Chapter2thedevelopmentoftheEnglishvocabulary

Chapter twoThe Development of the English Vocabulary1Contents of todays lecturevIndo-European Language FamilyvHistory of the development of English vocabularyvGeneral characteristicsvForeign elements in the English languagevGrowth of contemporary English vocabularyvModes of the development of modern English vocabulary22.1 The Indo-European language Familyv3000(some say 5000)languages in the worldv3000300 language familiesvThe Indo-European Language Family is made up of most languages of Europe,the Near East,and India.3vThe languages in this family fall into 10 principal groups,which fall into an Eastern set:Balto-Slavic,Indo-Iranian,Armenian,and Albanian;and a Western set:Celtic,Italic,Hellenic,Germanic,Hittite,and Tocharian.4vAll these languages are important to English to a greater or lesser extent since each has lent words into the English language.52.2 The Historical DevelopmentvThe study of the historical development of the English vocabulary should not be treated in isolation from the history and the growth of the English language itself.Understanding the history may give us an insight into the nature of English:extremely rich and heterogeneous,a heavy borrower,full of synonyms,global language.62.2 The Historical Development72.2 The Historical DevelopmentTimeHistorical eventsInfluence 16th-18th centuryThe Renaissance(14th century)1.Latin borrowed2.Other European languages borrowedAt the turn of the 19th and 20th centuriesColonization 1.Non-European 2.languages borrowedEnglish worldwideAfter WWIIAdvance in science and technologyMany new words created82.2 The Historical DevelopmentvThe history of the English language is divided into three periods.The Old English(450-1100)The Middle English(1100-1500)The Modern English(1500-present)9The Old English(450-1100)The history of the English language begins with the conquest and settlement of what is now England by the Angles,Saxons,and the Jutes from about 450 AD.The language they spoke was Anglo-Saxon,which replaced the Celtic spoken by the former inhabitants Celts.10 Old English(450-1150)vRomans invaded the British Isles and occupied till about 410.vAfter the withdrawal of Romans,Anglos,Saxons and Jutes came.vOld English=Anglo-Saxon11 Old English has a vocabulary of 50,000 to 60,000 words with a few borrowings from Latin and Scandinavian12vLatin words were brought in with religious conquest in the 6th century:vabbot,candle,altar,amen,apostle13vThe Scandinavian words entered the English language with the Northmen invasion by Norwegian and Danish Vikings in the 9th century.北方人北方人北欧海盗北欧海盗14vMany Scandinavian words entered the English language:vfather,husband,house,life,man,mother,summer,winter15 Old English was a highly inflected language.(高度屈高度屈折化的语言折化的语言)16vNouns,pronouns,adjectives,verbs,and adverbs had complex systems of endings or vowel changes or both,which differ greatly from the language we use today.172.2 The Historical DevelopmentvThe Middle English(1100-1500)Middle English is characterized by the strong influence of French following the Norman Conquest in 1066.Since the French-speaking Normans were the ruling class,French was used for all state affairs and for most social and cultural matters;but the masses continued to speak English.The language that emerged at that time showed vast and significant changes in the English vocabulary-the loss of a large part of the Old English word stock and the adoption of thousands of French words.18The Middle English(1100-1500vThe Middle English(1100-1500)The Norman Conquest:William the Conqueror,the Duke of Normandy,invaded and conquered England and the Anglo-Saxons in 1066 AD.19 Middle English(1150-1500)vThe Norman Conquest happened in 1066.Normans brought large numbers of French words.vThose in power spoke French;the native tongue became a despised language20vBy the end of 13th century,English became dominant again.vWycliff translation of the Bible and writings of Chaucer,Langland in English21v1250-1500:about 9000 French words entered:75%are being used nowvState,power,prince,duke,judge,court,crime,angel,mercy,peace,battle,pork,bacon,fry,roast,dress,coat22vEndings of nouns and adjectives marking distinction of number and case and often of gender lost their distinctive forms.Middle English was a period of leveled endings.