- •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
Quantitative Vowel Changes in Late Old English and Early Middle English
-
Phonetic conditions
Change illustrated
Examples
OE
ME
NE
Before homorganic consonant sequences: sonorant plus plosive (ld, nd, mb)
Vowels become long
cild
findan
climban
cold
feld
fundon
gold
child [t∫i:ld]
finden [΄fi:ndən]
climben [΄kli:mbən]
cold [ko:ld]
field [fe:ld]
founden [΄fu:nden]
gold [go:ld]
child
find
climb
cold
field
found
gold
Before other consonant sequences
Vowels become short
fīftiз
fēdde
mētte
wīsdom
fifty [΄fifti]
fedde [΄feddə]
mette [΄mettə]
wisdom [΄wizdəm]
fifty
fed
met
wisdom
In open syllables
Vowels become long and more open
mete
stelan
macian
talu
nosu
stolen
yfel
duru
mete [΄mε:tə]
stelen [΄stε:lən]
maken [΄ma:kən]
tale [΄ta:lə]
nose [΄no:zə]
stolen [΄sto:lən]
yvel, evel [i:], [e:]
doore [΄do:rə]
meat
steal
make
tale
nose
stolen
evil
door
Strong Verbs in Old English
-
Principal forms
Classes
Infinitive
Past Singular
Past Plural
Participle II
(with prefix
зe-)
NE
1
wrītan
wrāt
writon
writen
write
2
(a) cēosan
(b) būзan
cēas
bēaз
curon
buзon
coren
boзen
choose
bow
3
(a) findan
(b) helpan
(c) feohtan
fand
healp
feaht
fundon
hulpon
fuhton
funden
holpen
fohten
find
help
fight
4
beran
bær
bǽron
boren
bear
5
(a) cweðan
(b) sittan
cwæð
sæt
cwǽdon
sǽton
cweden
seten
‘say’
sit
6
scacan
scōc
scōcon
scacen
shake
7
(a) hātan
(b) зrōwan
hēt (heht)
зrēow
hēton (hehton)
зrēowon
hāten
зrōwen
‘call’, ‘name’
grow