legal system for all England educated king that sought more education and Latin teaching. Reunited Normandy and England during his reign
Standard English
Written language that in the course of the fifteenth century won general recognition and has since become the recognized standard in both speech and writing
Layamon
Wrote BRUT in 1200 a- during a time of religious literature - his was not
Henry III
son of King John In spite of devotion to English saints, was wholly French in his tastes and connections
examples of words of French origin
tax, estate, trouble, duty, pay, table, boil, serve, roast, dine, religion, savior; pray, trinity
John Wycliffe
translated the Bible into English after so many of the clergy died he saw the common people needed to be able to read the Bible