(词尾平化的语词尾平化的语言言)232.2 The Historical DevelopmentvThe Middle English(1100-1500)The French loan words were found in every section of the vocabulary:vlaw and governmental administration(judge,jury,justice,country,government,parliament,state),vmilitary affairs(conquer,sergeant,victory),vreligion(baptism,confess,divine,sermon),vfood(beef,pork,dinner,mutton),vart(beauty,image,design),vliterature(chapter,poet,prose,rime),and so on.242.2 The Historical DevelopmentvThe Middle English(1100-1500)The Middle English literary culture was mostly an oral one,and literacy levels were still low at this time.Middle English poetry is a particularly oral genre,and is often structured so as to make it easy to remember,either through rhyme or through alliterationGeoffrey Chaucer25The Modern English(1500-present)vThe Modern English(1500-present)In the early stages of this period,the Renaissance brought great changes to the vocabulary.In this period,the study of classics was stressed and the result was the wholesale borrowing from Latin.From the sixteenth century onward,English borrowed words from an increasing number of languages,the major ones being the three Romance languages,French,Spanish,and Italy.English also adopted words from other European languages.At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries,as a result of exploration,colonization and trade,many words came in from non-European languages.26The Modern English(1500-present)vThe Modern English(1500-present)Since the beginning of this century,particularly after World War II,the world has seen breathtaking advances in science and technology.As a result,thousands and thousands of new words have been created to express new ideas,inventions,and scientific achievements.Although borrowing remained an important channel of vocabulary expansion,yet more words are created by means of word-formation.273.Modern English(1500-present)vEarly Modern English(1500-1700)and Late Modern English(1700 up to the present)28Early Modern English(1500-1700)vRenaissance:ClassicismvLarge numbers of Greek and Latin words were brought in.29Late Modern English(1700-present)vSince the mid 17th century:Bourgeois Revolution followed by the Industrial RevolutionvEngland became a great economic powervColonization:absorb words from all major languages of the world30vAfter WWII,the world had seen great advances in science and technologyvMany new words have been created to express new ideas,inventions,and scientific achievements.312.2 conclusion or summaryvIn fact English has adopted words from almost every known language in the course of its historical development.This has made the English vocabulary extremely rich and heterogeneous.English is supposed to have the most copious vocabulary of all the languages,estimated at more than a million words.It is also noted for its wealth of synonyms and idioms,a fact no doubt due to its sharing so many common words with other languages.322.3 General Characteristics of Modern English1.Receptivity,Adaptability and HeterogeneityvAnglo-Saxon was almost a pure language,but later it received all kinds of foreign elements接纳性接纳性适应性适应性异质性异质性332.Simplicity of InflectionvOld English full endingsvMiddle English leveled endingsvModern English lost endings34Examples:vOld Middle ModernvLeorn-ian lern-en learnvMon-a mone-e moonvStan-as ston-es stonesvSun-ne sun-ne sunvSun-u sun-e son353.Relatively Fixed Word-ordervThe semantic relation is closely connected to the positions of the words.vChange of word-order=change of meaning362.4 Foreign Elements in the English Vocabulary1.LatinvFor 2000 years it has borrowed so heavily and complexly from Latin371)The Pre-Anglo-Saxon PeriodvThe Anglo-Saxons were descendants of 3 Germanic tribes,who had lived on the European continent,where Latin was the language of a higher civilization,from which the Anglo-Saxons had much to learn.38vWords borrowed reflected new conceptions and experience in war and agriculture:vBattle,banner,wall,pit,street,wine,trade,bargain,dish,cheese,pepper,butter,pipe392)The Old English PeriodvMany were religious terms:vAlms,angel,mass,nun,shrine,pope,ministervTrade terms and words for articles of commerce,agriculture and domestic life:vcap,sock,purple,chest,mat,radish,oyster,cook,pine,lily,master,circle,elephant403)The Middle English PeriodvThe 14th and 15th centuries were especially prolific in Latin borrowings under the influence of Renaissance:vFrustrate,gesture,history,minor,picture,polite,popular,summary,quiet,nervous,legal,necessary414)The Modern English PeriodvWords borrowed are mostly of abstract and scientific character:vradius,focus,status,bonus,apparatus,nucleus,genius,vacuum,esteem,maximum,via,criteria,series,specimen42vMany of the frequently used abbreviations are from Latin:vi.e.