E-Book Overview
The History of English provides an accessible introduction to the changes that English has undergone from its Indo-European beginnings to the present day. The text looks at the major periods in the history of English, and provides for each a socio-historical context, an overview of the relevant major linguistic changes, and also focuses on an area of current research interest, either in sociolinguistics or in literary studies. Exercises and activities that allow the reader to get 'hands-on' with different stages of the language, as well as with the concepts of language change, are also included. By explaining language change with close reference to literary and other textual examples and emphasising the integral link between a language and its society, this text is especially useful for students of literature as well as linguistics.
E-Book Content
THE HISTORY OF
ENGLISH
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THE HISTORY OF
ENGLISH Ishtla Singh
PART OF HACHETTE LIVRE UK
First published in Great Britain in 2005 by Hodder Education, part of Hachette Livre UK, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH http://www.hoddereducation.com © 2005 Ishtla Singh All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without either prior permission in writing from the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying. In the United Kingdom such licences are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency: Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. The advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of going to press, but neither the authors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress ISBN: 978 0 340 80695 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Contents
List of Figures List of Tables List of Symbols and Conventions Acknowledgements Introduction
vii ix xi xiii 1
1. English as a Changing Language 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Sound Change 1.3 Lexical Change 1.4 Semantic Change 1.5 Morphological Change 1.6 Syntactic Change 1.7 Study Questions
5 5 6 9 19 24 30 36
2. Language Families and the Pre-history of English 2.1 Introduction 2.2 The Roots of English and Proto-Indo-European 2.3 Meeting the Ancestors I 2.4 Meeting the Ancestors II 2.5 Study Questions
39 39 41 52 59 64
3. Old English, 500–1100 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Social History 3.3 Anglo-Saxon Literature 3.4 The Language of Old English 3.5 Doing Anglo-Saxon Gender: Heroic Men and Monstrous Women 3.6 Study Questions
66 66 67 73 75 92 100
4. Middle English, 1100–1500 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Social History 4.3 Middle English Literature 4.4 The Language of Middle English
103 103 104 112 113
vi
The History of English
4.5 Contact and Change: Middle English Creolization? 4.6 Study Questions
127 136
5. Early Modern English, 1500–1700 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Social History 5.3 Early Modern English Literature 5.4 The Language of Early Modern English 5.5 Contact and Change: English in Barbados 5.6 Study Questions
139 139 140 147 148 167 173
6. Modern English, 1700 onwards 6.1 Introduction 6.2 The Eighteenth Ce