1. English as a Germanic Language, its place among other langs of the word.

There are approximately 7000 languages in the world. In accordance with the Genealogical classification of languages, all of them can be subdivided into groups, which are often called families. English belongs to the Germanic branch of Indo-European family. Nowadays Germanic languages are spoken in many countries; English is spoken in England, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and partly elsewhere. In India English is considered a second official language.

2. Principal Features of Germanic Languages.

Stress falls on the initial syllable (root syllable) of word. Changes of vowels (Germanic Vowel Shift) and consonants (Grimm’s and Verner’s Law). Strong and weak declensions of adjectives and verbs

3. Word Stress in Indo-European and Common Germanic and its influence upon the morphological system of English.

In IE there were two kinds of stress – musical and dynamic; in Germanic languages only dynamic stress is preserved. In IE stress was free and movable, in PG and OE it became fixed upon the first syllable primarily.

4. Verner’s Law. Rhotacism.

The law adds the following note to Grimm’s law. If an IE voiceless plosive was preceded by an unstressed vowel, the voiceless fricative which developed from it in accordance with Grimm’s law became voiced and later this voiced fricative became a voiced plosive. Rhotacism is the change “z” to “r”. Due to “s” affected by Verner’s law.

5. Grimm’s Law.

Also called First Consonant Shift. Expresses regular correspondence between consonants of Germanic and those of other Indo-European languages. E. G.: lat. pater Eng. father But not all correspondences stated in Grimm’s law are equally clear. Voiceless plosives – voiceless fricatives. Voiced plosives – voiceless plosives. Voiced aspirated plosives – voiced plosives.

ACT I. IE voiceless plosives – CG voiceless fricatives p>f L pater Gt fadar t>Þ L tres Angl three k>h L noctem Gt nahts ACT II. IE voiced plosives – CG voiceless plosives b>p R слабый Gt slepan d>t R два Angl two g>k R иго Angl yoke ACT III. IE voiced aspirated plosives – CG voiced plosives bh>b Sanscr bhrātar Gt broÞar dh>d R мед OE medu gh>g L hostis Gt gast

6. Common Germanic Vowel Shift. Common Germanic Vowel Fracture.

The main characteristic feature in the Germanic langs is the treatment of the Indo-European short vowels o and a and long ā and ō. IE s hort o and a appear as short a in Germanic langs. E. G.: Ночь – Nacht. IE long ā and ō appear as long ō in Germanic. As result there was neither a short o nor a long ā in Germanic langs.

The quality of stressed vowel is in some cases dependent on a following sound – fracture (also called breaking). It’s about the pair e and i and the pair u and o.

7. Periods in the History of English.

There is three periods in the history of English. Old English Period (V-XI, The Germanic Settlement – The Norman Conquest). Middle English Period (XII – XV, The Norman Conquest – The Introduction of Printing). New English Period (XVI – present day, Shakespeare’s Time) I. Old English – V (VII) – XI cc.; II. Middle English – XII – XV cc.; III. New English – XVI – present day