- •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
Declension of Personal Pronouns
-
First person
Case Singular
Dual
Plural
Nom. ic
Gen. mīn
Dat. mē
Acc. mec, mē
wit
uncer
unc
uncit
wē
ūre, ūser
ūs
ūsic, ūs
Second person
Nom. þū
Gen. þīn
Dat. þē
Acc. þēc, þē
зit
incer
inc
incit, inc
зē
ēower
ēow
ēowic, ēow
Third person
Singular
Plural
M F N
All genders
Nom. hē hēo, hīo hit
Gen. his hire, hiere his
Dat. him hire, hiere him
Acc. hine hīe, hī, hў hit
hīe, hī, hў, hēo
hira, heora, hiera, hyra
him, heom
hīe, hī, hў, hēo
Declension of sē, sēo, þæt (Demonstrative pronouns)
-
Case
Singular
Plural
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Instr.
M N F
All genders
sē, se þæt sēo
þæs þæs þǽre
þǽm, þām þǽm, þām þǽre
þone þæt þā
þў, þon þў, þon þǽre
þā
þāra, þǽra
þām, þǽm
þā
þǽm, þām
Development of Old English Diphthongs in Early Middle English
-
Change illustrated
Examples
OE
ME
OE
ME
NE
ea:
æ:
ε:
ε:
ēast
rēad
strǽt
eest [ε:st]
reed [rε:d]
street [strε:t]
east
red
street
eo:
e:
e:
e:
dēop
cēosan
hē
deep [de:p]
chesen [΄t∫e:zən]
he [he:]
deep
choose
he
ie:
i:
e:
i:
e:
i:
e:
līehtan
hīeran
rīsan
cēpan
lighten [΄li:x’tən]
heren [΄he:rən]
risen [΄ri:zən]
kepen [΄ke:pən]
lighten
hear
rise
keep
ea
æ
a
a
earm
bæc
arm [arm]
back [bak]
arm
back
eo
e
e
e
heorte
bedd
herte [΄hertə]
bed [bed]
heart
bed
ie
i
e
i
e
i
e
nieht, niht
hierde, hyrde
hit
(see bedd above)
night [nix’t]
herd [herd]
it [it]
night
‘shepherd’
it