Lexical Change In English
As a distinctive possession of human being, language often responds to the change of human history. Being a worldwide language, English exerts its influence on many fields, such as politics, science and education. Furthermore, due to its widespread use, the English vocabulary is always expanding, as more and more words are added into the official list of English vocabularies. Its large vocabulary is proof of its influence. The lexical changes reflect the influence of history on the English language, and lexical variation shows the diversity of its speakers all around the world. Also, it is useful for teachers to help students grasp the knowledge of English vocabulary and apply them in real communication. Recently, English has developed …show more content…
In each of these periods, the lexical components of English underwent a fair amount of change. This essay tries to take a look at the history of English and try to explore possible causes which contribute to the evolution of English. Some aspects which will be touched upon are:
1) The distinction between lexical change and lexical variation in English.
2) Possible causes for English lexical change.
3) The major types of English lexical variation.
4) Reflection on how such knowledge can be related to the learning and/or teaching of
…show more content…
Causes for Lexical Change
Looking at the words of Old English, one may not be sure if it is even English anymore. Take for example the Old English word ‘foresetnys’, which bears no resemblance to its Modern English counterpart ‘preposition’. One may wonder how this huge change occurred. In each period, the lexical changes of English are cause by various factors. Before exploring causes, one should know the role of borrowing in English history.
Borrowing
Instead of building lexical items using its own resources, a language can add to the number of words in its lexicon by borrowing vocabulary from other languages. English has borrowed so extensively from other languages that the English lexicon is like a large mosaic. According to (lexicon), more than 120 languages contribute to the formation of English vocabulary. Latin, Scandinavian, Greek and Germanic are the main contributors. (lexicon)Of all sources of loanwords French is by far the most important. The percentage of French borrowing words in English is …() the reason why … from
Summary Of Rhetorical Figures In Science By Jeanne Fahnestock
793 Words | 4 PagesThen Fahnestock raises her theory based on historical analysis that the combination of Old English and additions from Old Norse is the core vocabulary in contemporary English, which is “the oldest layer in the language and the source of its simplest and most frequently use words”. (Fahnestock ,2011) Thus this analysis explains why most daily life words like preposition and simple nouns are all Germanic roots, since Germanic roots are developed from Old Norse. (DOES IT NEED
English 1101 Research Papers
1039 Words | 5 PagesAnsari 1 Roshanak Ansari Professor Covington English 1101 November 23, 2017 Final Research Paper Over the past decade, the United States has become more diverse in different nationalities and cultures. If American high schools were to offer more options in foreign languages for the students to choose from, there would be an increase in their IQ’s and they would have better career opportunities. Some of the benefits of being bilingual or knowing another foreign language besides your mother tongue are better health, new and improved job opportunities and it can also improve your competitiveness in the job market.
William Cubitt's Treadmill: The Power Of Words
516 Words | 3 PagesLanguage is often seen as relatively stable; like a pillar of stone it stands the test of time. However, language is like a sapling bending and swaying under wind and the rain. Words often transform over time transforming meaning. Since the first word was uttered thousands of years ago to now, countless words have been lost and thousands have changed their meaning. The word “treadmill” is an example of a word that once stood for something completely different than what it now does.
Bravery In Beowulf
744 Words | 3 PagesAnglo-Saxon period, from 5th century to 1066, became the “ancestor” of our modern literature. There is a big difference from then and now including our language and culture. First is the difference between their language and the language now which is modern English. Anglo-Saxon language is the oldest known form of English language and is also called as Old English. Even though it is referred as old English, their language is far different from modern English and is closer to modern German.
Essay On Ancient Rome Impact On Modern America
730 Words | 3 PagesTo begin with, the Ancient Roman language, Latin, is found throughout the modern English language. Latin's influence on English began in the sixth century when numerous Latin terms were incorporated into Anglo-Saxon. Towards the end of the sixth century, the spread of Christianity integrated
Happening To Language
1440 Words | 6 PagesIn Jack Rosenthal’s article, "So Here 's What 's Happening to Language" he discusses how through spoken language ,written language becomes more informal. Through this informalization many words that were considered vulgar, dirty, or offensive become denatured. Rosenthal then goes on to use the word “ Screw” as an example(Walters, p.128). Three more words that have become denatured are ‘Bastard’, ‘Damn’ and ‘Nigger’.
Essay On 1920s Slang
1075 Words | 5 Pages1920’s Slang Language is important in everyone’s lives: from small talk, to speeches, to ordering food, to teaching, and everything in between. Language never stays the same, though, as it is constantly changing with every day that passes. The changes on language from the past have big effects on the language of the present. Slang from the 1920s has impacted language used in the current era.
