Historical Linguistics
(Language change) 1
Ling400
Language change
• Earlier stages of English (Old English)
– Beowulf
• Middle to Modern English
• Canterbury Tales
– Phonology: the Great Vowel Shift
– Morphology and syntax
• Reconstruction
– Process and practice
Diachronic linguistics
• Old English 449-1066
• Celtic inhabitants of British Isles during the
Roman era
• 5th Century invasions by Angles, Saxons,
Frisians and Jutes from modern Holland, N.
Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark
• The Germanic tribes pushed the Celts west
Diachronic linguistics
• Old English 449-1066: Germanic
dialects evolved into English
• Old English is highly inflected (like
German); the language of Beowulf
• 9th Century invasion of British Isles and
France by Vikings (Norman)
• 1066 French Normans invade England
under William the Conqueror
Beowulf -Prelude 1
1.
2.
3.
1. LO, praise of the prowess of people-kings
2. of spear-armed Danes, in days long sped,
3. we have heard, and what honor the athelings
won!
Beowulf - Prelude 2
4.
5.
6.
7.
4. Oft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes,
5. from many a tribe, the mead-bench tore,
6. awing the earls. Since erst he lay
7. friendless, a foundling,
Diachronic linguistics
• Middle English 1066-1500
• French political and economic influence led to
addition of 5000 words to English
• Many British citizens of this period were
bilingual as are Spanglish speakers today
• The greatest literary monument of this period
is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, 1387
Canterbury Tales, Prologue
Whan that Aprill with his shoures soot
When
April with its showers soothing
droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
drought of March has pierced to the root
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
And bathed every vein in such liquor
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Of which virtue is the flower engendered
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
When Zephir also
with his sweet breath
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
Has inspired in every grove and heath
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
The tender crops, and the young sun
Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne,
Has in the Ram his half course run
And smale foweles maken melodye,
And small fowls
make melody
That slepen al the nyght with open ye
That sleep all night with open eye
(So priketh hem nature in hir corages)
So does nature prick them in their hearts
Thanne langen folk to goon on pilgrimages
Then folk do long to go on pilgrimages
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes
And pilgrims
to seek strange shores
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes
To (go to) distant shrines, known in various lands
And specially from every shires ende
And especially from every shire’s end
Of engelond to caunterbury they wende,
Of England to Canterbury they travel,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke
The holy blissful martyr
to seek
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
That them has helped when they were sick
!"
!#
The Great Vowel Shift (1400 - 1600)
Middle E Modern E
Middle E Modern E
[mi:s] --> [$!"%& ‘mice’
[br'()*& --> [br)"(&+‘break’
[mu:s] --> [$!#%& ‘mouse’
[br,:ken] --> [b-.#(& ‘broke’
[ge:s] --> [gis] ‘geese’
[na:m/& --> [ne"$] ‘name’
[go:s] --> [gus] ‘goose’
Compare the Great Vowel Shift to the Southern Shift
Example
• I think Jim imitated Beth.
Great Vowel Shift, highlights
• Short vowels remain relatively unchanged
– blisful / blissful
012"%342&+5+012"%3#2&
– tendre / tender
06'*7-/&+5+06'*7-&
– Croppes / crops
0(-,8/%&+5+0(-,8%&
– Hath / has
+
09:;&+5+09<=&
Great Vowel Shift, highlights
• Long vowels undergo shift, mostly upward
– perced / pierced 08)-%/7&+5+08>-%6&+++!"#! #$
– roote / root
0-.6/&+5+0-46&+ +++++%"#! #&
– bathed / bathed 01:?/7&+5+01)"?7&+++'"#! #!(
– shires / shires
0@>-/%&+5+0@:"-=&+++++("#! #'(
– shoures / showers 0@4-/%&+5+0@:#-=&+&"#! #')
Macron (bar over letter) indicates lengthening.
E.g. !"#indicates a monothong, not a
diphthong.