10. Synchrony and diachrony

According to the method, range or scope of its study, or the focus of interest of the linguist, Linguistics can be classified into different kinds, the chief of which are: Diachronic Linguistics and Synchronic Linguistics. Diachronic linguistics is the kind in which we study the historical development of language through different periods of time.

For example, we study how English and French have grown out of Latin. The changes that have occurred in language with the passage of time, are also studied under this kind of linguistics; therefore, it is called historical linguistics. Synchronic linguistics is not concerned with the historical development of language. It confines itself to the study of how a language is spoken by a specified speech community at a particular point of time. It is also called ‘descriptive’ linguistics. Diachronic linguistics studies language change, and synchronic linguistics studies language states without their history.

The distinction synchrony and diachrony refers to the difference in treating language from different points of view. Though the historical character of a language cannot be ignored, its present form being the result of definite historical processes, changes and transformations, it is necessary for a complete understanding of it to concentrate on the units of its structure at the present moment. Some scholars do not see the two approaches apart. They assert that it is a mistake to think of descriptive and historical linguistics as two separate compartments. However, on the whole the two areas are kept apart and one is studied to the exclusion of the other. Synchronic statements make no reference to the previous stages in the language.

11. Oe Phonetics

The first English used the runes. The Latin alphabet was carried by the Roman Catholic church to the Anglo-Saxons in the 7th c. The stress was dynamic, shifted to the first syllable, the first root syllable after prefixes.

Vowels: 7-8 short 6-7long. They differed the meaning. There were 4 diphthongs (short and long)

The most common changes

1. Breaking (fracture).

(r+cons; l+cons; h+cons);

A + r+cons; l+cons = ea; - hard – heard; arm – earm; half – healf; ahta – eahta; nah – neah;

æ + h+cons = ea; - uyj

e + h final = eo – erl – eorl; melcan – meolcan (milk), feh – feoh (fee).

2. Palatal mutation (i-mutation) A = æ; A = e; sandian – sendan; salian – sell; satian – sætan – settan O = oe = e; dohter – dehter; wo_pian – we_pan (weep); u = y kuning – cyning; mu_s – mY_s. The same about diphthongs:

ea = ie eald – ieldra (elder)

eo – ie – feor – fierra (further).

3. Diphthongization after palatal consonants

SK, K and J (in spelling C, C ک). )

a=ea (skal – sceal – shall)a-

e = ie gefan – giefan; getan –

a-ea e = ie

ae = ea – gaef – geaf (gave);

o = eo scort – sceort (short); yong – geong

4. Back, or Velar Mutation

The syllable that influenced the preceding vowel contained a back vowel – O or U (sometimes A).

I = io hira – hiora (their), sifon – siofon

e = eo ( hefon – heofon (heavens)

a = ea saru – searu – armour.

5. Mutation before H.

Sounds A and E that precede H underwent several changes, mutating to diphthongs EA, IE and finally were reduced to I/Y

naht – neaht – niht – nieht – nyht;

magan – meahrte – mihte – myhte.