The Pros And Cons Of Immigrants
568 Words | 3 PagesEvidence a) The dominant part of that semantic diversity is owed to immigrants who brought their dialects here, the same as English speakers who initially spoke English. (Example: Mexicans speak Spanish, today Spanish is one of the major languages most people speak either at a work place, school, or at home. b) Depend intensely on gifted multilingual people in order to complete a basic work, for example, interpreting data for insight purposes and giving dialect training to ambassadors who will serve
Gender Roles In The Anglo-Saxon Era
846 Words | 4 PagesFrom the Anglo-Saxon Era till the Present Time The Anglo-Saxon refers to the settlers from the German regions of Angeln and Saxony, who made their way over to Britain after the fall of the Roman Empire around AD 410. Thus, paved the way to be known as the Anglo-Saxon Era. But I, the author of this essay, will simply discuss the Anglo-Saxon’s similarities and differences with the present modern time, specifically in three areas. And these areas would be gender roles, language and social conduct. Gender roles in the Anglo-Saxon Era are very distant to each other.
Roman Language Impact
859 Words | 4 PagesThe Latin language was the 'base' of where other languages had developed from. Those languages are Spanish, Italian, and French. Even though English is a Germanic language, it was actively/ strongly influenced by the French -speaking Normans. They conquered England in 1066 C.E. A quote from the History Alice textbook is, "English has borrowed heavily from Latin, both directly and by way of French" (H.A, 14).
Influence Of Shakespeare In The English Language
1757 Words | 8 PagesThis was the process which led to literary language slowly rising towards standardization. 3.3 Standardization of the English Language William Shakespeare’s writings are a part of one of the factors that led to the standardization of English, because as soon as they became popular, his words and phrases were put into full action and from this, the grammar and rules of English slowly started being established. Moreover, his writings represent the rules that are currently being used in the English language, for example, he reinitiated the use of suffixes in grammar. Although he has been dead for a very long time and English has been more modernised since then, Shakespeare’s grammar still remains the same.
The Influence Of The Modern English Language
1237 Words | 5 PagesThis research explores the historical, and the importance and influences French has had on Social and Linguistic forms on Modern day English. The Influences of the French Language on the English Language Old English period begins around the 5th Century with the first Germanic tribes known as the Jutes, Angles and Saxons. The Germanic tribes came mainly from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands. The Anglo Saxon language was uncomplicated and contained roughly 50000 to 60000 words. Old English grammar is very similar in intonation, word order and forms to modern day German, for instance, the use of pronouns, nouns, adjectives and verbs (Baugh and Cable, 2002).
Effect Of Slang On English Language
1237 Words | 5 PagesThe English language had around 50-6000 words, compared to nowadays where there are around 1,000,000 words, so writers didn’t have as much vocabulary to use as they do today. These writers wanted to express themselves more and so during this time a number of new words were created and added to the English language. Shakespeare created around 1700 words in his works. An example of a slang word he created is “Fustilarian”, which was an insult meaning a “smelly old woman”. Another example of
Explain How Culture Develop, And Changes Over Time
548 Words | 3 PagesLanguage can also be diffused, it can be invented or follow the routes of trade. It can also go through migration, which is migration from one part of something to
Old English Characteristics
1329 Words | 6 PagesThe vocabulary of Old English is completely different from the vocabulary of Modern English. Its all vocabulary was completely Germanic. It had some word of Celtic origin too. The research on this language has proved that 85 percent of that vocabulary has been extinct now.
More about Lexical Change In English
Summary Of Rhetorical Figures In Science By Jeanne Fahnestock
793 Words | 4 PagesEnglish 1101 Research Papers
1039 Words | 5 PagesWilliam Cubitt's Treadmill: The Power Of Words
516 Words | 3 PagesBravery In Beowulf
744 Words | 3 PagesEssay On Ancient Rome Impact On Modern America
730 Words | 3 PagesHappening To Language
1440 Words | 6 PagesEssay On 1920s Slang
1075 Words | 5 PagesThe Pros And Cons Of Immigrants
568 Words | 3 PagesGender Roles In The Anglo-Saxon Era
846 Words | 4 PagesRoman Language Impact
859 Words | 4 PagesInfluence Of Shakespeare In The English Language
1757 Words | 8 PagesThe Influence Of The Modern English Language
1237 Words | 5 PagesEffect Of Slang On English Language
1237 Words | 5 PagesExplain How Culture Develop, And Changes Over Time
548 Words | 3 PagesOld English Characteristics
1329 Words | 6 Pages