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    History of English language

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    Middle eng

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    History of English language

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf
    10 views5 pages

    Middle Eng

    Uploaded by

    nimisha
    History of English language

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf
    of 5
    inswers 186 2 of Modem tin, Greek, sides Words ages Which od, Hebrew, ges of Wes, En glish is ting these 1ed linguist es. inguage, is ng else in ent Virtues mopolitan aced by its simple or weigh this is no idea d properly : language Q. 23. Write an essay on the circumstances which led to the subjugation of English after the Norman Conquest. Ans. After the Scandinavian invasions and settlements, the next great event which affected the development of the English language was the Norman Conquest. This had a far greater effect on the language than any other event in the history of the country. If William, the Conqueror, had never set foot in England, the history of English would probably been very much like that of any other Teutonic language. It would have pave retained more of its inflexions and its vocabulary would. have hada more preponderatingly Teutonic character. Also instead of borrowing freely from other languages, English would have added to its word- stock by the characteristic methods of word-formation followed in Old English, employing the native resources of the language. Another notable feature of the language would have been an absence of the large proportion of French words which now make English appear as mucha Romance language as a Teutonic one, at least in its vocabulary. It was the Norman conquest of 1066. A.D. which prevented the language of the English people from following the course of history described above. The Norman conquest of England was followed by the subjugation of English and the establishment of Norman French as the language of the mulers of the country. When English was re-established as the national language in the course of the fourteenth century, it bore upon it lasting marks of French influence such as the introduction of large number of French words into its vocabulary, the drastic modification of its spelling .d the simplification of its accidence to suit the practice of French scribes ant resulting from the foreign admixture in the population. William, the Conqueror's accession to the throne of England was attended by all the consequences of the conquest of one people by another. The most important of these was the introduction of a new nobility in place of the old one which had been practically wiped out, For some generations after the Conquest all the powerful positions Church and State and all the great estates in the land were held by Normans. In Normans of lower ranks who had addition to these, there were many followed William's army and had settled in England, More of them were coming into the Jand in the eleventh ‘and the twelfth centuries. The Norman barons and prelates were usually attended by Norman retainers 4$ they would not trust the tles of the nobility were English. The cas navie ah always garrisoned by foreign WOoPS- A large number of morchanls ee eee eaten on Noeandy als sete in England ig ths pe ate Noreen ay Norman belong at eastrsouyhasected ing aflertbeComsest can fe ‘Sf tr Deir aucce in th land was out of all proportion to te ‘Rlabrs be going cas consisted ctr of em Toe members thsraing clas continaed 0 i Ova an as ater ot pol forme 20 ous ale the Const hogs BSLISUS co une ck op some kostedge of English, Thad ‘Semarage anderen wih he ing as nay Ey ‘Shotenm speak French ance twas mak of socal Ostinton a dhe ape caly Emin were looked own upon y the rl ovmans Ths tc alls ata encouraged i hoeatmgl gia nth contoued fo remain he language of he masses Te wos para eso oe cot we of eshte opp cases tr England and te comsequet subjugation of E ess conus contaet with he coninent ln e iether ‘Neemandy as ost to Eagland Willa Was the King of England the duke of Normandy and inthe bands of bis son, Henry I, the ty ‘Seaain were united. Henry TL, as count of Anjou, iberted from hy {ater Anjou snd Maine and £01 Acquitaine through his wie, so thathe onuolle wo thirds of France from the chanel to te Pyrchnees The English kings except for Stephen, during this period speat a oof de lumen France andencep for Henry I hey also mamed outside England ‘This encouraged the continuance of French at the English cou, Wha vias te of the royalty applied also 10 the nobility, forming an Angle French anstocracy baviag possessions in both countries. Churches andmerchats were compelled by ther business oo often o go abroad This constant contact with dhe continent at various levels made continued use of Freach in England quite inevitable, ‘Though the Norman kings and their noblemen till the begining the thirteenth centary kad no host to the English language the rot cultivate it inthe way they cultivated French which was more wel to them. The high position enjoyed by French is indicated by te considerable body of French literature produced at the English cost ‘uring Wis period, for the royalty and the nobility. After the Nor conguest, We fasion ofthe (wo races was helped by the marrage Normans with English women and by he spiritual federation bg about by Bishop Wulfestan between the monks of Worcester and ‘ter monsters some Norman, some English, By the endo te wel ceatury, according to an English urs, te fusion between the two 8 ws so complet that one could hardly say who among the freemen of English, and who of Norman origin. Speaking abou te dtusion of French and English among he pet of England during the 200 yeasafter the Conquest we can ay es tay 89 /History of English Language ‘oatinued tobe the lanauage chine by King Jotn in 1204 considerably weaken ee England and the south of France. arma ae ae French when English slowly began ty Zoster sey tiv onp tte ttc, of Normandy by England was that ot osbfueaion sah onan eet th 2.24. Write am essay om the inflacnce