History-of-English-(A-Brief-Introduction)

Lectu[e-mail]1.1TheIndo-EuropeanFamilyoflanguages(印欧语系)1.2AhistoricaloverviewoftheEnglishlanguage1.2.1ThePeriodofOldEnglish(A.D.450-1100)1.2.2ThePeriodofMiddleEnglish(1100-1500)1.2.3ThePeriodofModernEnglish(after1500)1.3Englishasaworldlanguage1.1TheIndo-EuropeanFamilyoflanguages(印欧语系)Languagesthataregeneticallyrelatedaregroupedintoonelanguagefamily,accordingtophonological,morphological,andlexicalcorrespondencesthatstemfromtheproto-language.Indo-EuropeanmusthavebeengeneratedintheNearEastandspokenasfarnorthasnorth-centralEuropeaslongas5,000yearsago.AhistoricaloverviewoftheEnglishlanguage1.2.1ThePeriodofOldEnglish(A.D.450-1100)(古英语时期)1.2.2ThePeriodofMiddleEnglish(1100-1500)(中古英语时期)1.2.3ThePeriodofModernEnglish(after1500)(现代英语时期)1.2.1ThePeriodofOldEnglish(古英语时期)A.D.450-1100A.D.450,threeGermanictribes—theJutes,theAngles,andtheSaxons—begantopressacrosstheChannel.1066,NormanConquestwiththedialectofWessexasthe“standardlanguage”TheCeltsTheCelts:thefirstBritonsSomepeoplehavedesignatedtheCeltstheIndiansofEurope,andthecomparisonisperhapsnotsofarfetched.Throughthecenturiestheyhavebeenexposedtorecklesssubjugations,persecutionsandregularpoliticalhomicides,forinstancebytheill-famederadicationsofnativesintheScottishHighlands.ItallstartedoffwithJuliusCesar’smassacresoftheGaulsontheMainlandinthemid50sBC.Theirlanguagewas,untilquiterecently,forbiddenbylaw,andduringtheVictorianagetheirmothertongueliterallywasbeatenoutoftheirchildren.Byvariouseffortsofassimilation,politicianshavedonetheirverybesttoeradicatetheirculturalidentity.RomansubjugationofmostoftheCeltsIn55B.C.JuliusCaesarledthefirstRomaninvasionoftheisland.RomeoccupiedBritainmilitarilyforroughly400years,untilA.D.409-410,whenRomecalledherlegionshometofight.JuliusCaesar(100BC-44BC)WhatdidtheRomansleavebehind?fivesuperbhighwaysRomanbathscompletewithheatingequipmentandpipedwatersupplieshousesbuiltintheRomanstylelittleoftheirLatinlanguage,e.g.castra(“camp”)asinWinchester,Chester,LancasterTheAngle,Saxon,andJutetribeswhoinvadedBritaininthe5thand6thcenturiesareknownastheAnglo-Saxons.TheylefttheirhomelandsinnorthernGermany,DenmarkandnorthernHollandandrowedacrosstheNorthSeainwoodenboats.Anglo-SaxonInvasionByaroundAD600thefivemainAnglo-SaxonkingdomswereNorthumbria,Mercia,Wessex,KentandAnglia.OriginsofEnglandandEnglishTheAnglesoccupiedthenorthandeastofthecountry,theSaxonsthesouthandthewest.ThecountrycametobecalledEngland(“landoftheAngles”)andthelanguageEnglish(“tongueoftheAngles”).TheAnglo-SaxoninvaderswerethefoundersoftheEnglishnationandspeakersofthelanguagewhichwecallnativeEnglish.OldEnglish,orAnglo-Saxondifficultforustoreadtodayrecognizableifyoumakeallowancesforspellingandpronunciationdifferencese.g.faeder(father),eorl(earl),sittan(tosit),hring(ring),hund(hound)In597amissionsentbyPopeGregorytheGreatandledbySt.AugustineofCanterburylandedinKenttobegintheworkofconvertingthepeoplesofwhatisnowBritain.St.AugustineofCanterbury(diedca.606),theApostleofEnglandTheintroductionofChristianity:impactonEnglishManyreligioustermsenteredEnglish,e.g.abbot(修道院,修道士的总称),angel,nun,shrine(神殿),fever,candle,altar(圣坛),amen(阿门),apostle(传道者,最初的传道者)VikingInvasionIntheyear793VikingpirateraiderssailedacrosstheNorthSeatoaChristianmonasteryinnorth-eastEngland.Theystoleitstreasures,murderedthemonksandterrifiedeveryone.Thiswasfollowedbyotherviolent“Vikingraids”alloverBritain.In865a“GreatArmy”ofDanishVikingsinvadedEngland.Therewerefiercebattlesforseveralyears.IntheendtheVikingsconqueredallofthenorthern,centralandeasternEngland,andseizedmuchofthelandfortheirownfarms.ThisareawascalledtheDanelaw.VikingInvasion(continued)Duringthesameperiod,NorwegianVikingssailedtonorthernandwesternScotland,andseizedlandfortheirfarmsaroundthecoastandislands.TheyalsosettledintheIsleofManandpartsofWales.AmapshowingwheretheVikingscamefromandwheretheysettledinBritainVikingexpansionOpeninglinesoftheBeowulfmanuscriptTracesofScandinaviancultureinEnglishDuringthetwocenturiesbetweentheadventoftheVikingsearoversandthelandingofWilliamtheConqueror,theEnglishandScandinavianlanguagesintertwinedastheirusersturnedfromenemiesintoneighbors,intermarried,anddweltsidebysideinpeace.TheheritageoftheScandinavianconquestsurvivestodayinmanywordsoftheEnglishlanguageandmostespeciallyinplacenames(over1400)plusmanyfamily(personal)names.TodayallthemultitudesoffamiliarEnglishandAmericanpatronymicendinginson;suchasJackson,Robertson,Thompson,Stevenson,Johnson,etc.clearlymanifesttheirScandinavianorigin.WhatexactlydidtheScandinavianinvasionsandsubsequentsettlementsbringintoEnglish?Nouns:axle,band,bank,birth,boon,booth,brink,bull,calf(ofleg),crook,dirt,down(feathers),dregs,egg,fellow,freckle,gait,gap,gate,girth,guess,hap,haven,keel,kid,knife,leg,link,loan,mire,race,rift,reindeer,reef(ofsail),root,scab,scales,score,scrap,seat,sister,skill,skin,skirt,skull,sky,slaughter,snare,stack,steak,swain,thrift,tidings,trust,want,window,wing.Adjectives:aloft,athwart,awkw