Block IV Borrowed Lexis

N o language in the world is static, languages tend to migrate, change and improve. Their lexical and grammatical structure are constantly varying. Different reasons cause the changing in phonetics, morphology and syntax. Some words kept on outdating, so the new ones substitute them: new realities and notions appear, that again cause definite changes. Peoples conquer and are being conquered by other peoples, and by doing this are undergone from outside. The English language is not the exception. English is the most widely spread language in the world. Enormous amount of peoples speak it: Great Britain, America, India, Australia, Canada, New Zealand. It is the language of the greater lights of mankind (Shakespeare, Twain, Wild, Byron, Burns, Christie etc) and their masterpieces (Romeo and Juliet, Ideal husband, Pygmalion, Murder in Orient Express etc.). In lexical structure the borrowings have definite value: English, so to say, “breathes” with foreign routs, suffices and prefixes. So, the subject of borrowings is acute nowadays for those who study any foreign language, and English in particular. It will also be interesting thanks to that great quantity of material on the actual field of its investigating and searching. There will definitely appear a lot more of new themes for discussions and disputes.

The history of the English language counts many centuries and traditionally is divided into three main periods: Old English, Middle English and Modern or New English.

In every of appointed periods it undergone the influence from Germanic languages, Norman languages, Latin etc. some scientists even consider English – the Germanic language with Romanic vocabulary. The ball park figure of original words in the English language range from 20% to 30%. The vast part of lexical structure is composed of Latin, French, Scandinavian and Germanic words. The vast majority of words came from Latin due to this or that European language (the installed pictures introduce the arms of France, Sweden, Germany and Finland respectively).

A Warming Up

1. The United Kingdom of GB and Northern Ireland can be divided into 4 parts. Can you name them?

The UK consists of four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

2. What are the geographical features of the British Isles?

The British Isles are separated from Europe by the Strait of Dover and the English Channel. The British Isles are washed by the North Sea in the east and the Atlantic Ocean in the west. The British Isles have many rivers but they are not very long. The longest of the English rivers is the Severn. It flows into the Irish Sea. The most important river of Scotland is the Clyde. Glasgow stands on it. Many of the English and Scottish rivers are joined by canals, so that it is possible to travel by water from one end of Great Britain to the other.

3. Can you point out on the map the first parts of the Isles that were occupied by the conquerors?

The conquerors settled in Britain in the following way: the Jutes or Frisians settled in Kent and the Isle of Wight; the Saxons occupied territories south of the Thames and some stretches north of it, and depending on location were called South Saxons, West Saxons and East Saxons (late also Mid Saxons). The last people to settle in Britain were the Angles which occupied most of the territory north of the Thames up to the Firth of Forth, namely the districts between the Wash and the Humber, and to the North of Humber.

4. Who were the conquerors? Can you name all the tribes that have ever been on the Isles?

5. What was the last conquest? Has the country ever been occupied after?

6. How many regions are there in the UK?

UK broadly has 4 Regions namely England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland and England in turn has 9 sub regions namely East Midlands, East of England, Greater London, North East England, North West England, South East England, South West England, West Midlands and Yorkshire & The Humber.

7. What are the main cities in the UK? Name all the capitals. Look attentively at the names of some cities and towns: can you identify their linguistic origin?

(Base the answers on the information gained during the previous course on Country-Studying)

England - The capital is London.

Scotland - The capital is Edinburgh .

Wales - The capital is Cardiff.

Northern Ireland - The capital is Belfast.

(The capital of the UK is London.)

a) Latin borrowings. In 43 A.D. Britain became a Roman colony after systematical attacks of Julius Caesar. Latin was spread basically in the southern, eastern and middle parts of the country. Roman legions as well as ordinary people imposed their particular way of life, traditions and peculiar characteristics of urbanization (running water, public baths, roads, crossroads, central heating, squares, libraries, etc.), as a result, it led to the global penetration of Latin into original Celtic language that was spread in Britain long before the Romanic conquest. Latin words penetrated into the English language via three basic periods: Romanic conquest, Renaissance, Enlightenment. Romanic period was bound by the words with urban, rural, civic meanings, the period of Renaissance was marked by the words denoting art, culture, music, architecture and the period of Enlightenment was basically noticed by the scientific, governmental meanings of words, and the words in the sphere of medicine.

Task I. Look at these pictures of Celtic and Romanic symbols. Can you name the objects and realia? Work in groups.

Task II. Here is a table, filled with the Latin borrowings, but it is not complete. Fill in the empty cells.

Латинское слово	Современное английское слово	Перевод
strata via	street	Улица, мощеная дорога
castrum	Chester, Doncaster, Gloucester	военный лагерь
colonia	colony (Lincoln)	колония
campus	camp	лагерь
vallum	wall	стена
pondo	pound	фунт
unciam	ounce	унция
millia passuum	millia passum	миля
ponto	punt	лодка плоскодонка
portus	port	пристань, порт
vinum	wine	вино
pipere	pepper	перец
persicum	peach	персик
pirum	pear	груша
prunum	plum	слива
butyrum	butter	масло
caseus	cheese	сыр
discum	dish	блюдо
pallium	pall	плащ
pulvinus	pillow	подушка
ecclesia	church	церковь
episcopus	bishop	епископ
sacerdos	priest	священник
monachus	monk	монах
sanctimonialis	nun	монахиня
diabolus	devil	дьявол
angelus	angel	ангел
scrinium	sacred tomb	священная гробница
candela	candle	свеча
monasterium	monastery	монастырь
schola	school	школа
magister	teacher	учитель
rosa	rose	роза
palma	palm	пальма
leo	lion	лев
pardus	leopard	леопард
asinus	ass	осел
turtur	turtle	черепаха
tructa	trout	форель
canon	rule	правило
chronica	chronicle	хроника
versus	poems	стихи
notarius	notary	нотариус
papirus	paper	бумага
chorum	chorus	хор
theatrum	theatre	театр