首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Evolution of the English Language I. LEXICON — The vocabulary of English is immense and【T1】_____【T1】______ — The sequence of ado
Evolution of the English Language I. LEXICON — The vocabulary of English is immense and【T1】_____【T1】______ — The sequence of ado
admin
2017-12-07
8
问题
Evolution of the English Language
I. LEXICON
— The vocabulary of English is immense and【T1】_____【T1】______
— The sequence of adopting new vocabulary into English
Latin words→Norse words→【T2】______→Greek and Latin【T2】______
— New ideas also created the need for new words
【T3】_____: borrowed words from Latin for merchant-trading【T3】______
Government: borrowed words from French
—【T4】_____ bring in new words【T4】______
II. GRAMMAR
— The English case system was【T5】_____ after Norman Conquest【T5】______
— Grammar changes were much【T6】_____than lexicon【T6】______
— Invented in 17th century and borrowed Latin rules
— Standard English: universal rules of grammar
— Even Standard English rules do not remain【T7】_____【T7】______
Example: it is now acceptable or necessary to
a)end in a(n)【T8】_____【T8】______
b)begin with a coordinating conjunction
c)use a(n)【T9】_____ between the second to last item in a series【T9】______
III. SEMANTICS
— Dictionaries give meanings and a brief account of the word’s etymology
— Etymology helps us understand how the semantics【T10】_____【T10】______
Example:
a)"sinister" used to mean "on the left", today it means "【T11】_____"【T11】______
b)"hot" and "cool" now describe temperature
or being attractive or【T12】_____【T12】______
IV.【T13】_____【T13】______
— Example of black English Features:
a)elimination of "1" sound and substitution of "w" sound
b)often drop【T14】_____ at the end of words【T14】______
Reason:
African-Americans applied【T15】_____ rules of phonics【T15】______
to English words
【T15】
Evolution of the English Language
Good morning, everyone. Today, we are going to talk about the evolution of the English language. As we all know, there are four major parts to every language system: lexicon, grammar, semantics, and phonology. When linguists study a language they are most concerned with these four systems. And today we shall examine the English language in these four aspects.
First of all, a language’s lexicon is its vocabulary. This is the system that dictionaries are most concerned with.[1]The lexicon of the English language is immense and constantly growing. To better understand this, it is helpful to consider the history of the English language. English began as a Germanic dialect spoken by the Anglo-Saxons. During the Roman Empire, many Latin words were adopted into the English language through Anglo-Saxon dealings with Romans. In CE 877, England was divided in half after the Viking invasions of the Norsemen. Because of this, many Norse words were implemented into the English language.[2]The procurement of many French words occurred in a similar manner after the Norman Conquest. The English Renaissance of the 16th and 17th centuries sparked new ideas which created a need for new words; many words were borrowed from Greek and Latin at that time. New ideas have most often created the need for new words.[3]The Anglo-Saxons of the 5th century were new to the concept of merchant-trading, so they borrowed Latin words for the things and concepts that were new to them. The same is true about religion and government. When the Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity, many Latin words were adopted. After the Norman Conquest, a change in the type of government required the implementation of many French words. Today, words like computer, internet, and search engine are common, but fifty years ago they were unheard-of concepts.[4]New ideas, advances in technology in this example, continue to require additions to the English vocabulary. Dictionaries must be frequently updated in order to remain reliable sources of English’s lexicon.
The second system, grammar, also evolved throughout history. A change in grammar and sound structure occurred with the introduction of Norse.[5]The English case system was simplified in its dealings with the French after the Norman Conquest. In his essay, "Good English and Bad," Bill Bryson states: "One of the undoubted virtues of English is that it is a fluid language in which meanings change and shift in response to the pressures of common usage...".[6]Grammar, like lexicon, has evolved when necessary.
though it has done so at a much slower pace. English grammar was invented in the 17th century and involved placing the rules of Latin onto the English language. Since then, many committees have been established in an effort to regulate English grammar and usage but were consistently unsuccessful. The notion that English should have universal rules of grammar led to the idea of Standard English. Standard English is the dialect of the English language that is spoken by "educated people" and based entirely on grammar. It is the form of English that is taught to foreign language students.[7]Although it would seem that such rules of grammar would remain consistent, one cannot depend on an outdated grammar book to be a reliable source. In elementary school grammar courses, I was taught that it was grammatically incorrect to end a sentence with a preposition or begin one with a coordinating conjunction, and it was unnecessary to use a comma between the second to last item in a series and the coordinating conjunction that follows it.[8]/[9]Those rules have all changed. Standard English now allows sentences to end in a preposition or begin with a coordinating conjunction, and the extra comma is necessary.
