The system of stress

In native words the stress is fixed and falls on the first root syllable (as in Old English and Middle English). Some of the borrowed words were not fully assimilated phonetically, that is why the stress falls on another syllable, and those fully assimilated have the stress on the first root syllable, like in native words.

Native English words are short – they have one or two syllables, that is why it is a norm, a rhythmic tendency of the language to have one stress syllable and one stress one => in borrowed words there developed a system of two stresses.

Sometimes the stress is used to differentiate the words formed from the same root by the process called conversion (to pro'duce - 'produce).

Consonants

a) A new [З] was introduced in borrowed words. Otherwise the changes were not as great as in Middle English.

b) Vocalization of consonants (some consonants in some positions were vocalized – they disappeared, influencing the preceding vowel).

Example: [r] disappeared at the end of the words and before consonants changing the quantity of the vowel immediately preceding it:

Middle English New English

For [for] [fo:]

Form [form] [fo:m]

Vowels

a) In the unstressed position the vowels that were leveled in Middle English generally disappeared at the end of the words. Some of them preserved for phonetic reasons only, where the pronunciation without a vowel was impossible.

Old English Middle English New English

-as -es [z] dogs

[s] cats

[iz] dresses

b) All Middle English long vowels underwent the Great Vowel Shift (in early New English, 15^th – 18^th century). They became narrower and more front. Some of them remained monophthongs, others developed into diphthongs.

Middle English New English

he [he:] [hi:] e: => i:

name [na:me] [neim] a: => ei

Grammar

In new English it did not change fundamentally. The main changes are the strengthening of analytical features of the language:

a) in many cases empty grammatical words are used (form-words);

b) Analytical forms of Middle English are preserved, and in addition to them in New English non-finite analytical forms appear (in Middle English only finite forms could be analytical);

c) A fixed word-order is established.

Word-stock

The vocabulary is changing quickly. Many new words are formed to express new notions, which are numerous.

Ways of enriching vocabulary:

1. Inner means (conversion: hand => to hand);

2. Outer means: the sources here are numberless, as English has not only direct, but also indirect (through books, later – TV, radio, internet) contacts with the entire world.

In the beginning of the Early New English period (15^th – 16^th century) – the epoch of the Renaissance – there appeared many borrowings from Greek, Italian, Latin.

In the 17^th century is the period of Restoration => borrowings came to the English language from French (a considerable number of these words being brought by Charles II and his court).

In the 17^th century the English appeared in North America => borrowings from the Indians’ languages were registered.

In the 18^th century the English appeared in India => borrowings from this source came to the English language (but these words are not frequent, for they denote some particular reality of India, example: curry).

In the 19^th century the British colonizers appeared in Australia and New Zealand => new borrowings follow (kangaroo, etc.)

At the end of the 19^th – beginning of the 20^th century the British appeared in Africa, coming to the regions formerly colonized by the Dutch => borrowings from Afrikaans and Dutch appeared.

Old English and Middle English Russian borrowings were scares – the contacts between the countries and their peoples were difficult. In New English there more borrowings: sable (very dark), astrakhan, mammoth; in the 20^th century – Soviet, kolkhoz, perestroika, etc.

LECTURE 5.

List of principal questions:

1. OLD ENGLISH VOWELS

Origin of Old English vowel phonemes

Changes in Old English vowel phonemes

Breaking

Palatal mutation

Effect of palatal mutation upon grammar and word-stock

2. OLD ENGLISH CONSANANTS

Dependence of the quality of the consonant phoneme upon its environment in the word

Grimm’s law, Verner’s law

Literature

1. R.V. Reznik, T.C. Sorokina, I.V. Reznik A History of the English language. M., 2003.

2. T.A. Rastorguyeva History of English. M., 1983.

3. А.И. Смирницкий Лекции по истории английского языка. М., 2000.

4. К. Бруннер История английского языка. Т.1 М., 2001.

5. И. Чахоян, Л. Иванова, Т. Беляева. История английского языка. СПб., 1998.

6. А.И. Смирницкий Древнеанглийский язык. М., 1955.

OLD ENGLISH VOWELS

1.0. There were the following vowel phonemes in Old English