of ‘the derlopment ofthe Engh language N&”m2” Comgueston gland inl 066 had afar sreatereffexe ee even in Bish history. Texto ‘Somquest, English sank ato a psion of tnder the influence of French and thal, " thad, consequently, followeda course Sf development diferent fom the oe wich i would have flloned fam of Normandy had never cccupid the trone ef Englana INLUENCE ON VocanULaRY': Toten wit, the vocabulary ofthe Engi anguag wich ened ictorios trom is stupa wih Norman French lke tof alisha erched by the icon a «lage numberof ese words it was natal tater the const he agua fe fling Normans sould come tobe ts by tngshmen whe seek social distinction, so that many wots fm it were doped int he "lve language, Besides, knowledge of Technosite (othe rch heritage of comin erature rom ths then ee Steet century, te English hear dilct was cnihed bya ‘lution of French words aay of which in cou tine ented oe ‘ocabulary of everylsy speech uesionsand Answers 7 30 een te Fenech ae vomen Cong te ou A ah ce eats Mites an SN SE lh et was 8 Cae en acters ei nee St a ee anne manent ste mentee eae ‘ricinus ait ch gar aanccent al se a ec, UT ee yustech ma no af tate. ole, ew ee sone Sera er Soon a | ong gene sist a sor cand we tans aD We nee monly tan punch 0h pavament PL SS mu te at Epa he se ee ae Schism Somer cc Fes 3 ee ee THe cd English worden igh) conned Selanne rec ome cae? wa eh df eee "na uy, ee eg strc ee ico et ea | Oe nuke na clled corde Or are Flees nageastaenaiiawce orem ae ee mma toees i se ea eo ce rn a Fen ee eel aly cate ees ata win pekceh a sept eee eee ee Sees or sie ee eee ‘and ithas continocd tothe present day. The English writers freety aon ee 91, Histor of English Language French word for we with ther words to meet the necessities of thyme lind meter andthe demands of allierawe verse, Because they cool ‘Ssume a moderate Knoaledge of French on the par of their readers. ‘The each erry voeshulary conased mainly oflerned words adopted from Latin wh the endings dropped o altered to suit French ways of| fromunciaton. When these words were Dorowed into English they came the models forthe adaptation of Laan imo English when they ‘rere botowed sight from Latin by English vers. The custom of| ‘Mopang Laun word by way ef French paved the ay for extensive Bontowngs tom Ltn which hve pot yecezased. Ths accounts forthe Tange perceotage of Latin words in Eagsh than many ter Germanic Tange. “The French words which were brought into English afte the Norman conquest age of vo diferent dialects, namely, sorters dialect ‘epesentaie ofthe speech of Normandy and Plat. and te dialect ‘of Cental France. The accession ofthe Angevin dynasty ta the welt ‘entry Ted tote adoption ofthe cena dialect the language ofthe court and the fashionable society. The difference in pronvacation Setween the tao dialect is fasted bythe pairs of cognate words lie eatchehas.warden-gardan lautchlance, wage-#a3e, geal, fatlechatel, waranty-auaranee, Thos the diferent dae in the language of te coagurors have belped Increase the eopiousess of| English vocabulary ‘Asa rs fe adoption of rec words ato e language, soeabaly of Ena nds ompelld fo jet large numberof ord {ot Anglo Son engin This happened because language i alvays ‘Sconotical and wi ot ein fr long two words of ifeenconeia tneaing presale sme thing ness Sinton coal be made thoirsgntcaton Inte sscehof he fount centsy are member ‘ot AgiosSaton mors were rejected as the page Bad aad bese tate by each word Thos oe an neal tte Anglo-Saxon Vocab bs ea oso modem agli plce ving hea eh By imporarens fo forcgn sce “The Noman Conquest and the consequent prevalence ofthe French | language n English il he foutenth century Hae let few aces 0 ‘modem English grammar. tis from French that English has adoped the ening or ormin the feminine nous ike ugsess, odessete Bet Insite ot te analogy of ese two words shich bare been boromed fiom O18 Frene, English has wot made wo ofthis feminine eine ta the formatcn af aes female animals Ox he otter hand te ending tas been used for designations of persons ts im poctess authors, ‘manageress et Wis pany owing to French intucace that English hs been abe to pad Answers 92 Qvetons and form of a atonal (se Davies Suna Feat Though Wee se a ew se uno ssi Eel Eagle pe King of Norway) 1 01 the genta, and e BANE eee ot alpicn h as a id tal SSE. AS ee tiong with tis ne pd sor ot expressing Ue natin of ser eects the vcd gem connved (0 ced ew mo ae Ne sete ee cd gene wed Eo ng arcyomor men a sens nf ee na ‘Seance Tice oe, cicadas snereisa suggestion of Fer geinae iving ings and pias genitive Sea eine cnet a Tienes cmon eccgeean ect neh si a th aot wl Yas eight Aoter grain cnn i di nc te ue, This costs i ihe pole ssa at un econ psn. Ts Se a Be ad ae il ae oman Ege we ale 2 pe lal pronoun You steal of te sigue 2 oie wed by sua pron place of F oma Se sc oh pun Yo ava aso epoca a aca ngagsttuding each, and at, 5 ot pp, aaa ree aed i adesng os sper Beate mat ‘se maa wd Fly gl or Wa ine om ueinretpous language or ose diction oi adress ‘Sela tenor feos. Tas novation cant te conse | tabi oe ssi is lesen te Gay of expression seul ‘ig oma Gstncton oF manber a he Second pero of froma and ever as in gis | ee cange whichis ested in making Mile Engh very it tom Ol Fags ay of he OM Enlsh nso san Sls ean hs tose ply defo ene islunes Toe 30) | 93 /ttory of English Language language alvays shows us tat the admixture ofa Iarge number of foreigners inthe population of a courlry inevitably leads (0 the simplification of seeidence through the weakening ofthe inflexional ‘endings. The weakening ofthe vowels ofthe ighty sessed inflexional ‘ndings which had bepun in Old English was increase in Mile Enelish bythe presence of larg number of Scandinavians and French speaking ‘Normans inthe county. This decay of English inlexional endings esulung from te itermingling of ie English with speakers of forign Tanguages, had an fmportant snfluence on syntax. So fong as the ‘amevinal endings were in use, the word order ina sentence cold be ‘ery fee. But when once the inflexions were lost there was no means of

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