Thirdly, about semantics. To study semantics is to study the meaning of words. Many dictionaries today not only give the current meaning of the word but also include a brief abstract of the word’s etymology.[10]To understand how semantics evolves, it is helpful to look at the etymology of words in the English language.[11]In Middle English, "sinister" meant "on the left"; today it means "evil". In Old English, the word "sly" meant "to strike or slay"; today it means something "clever, mischievous, or sneaky".[12]More recently, "hot" can now be used to describe not only temperature but also a level of attractiveness; "cool" also refers to temperature or a level of popularity, "hip" can mean in style or refer to a body part. Around 1932, "hip" was commonly used as a verb transient that meant "to make aware".
[13]The last system is phonology. To best describe the evolution of phonology, it is useful to consider Ebonics, or black English. Some of the characteristics of Ebonics are the elimination of the sound "1" makes in the middle of a word and the substitution of a "w" sound when a word ends in "1".[14]Black English words often drop the consonants at the end of words, especially if the word ends in two consonants. The reason for these differences in the phonology of Standard English and that of Black English is due to ancestry.[15]African-Americans, whose native language was African, applied many of their rules of phonics to English words. Likewise, many words in Japanese language are simply English words with vowels between each of the consonants. They’ve taken our word for something that is a new idea to them and applied their rules of phonics to the word.
OK. Let me recap what we have talked about today. The four major parts to every language system are lexicon, grammar, semantics, and phonology, and we’ve seen how they have evolved in the English language based upon the needs of those who use it. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that language is shaped by change. To examine how language shapes change, it is important to consider how language is used between those who use it.
选项
答案
African//their
解析
非裔美国人会有以上发音特点是因为他们把非洲的发音规则运用到英语单词上。原文是用their rules ofphonics,意思就是非洲的发音规则。故填African或their均可。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/3wsK777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
Bodylanguageisnotlanguageinthestrictsenseofthewordlanguage:itisinfact,abroadtermforformsofcommunication
Bodylanguageisnotlanguageinthestrictsenseofthewordlanguage:itisinfact,abroadtermforformsofcommunication
Bodylanguageisnotlanguageinthestrictsenseofthewordlanguage:itisinfact,abroadtermforformsofcommunication
ItisundeniablethatEnglishisbeginningtobecomeagloballanguageinmostpartsoftheworldbyandlarge.Itisspokenfre
ItisundeniablethatEnglishisbeginningtobecomeagloballanguageinmostpartsoftheworldbyandlarge.Itisspokenfre
ItisundeniablethatEnglishisbeginningtobecomeagloballanguageinmostpartsoftheworldbyandlarge.Itisspokenfre
ItisundeniablethatEnglishisbeginningtobecomeagloballanguageinmostpartsoftheworldbyandlarge.Itisspokenfre
ItisundeniablethatEnglishisbeginningtobecomeagloballanguageinmostpartsoftheworldbyandlarge.Itisspokenfre
随机试题
根据城镇土地使用税法律制度规定,应缴纳城镇土地使用税的是()
(英语专业必做)Drunkendriving—sometimescalledAmerica’ssociallyacceptedformofmurder—hasbecomeanationalepidemic.Every
妇女绝经后骨质疏松的激素替代治疗正确的是
男,56岁,劳累后心前区闷痛6年,近1周常因夜间胸痛而惊醒。发作时心电图特征为:Ⅱ、Ⅲ、aVF导联ST段呈单向曲线型上抬0.2mV,缓解后上抬消失,发作时最不宜用哪一个药物
患儿,8岁,男。发热2天,咳嗽1天,伴咽痛流浊悌,头痛,易出汗,咳痰黄。查体:体温37.8℃,咽充血,舌质红,舌苔薄黄,脉浮数。此病例应诊为
朱砂酸枣仁
确保药物价格的可负担性,需要对不同药品采取的不同;措施有()
焊接冷裂纹是()产生的裂纹。
试简要评述拜占庭教育的主要特点及其影响。
Thevitaminsnecessaryforahealthybodyarenormallysuppliedbyagoodmixeddiet(饮食),includingavarietyoffruitsandgre
最新回复
(
0
)