Language Change

• What are some languages that influenced the development of the English language?

  Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Dutch, French
• Who is a notable figure in the history of the English language?

  Chaucer
• What is the name of the Old English epic poem that features a hero named Beowulf?

  Beowulf
• What factors contributed to the development of the English language?

  Technology, colonization, evolution of society
• What is the time period for Old English?

  500-1100
• How many new words were added to the English language during its development?

  Three new words
• What is the time period for Middle English?

  12th century - 15th century
• Who were the original inhabitants of the British Isles before the English language emerged?

  The Celts
• What are the main linguistic influences on Middle English?

  Celtic, Germanic, Norman Conquest, Scandinavian, and French
• How many Celtic languages were spoken by the original inhabitants of the British Isles?

  Six
• What is inflection in the context of Middle English?

  It is a grammatical feature placed at the end of a word to express mood, tense, case, or voice
• What is the time period for Modern English?

  1500 - present
• When did William the Conqueror invade Britain?

  1066 AD
• What are the three main periods of the English language and their corresponding time frames?

  • Old English: 500-1100
  • Middle English: 12th century - 15th century
  • Modern English: 1500 - present
• What is the estimated number of English speakers worldwide?

  1. 5 billion
• What was the significance of the Norman Conquest for the English language?

  It established French as the 'prestige language' in Britain
• What is inflection in grammar?

  It is when a word has been modified to express different grammatical categories.
• What year did English first get used at the State Opening of Parliament?

  1362
• What was the original language spoken by the inhabitants of the British Isles?

  Celtic languages
• What was the impact of Chaucer's works on the Middle English period?

  They provided unprecedented insight into the speech and dialectical varieties of the time
• What does orthography refer to?

  The conventional spelling system of a language
• What was the purpose of the missionary priests in writing English texts?

  To produce texts for educated men to read to the illiterate and pagan people
• What is the difference between conjugation and declension?

  Conjugation refers to the inflection of verbs, while declension refers to the inflection of nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.
• What factors contributed to the diversity of Middle English spelling?

  • Impact of the French invasion
  • Continuation of sound change processes from Old English
  • Growth and movement of the Medieval population
• How did the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes initially use writing?

  They made marks on objects for lucky charms or ownership
• How did French scribes influence Middle English spelling?

  They wrote down words phonetically, leading to an increased number of variants
• What evidence suggests early settlement by the Angles, Saxons, or Jutes?


  Old English elements preserved in place names
• What was the long-term effect of French scribes on English spelling?

  They created a spelling system that combined Old English and French
• What are the grammatical cases mentioned in the study material?

  • Accusative: direct object
  • Dative: indirect object
  • Indicative: verb mood
  • Genitive: shows possession
  • Nominative: subject of a verb
• What was a common example of the use of U and V in Middle English?

  V at the beginning of a word (under) and U in the middle of a word (haue - have)
• What negative influence did speakers of Norse languages have on Old English?

  They helped erode the inflexional endings of Old English
• What does the accusative case indicate?

  It shows that the noun is the direct object.
• How many words are estimated to have entered the English lexicon after the French arrival in 1066?

  Up to 10,000 words
• What positive contribution did Norse speakers make to the English language?

  They added new words to the English lexicon
• What semantic fields did the new words predominantly belong to?

  Law and administration, as well as medicine, art, and fashion
• What percentage of the new words that entered the language were nouns?

  Over 70%
• What significant event in 1066 influenced the English language?

  The Norman Conquest
• What does the dative case indicate?

  It shows that the noun is the indirect object.
• Besides French, what other language influenced the influx of new words during the Middle English period?

  Latin
• What was the impact of the Statute of Pleadings in 1362 on the English language?

  It made English the official language of Parliament and the courts