literature history

• Engels
• MBO
• Studiejaar 2

English Lesson

Tuesday 29th of November 2022

Goal for today:

By the end of the lesson you will have an understanding of the history of the English language and you will realise that language is constantly changing.

What does the tekst say?

Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum,

þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,

hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.

Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,

monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah,

egsode eorlas. Syððan ærest wearð

feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad,

weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah,

oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra

ofer hronrade hyran scolde,

gomban gyldan. þæt wæs god cyning!

Poem written by Beowulf between 975 and 1025

Listen! We of the Spear-Danes in the days of yore,

of those clan-kings, heard of their glory,

how those nobles performed courageous deeds.

Often Scyld, Scef's son, from enemy hosts

from many peoples seized mead-benches;

and terrorised the fearsome Heruli after first he was

found helpless and destitute, he then knew recompense for that,

he waxed under the clouds, throve in honours,

until to him each of the bordering tribes

beyond the whale-road had to submit,

and yield tribute. That was a good king!

Which language family does England belong to?

1. Australian language family
2. Afro-Asiatic language family
3. Niger–Congo language family
4. the Germanic language family

Where did the tribes, that invaded England between 400-1000, come from?

1. Germany & The North of The Netherlands
2. Denmark & The North of Germany
3. Finland & The North of Poland
4. Belgium & The North of France

When was the last succesful conquest (invasion) of England?

1. 1266
2. 1066
3. 1966
4. 666

Who invaded England in 1066?

1. the Normans
2. The French
3. The Germans
4. The Spanish

Which word wasn't invented by Shakespeare?

1. Uncomfortable
2. Lonely
3. Justice
4. Accommodation

Timeline of the English language

Before Old English

From AD 43 - 410 AD England belonged to the Roman Empire

Before 43AD the Celts were in England. The Romans called them Britons.

Some Celtic words which still are used in the English language: 

Phoney (fake), Limerick (a funny 5-line poem), Hooligan (a troublemaker), 

Old English

Was spoken in Anglo-Saxon England  from 450 AD to 1100 AD.

 Many Anglo-Saxons came peacefully, during the 5th and 6th century AD,  to England to find land to farm. Their homelands in present day Denmark and Germany often flooded so it was tough to grow enough food back there.

Words derived from Anglo-Saxon:

mer / mar / mere – lake

axe, bird, deer

What are the main features of Old English that are absent in Modern English?

Old English had three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) in the noun and adjective, and nouns, pronouns, and adjectives were inflected for case - just like German 'naamvallen'.

During the Middle English period, many Old English grammatical features either became simplified or disappeared altogether.

Middle English

After the Norman Conquest in 1066, Middle English was spoken until around 1450.

The Norman French became the language of government in England as a result of the Conquest. Many  French words were introduced into the English vocabulary.

pork (of porc),beef (an beof; of boef), calf (oe cealf) veal (an vel)

Early Modern English

1500–1700

The great vowel shift - Vowels started to be pronounced more towards the front of the mouth, the end letter 'e' on many words became voiceless

Printing machine was introduced in England. This standardized  the written language, it became more accessible.

William Shakespeare

1564 - 1616

The best British writer of all time. 

His most famous plays: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet

He is responsible for inventing thousands of common words in the English language by combining two words to make a new one, changing verbs into adjectives, changing nouns into verbs, and adding prefixes or suffixes to words.

Late Modern English (1700–1900).

Vocabulary grew because: 

There was a need for new words due to the Industrial Revolution and technology  

¼ of the earth's surface belonged to the British Empire; therefore, the English language adopted foreign words from many countries.

In the Old English time, which of the groups below did not invade
England?

1. Angles
2. Franks
3. Jutes
4. Saxons

What happened in 1066?

1. The Norman conquest
2. The Danish conquest
3. The French conquest
4. The American conquest

which words entered the English language after the Norman conquest?

What insured the standisation of the English language?

Did shakespeare contribute More of less than 1,650 words to the english language?

more

less

Which words was not brought by British Colonialism

1. Jungle
2. Trek
3. Parka
4. Pajamas

Assignment

Pair up with someone

write down the English word used in present time for the words and discuss. Tick how many of these words you know.

ready: come and collect the answer sheet. How many did you get correct?

ready?: continue to read 'The curious incident of the dog in the night-time'