(id est)ve.g.(exempli gratia)va.m.(ante meridiem)vetc.(et cetera)vp.m.(post meridiem)vibid(ibidem)432.GreekvMost Greek words have entered English through Latin:vdemocracy,monarchy,politics,anarchy,logic,academy,philosophy,atom,magnet,planet,arthritis,clinic,alphabet,grammar,idiom,athlete,architect,echo443.FrenchvAbout one fourth of modern English vocabulary has come from French.v1250-1500:9000 French words were borrowed,of which at least 75%are still in use today.45vGovernment and administration:govern,state,crown,countryvFeudalism:feudal,fief,prince,peer,dukevLaw:justice,judge,juryvReligion:religion,service,angelvMorality:virtue,duty,grace46vMilitary affairs:war,peace,battlevMeat:beef,mutton,pork,bacon,vCuisine:sauce,fry,roast,soupvArchitecture:tower,pillar,porchvFashion:dress,robe,garment47v1650-1800:vBallet,debut,canteen,champagne,ridicule,routinevSince 1800:vResume,faire,clich,dtente,attache,garage,camouflage 48vThe earlier loan words(from Norman French)have entered the basic word stock,whereas the later ones(from Central or Parisian dialect)have largely kept their distinct French features.巴黎的巴黎的49vEarly LatevChandler chandeliervChapel chaperonvMessage massagevCabbage miragevBaron buffoon504.ScandinavianvScandinavian languages:Norwegian,Swedish,Danish,and IcelandicvMany were basic and everyday words:vn.:skill,husband,sister,cake,windowvpron.:both,they,themvv.:get,take,want,hitva.:happy,ill,low,odd515.Other Foreign Elementsv1)ItalianvMost Italian words are of a technical nature:vCorridor,balcony,design,sonnet,stanza,miniature,profile52vItalian terms for half the musical instruments:vPiano,bass,violin,accordionvFood terms:macaroni,broccoli,salami,vMilitary terms:campaign,cannon,cavalry532)GermanvGerman influence on English is very slight.vMost are of a highly technical nature:vCobalt,quartz,nickelvA few became common:hamburger,noodle543)DutchvMost Dutch words were borrowed in the 15th,16th,and 17th centuries:vBoom,sloop,yacht,drill stove,wagon,Santa Claus554)Spanish and PortuguesevMany Spanish words are about physical and cultural objects:vAlligator,potato,cafeteria,armada,boobyvPortuguese words are mainly associated with slave culture:vveranda,apricot,albatross,molasses565)CelticvThe language spoken by the earliest people in the British IslesvIt has little influence on English vocabularyvbannock,clout,cradle,down,dun,sloughvPlace names:Thames,Avon,vThe first syllable of Winchester,Manchester,Exeter are Celtic loans.572.5 Growth of Contemporary English VocabularyvNew words sweet in at a rate much faster than at any other historical period of time.v3 main sources:58Rapid growth of science and technologyvGreen revolution,space shuttle,moon walk,open heart surgeryvSmart bomb,fallout(放射性沉降）59Social,economic and political changesvFood:fast food,TV dinner,soy milkvClothing:granny glasses,pant suitvMusic:disco,punk rockvTelevision and films:talk shows,boob tubevEducation:open university60The influence of other cultures and languagesvMiddle East:stir frying,pita breadvAfrican:dashikisvFar East:aikido,dojo612.6 Modes of Vocabulary Development(发展方式发展方式)vModern English vocabulary develop through 3 channels:creation,semantic change and borrowing.621.CreationvCreation:using the existing materials(roots,affixes)to form new wordsvsupercomputervfruice(fruit+juice)vClinton-speak632.Semantic changevIt means an old form which takes on a new meaning to meet the new word.vbreak(dance)vmouse(鼠标)vweb643.BorrowingvBorrowing has played an important role in the development of vocabulary,particularly in earlier times.vIn earlier stages,French,Latin,Greek and Scandinavian were the major contributors.65vBut in modern times,borrowings become less important.vBorrowed words constitute merely 6-7%of all new words66