- •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
Development of Sibilants and Affricates in Early Middle English
-
Change illustrated
Examples
OE
ME
OE
ME
NE
k’
g’
sk’
t∫
dз
∫
cild
tǽcan
ecзe
brycзe
fisc
scēap
child [t∫i:ld]
techen [΄tet∫ən]
edge [΄edзə]
bridge [΄bridзə]
fish [fi∫]
sheep [∫ε:p]
child
teach
edge
bridge
fish
sheep
Middle English Vowels
-
Monophthongs
Diphthongs
Short
i e a o u
ei ai oi au
Long
i: e: ε: a: ǿ: o: u:
au ou
[ǿ]: as in stone
Morphological Classification of Nouns in Old English
Division according to stem
Vocalic stems |
Consonantal stems |
||||||||
Strong declension¹
|
n-stems (weak declension)
|
Root-stems |
Other minor stems: r-, s-, nd- |
||||||
a-stems and their ja-stems wa-stems |
ō-stems variants jō-stems wō-stems |
i-stems
|
u-stems
|
||||||
Division according to gender
MN |
F |
MNF |
MF |
MNF |
MF |
MNF |
Division according to length of the root vowel
short long |
short long |
short long |
short long |
|
|
|
¹ Vocalic stems are also called the “strong” declension; one of the consonantal stems – the n-stems – is termed the “weak” declension.
Old English Consonants
-
Place of articulation
Manner of articulation
Labial,
labiodental
Губной
(губно-зубной)
Forelingual
(dental)
Переднеязычный
(зубной)
Mediolingual
(palatal)
Среднеязычный
(небный)
Back lingual
(velar)
Заднеязычный
(задненебный)
Noise
Consonants
plosive voiceless
voiced
p p:
b b:
t t:
d d:
k’ k’:
g’:
k k:
g g:
fricat- voiceless
ive voiced
f f:
v
Ө Ө: s s:
ð z
x’ x’:
γ’ (j)
x x: (h)
γ
Sonorants
m m:
w
n n:
r l
j
(ŋ)