English: where did it come from, where will it go? (Cotton-Eye Joe)

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

The history of English

or: why an 11th century farmer from England can buy a Frisian cow today.

Because of borrowing, English shares many words with:

1. French
2. Punjabi
3. Spanish
4. Greek

English is a member of which language group?

1. Finnish - Ugric
2. Germanic
3. Latin
4. Viking

We can tell that languages are related to one another because _____

1. Scribes recorded when the languages split
2. The language was written down
3. They have some similar grammar
4. They show regular consistent changes

Words that start with a "pf" sound in German start with _____ in English

1. Pf
2. B
3. P
4. F

Proto-Indo-European was most likely spoken in _____

1. India
2. Ukraine
3. Turkey
4. Iraq

There are about 7000 languages in the world. What is the main (or traditional) language of the area you come from? Which family does it belong to?

We talked about several similarities between English and German. Can you find others by looking at a dictionary of German and comparing the words to their English translations? Are these similar to Dutch words?

While we talked about the origin of Indo-European as being in Russia and Ukraine, another prominent hypothesis places the Indo-European homeland in modern day Turkey. Why might researchers have come to different conclusions?

On the history of linguistic research into Proto-Indo-European and other languages

https://ed.ted.com/on/fjkox6rN#panels

http://llmap.org/

https://language.cs.auckland.ac.nz/

http://multitree.org/

Lesson 2

Why this is English how? What? Isn't it?

This lecture, when given in a classroom, is entitled: “The Words Tell The Story.” What is meant by that title?

Why do English speakers have such predictable responses to the two phrases, “They gave us a hearty welcome,” and “They gave us a cordial reception.”?

Based on the increasingly diverse population in the United States and on the past history of English, what prediction can you make about the future of the English language? What factors may influence the future evolution of the language?

The reason why the Celts benefited from Roman rule was that

1. The Romans did not demand tribute from conquered people
2. The Celts learned from the Romans how to build seafaring ships
3. The Romans enabled the Celts to attack the Jutes and Frisians
4. The Romans defended the Celts from the tribes on the western coasts of Northern Europe

What were the factors that enabled the Old Norse and Saxon languages to mix, rather than one replacing the other?

1. The Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum stated that each tribe would learn the other’s language
2. Neither tribe was able to eradicate the other’s language
3. Peaceful borders and subsequent intermarriages made it practical for the Saxons to use Old Norse words
4. The languages were linguistically similar and shared many words already

Why are there so many words derived from Old French in modern English?

1. Tthe Norman invaders spoke French and placed French-speaking monarchs on the British throne
2. Because the Saxons attacked the Vikings in France and conquered them in 1066
3. Because the Norman conquerors did not care if Saxon peasants continued speaking Saxon
4. Both A and C

What is so noteworthy about the history of the English language?

1. It is a long and peaceful history
2. Although the story contains many periods of conquest and conflict, the conquerors in this period of British history never strove to wipe out the language of the conquered people
3. Modern speakers perceive no differences between English words with different origins
4. The English language has remained remarkably static for centuries

Go to the following site

https://ed.ted.com/on/CET2cs4w#panels

Listen to the differences in Old and Middle English, and compare that to the sounds of English you are familiar with.

'never French'

"English and French expressions [in English] may have similar denotations but slightly different connotations and associations. Generally the English words are stronger, more physical, and more human. We feel more at ease after getting a hearty welcome than after being granted a cordial reception. Compare freedom with liberty, friendship with amity, kingship with royalty, holiness with sanctity, happiness with felicity, depth with profundity, and love with charity." (Simeon Potter, Our Language, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1950/66, pp. 37-38.)

Assignment

Wiktionary.org provides a lengthy list of English words with French origins. (You can find the list here: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Transwiki:List_of_English_words_of_French_origin). Spend some time perusing the list; then take a look at this list of modern English words with Saxon origins: http://www.ibiblio.org/lineback/words/sax.htm. Find some sets of synonyms, compare them, and see if Potter’s assessment that the English words feel “stronger, more physical, and more human” seems accurate to you. Which examples prove or disprove his assertion?