Слайд 1EARLY MODERN ENGLISH PHONOLOGICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL SYSTEM
LECTURE 4
Слайд 2I. Historical background to the New Standard
II. NE Vowel System:
Quantitative
changes;
The Great Vowel Shift;
Development of ME short vowels;
Слайд 3III. NE Consonant System:
Vocalisation of ‘r’;
IV. NE Morphology and Syntax.
Слайд 41476 Caxton introduced the printing press to England;
1492 Columbus reached
the ‘new World’;
By 1500, the English language was such that
native speakers of Modern English generally need no translations to understand it.
Слайд 5The late Middle Ages (14th c.) had seen the triumph
of the English language over French, and the establishment of
a standard form of written English.
A standard laguage is a taught language which each individual has to learn whatever his or her own pronunciation.
Слайд 6Nonetheless Latin still had great prestige as the language of
international learning;
the three greatest scientific works published by Englishmen between
1600 and 1700 were all in Latin: Gilbert’s book on magnetism (1600), Harvey’s on the circulation of the blood (1628), and Newton’s Principia (1689).
Слайд 7The reasons for the defeat of Latin
The Reformation period (the
establishment of Protestantism, VI-VII c.). The translation of the Bible
into English, and the changeover from Latin to English in church services, raised the prestige of English. The more extreme Protestants regarded Latin as a “Popish” language, designed to keep ordinary people in ignorance and to maintain the power of priests.
Слайд 8The increase in national feeling (XV-XVI c.) that led to
a great interest and pride in the national language.
The rise
of social and occupational groups (skilled craftsmen, explorers, soldiers) which were eager to read and to learn in English. The spread of literacy among them.
Слайд 9 But, while English was thus establishing its supremacy
over Latin, it was at the same time more under
its influence:
the introduction of Latin loan-words into English, e.g. vacuum, area, radius;
many words borrowed from French were given a Latin dress, e.g. NE debt and doubt (cf. Lat. debitum and dubitare).
Слайд 10 Principal Quantitative Changes
lengthening before –ss, -st, -ni, -ft,
but the change didn’t take
place if the voiceless fricative was immeditely followed by a vowel:
Cf. pass and passage.
Слайд 11
b) Shortening before [ɵ, d, t,k]
When ME ē was shortened
before [ɵ,d,t,k], it became [ɛ], as in breath, bread, sweat.
When
ME ō was shortened before [k,t], it became [ʊ], as in look and foot.
Слайд 12The Great Vowel Shift
(15-late 17th c.)
the GreatVowel Shift (GVS) is
a chain-like transformation of the whole ME long vowel system.
The
GVS affected only ME long vowels (e.g. keep vs kept).
Слайд 13The changes were “independent” and effected regularly any stressed vowel
in any position.
The GVS didn’t add any new sounds to
the vowel system. Thus, the modification of the words under the GVS was not reflect in their written forms.
Слайд 15
Rounding of vowels after /w /
(18th c.), as in
NE swan and watch.
The change didn’t take place if
the vowel was followed by a velar consonant, as in twang, wag, wax.
Слайд 16NE Consonant System
Vocalisation of [r] = the weakening of [r]
The
sonorant [r] began to produce a certain influence upon the
preceding vowels in Late ME.
[r] made the preceding vowel more open and retracted:
Слайд 17
the cluster [er] changed to [ar]: e.g. OE deorc –
Early ME derk – Late ME dark;
although the change of
[er] to [ar] was fairly common, it didn’t affect all the words with the given sounds: cf. ME servent, person.
Слайд 18The vocalisation of [r] took place in the 16th or
17th c.
1) diphthongization.
In Early
NE [r] was vocalised when stood after vowels, either finally or followed by another consonant. Losing its consonant character [r] changed into [ə], which was added to the preceding vowel as a glide to form a diphthong: e.g. ME there [ɵɛ:re] NE there.
Слайд 192) lengthening
Sometimes the only trace left by the loss
of [r] was the compensatory lengthening of the preceding vowel:
e.g. ME arm [arm] – NE arm.
3) change of quality
under the influence of [r], vowels [e, i,u] became [ə]
In the final unstressed position: ME ridere – NE rider.
Слайд 20If [ə] produced by vocalisation of [r] was preceded by
a diphthong, it was added to the diphthong to form
a triphthong: e.g. ME shour [ʃu:r] – NE shower.
[r] was not vocalised when doubled after consonants and initially: e.g. NE errand, dry, read.
This process didn’t take place in all varieties of English. Those varietes in which it was retained are called rhotic, (cf. non-rhotic)
Слайд 22Early Modern English Grammar
In morphology the trend towards simplification continues.
EME is characterized by an increase in the number of
prepositions and auxiliaries (grammaticalization), as expected of a languagebecoming more analytic.
Слайд 23Nouns
the –es of plurals and Gen Sg. was established;
Plurals in
–en and zero plurals are reduced to their modern extent
by the end of the 17th c.;
The –es Genitive was interpreted as his and this led to forms like for Christ his sake.
Слайд 24Personal pronouns:
new forms arose: it and its;
the use of you
with a singular meaning was prompted by politeness and the
influence of French.
Demonstrative pronouns:
- this ‘close to the speaker’, that ‘close to the hearer’, yon ‘distant from both speaker and hearer’
Слайд 25The inflectional system of the verb underwent further simplification:
in the
3d person the –eth ending is found in writing until
the 17th c., but it is increasingly restricted to poetry. The –s form was already the usual form in speech by the 16th c.;
There was a more limited use of the progressive and auxiliary verbs than there is now, however.
Слайд 26
Adjectives lost all endings except for in the comparative and
superlative forms.
Слайд 27In syntax the period (15th -17th c.) sees the continued
movement towards an analytical language.
Equally the influence of Latin
grammar encourages more logic in the construction of a sentence. The idea that each sentence should have a subject and a predicate become dominant.