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Practical Task 6
Practical Task 6
OE vowel system was symmetrical: each short vowel had its long correspondent:
9. Read the following OE words paying attention to the sounds denoted by the letters f, s,
þ (thorn)
heofon, faran, ʒe-faran, hæfde, offrung, ofer (NE heaven, fare, had,
offering, over);
одде, oþer, Nord, þanne (NE other, North, then);
see, wisse, ceosan, ceas (NE sea, “knew ”, choose, chose).
10. What kind of phonetic changes can you notice in the following pairs of words:
Gt maiza — ОЕ таrа (NE more); Rhotacism (development of sound [z]): [s] >[z] > [r]
Gt kunþian — OE cyþian ( “inform ”); palatal mutation [u] > [y]
Gt daups — OE dead (Ne dead); ??????????? Changes of PG diphthongs. PG. [au] > OE.
[e:a] Goth. ausō [Dauzo]> OE. ēare [De:are] (E. ear).
Gt saljan — OE sellan (NE sell); Doubling of consonants (or gemination) took place between
a short vowel and sound [j] (sometimes [r,l]):
OE þuncan — þuhte (NE think — thought); þ went out of use ???????
Gt kinnus — OE cinn (NE chin); Palatalization of velar consonants [k] > [k’] > [t∫]
OHD isarn — OE iren (NE iron); Rhotacism (development of sound [z]): [s] >[z] > [r]
Gt hausjan — OE heeren (NE hear); Rhotacism (development of sound [z]): [s] >[z] > [r]
О Scand skaft — OE sceaft (NE shaft). Palatalization of velar consonants [sk] > [sk’] > [∫]
11. How can you account for the differences in pronouncing Modern English words
(same letters, different sounds):
sand, rise (OE risan); house, houses (OE hūs); hose (OE hosa);
horse (OE hors); think, bathe, path (OE þyncan, baþian, pæþ).
1. Was the distribution of nouns into declensions in OE connected with the meanings of
those nouns?
2. When and how did gerund develop in English?
3. Why were not so many spelling changes in New English?
4. Why are Preterite-Present verbs also called mixed?
5. What was the main difference between strong and weak verbs in OE? Can we say that all
OE strong verbs became irregular in English while all weak verbs developed into regular
ones?
6. When and how did substitution developed in English syntax ?
7. What patterns of word order were typical in OE?
8. When did it become obligatory to use auxiliary verbs in general questions?
9. When was the rule of a single negation introduced?
10. Why was the state of unstressed endings was chosen as the main criterion in Henry
Sweet’s periodization of the history of English?