- •The aims of studying the history of the English language. Synchronic and diachronic approaches to studying the language. The concept of ‘language change’
- •Proto-Indo-European language and comparative linguistics
- •Proto-Germanic language, its development from Proto-Indo-European
- •Modern Germanic languages
- •The earliest descriptions of the Germans, the ancient tribes that spoke Germanic languages
- •Eastern Germanic, Western Germanic and Northern Germanic groups of languages
- •The runic alphabet. Old English alphabet and pronunciation.
- •Common phonetic characteristics of the Germanic languages
- •Changes in the system of vowels in the Germanic languages
- •Grammar characteristics common to the Germanic languages
- •Vocabulary
- •Periodisation in the history of the English language, Old English written records.
- •The historical background of Old English
- •Phonetic processes in Old English (the system of vowels)
- •Independent changes. Development of monophthongs
- •Phonetic processes in Old English (the system of consonants)
- •Velar consonants in Early Old English. Growth of New Phonemes
- •Old English dialects
- •The nominal system of Old English
- •The vocabulary and word-building means in Old English
- •Old English syntax.
- •The verbal system in Old English (grammatical categories)
- •The verbal system in Old English (morphological classification)
- •Economic and social conditions in the 11-12th centuries.
- •The Scandinavian invasions, the Norman Conquest & the way they influenced English.
- •Changes in the alphabet and spelling in Middle English. Middle English written records
- •Middle English dialects. The London dialect.
- •Phonetic processes in Middle English (the system of vowels)
- •Phonetic processes in Middle English (system of consonants)
- •Changes in the categories of the noun in Middle English
- •Practical Part
- •Breaking and Diphthongization
- •Comparison of Adjectives in Old English
- •Conjugation of Preterite-Presents in Old English
- •Conjugation of Verbs in Old English
- •Declension of Adjectives
- •Declension of Nouns in the Late 14th and 15th centuries
- •Declension of nouns Strong Declensions (Vocalic Stems)
- •Strong Declensions (Vocalic Stems)
- •Consonantal Stems
- •Declension of Personal Pronouns
- •Declension of sē, sēo, þæt (Demonstrative pronouns)
- •Development of Old English Diphthongs in Early Middle English
- •Development of Sibilants and Affricates in Early Middle English
- •Middle English Vowels
- •Morphological Classification of Nouns in Old English
- •Old English Consonants
- •Palatal Mutation
- •Peculiarities of Middle English Spelling
- •Principal Middle English Written Records
- •Quantitative Vowel Changes in Late Old English and Early Middle English
- •Strong Verbs in Old English
- •Weak Verbs in Old English
Conjugation of Preterite-Presents in Old English
-
Infinitive
Present Tense
Indicative
Singular 1st
2nd
3rd
Plural
Subjunctive
Singular
Plural
Participle I
Past Tense
Indicative
Singular 1st
2nd
3rd
Plural
Subjunctive
Singular
Plural
Participle II
cunnan (NE can)
cann
canst
cann
cunnon
cunne
cunnen
-
cūðe
cūðest
cūðe
cūðon
cūðe
cūðen
cunnen, cūð
sculan (NE shall, should)
sceal(l)
scealt
sceal(l)
sculon
scule, scyle
sculen, scylen
-¹
sceolde
sceoldest
sceolde
sceoldon
sceolde
sceolden
-
¹ These verbs had no Participle I; some preterite-presents built Participle I from the
Present Tense stem, e.g. OE maзan, mæз, Participle I – maзende (NE may).
Conjugation of Verbs in Old English
-
Strong
Weak
Infinitive
Present Tense
Indicative
Singular 1st
2nd
3rd
Plural
Subjunctive
Singular
Plural
Imperative
Singular
Plural
Participle I
Past Tense
Indicative
Singular 1st
2nd
3rd
Plural
Subjunctive
Singular
Plural
Participle II
findan beran
(NE find bear
finde bere
fintst bir(e)st
fint bir(e)þ
findaþ beraþ
finde bere
finden beren
find ber
findaþ beraþ
findende berende
fond bær
funde bǽre
fond bær
fundon bǽron
funde bǽre
funden bǽren
(зe)fundon (зe)boren
dēman lōcian
deem look)
dēme lōcie
dēmst lōcast
dēmþ lōcaþ
dēmaþ lōciaþ
dēme lōcie
dēmen lōcien
dēm lōca
dēmaþ lōciaþ
dēmende lōciende
dēmde lōcode
dēmdest lōcodest
dēmde lōcode
dēmdon lōcodon
dēmde lōcode
dēmden lōcoden
(зe)dēmed (зe)lōcod