english 306a; harris historical linguistics mutability dialectal differences stages of english...

English 306A; Harris

Historical linguistics

Mutability• Dialectal differences• Stages of English• Symbolic shifts

Linguistic study• Reconstruction• Language families

Origins• Lexical, social, and cognitive theories

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History of English

Aetalects!

far out … outasite …

groovy… rilly [really] …

greaser … dude …cool … hip

… keen … neat … swell

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Early modern EnglishI am no orator, as Brutus is;But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,That love my friend; and that they know full wellThat gave me public leave to speak of him:For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,To stir men's blood

Julius Caesar, c1599

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Middle EnglishWhan that Aprill, with his shoures sooteThe droghte of March hath perced to the rooteAnd bathed every veyne in swich licour,Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

yadda, yadda, yaddaThanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages

The Canterbury Tales, c1380

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London


Si† en †e sege and †e assaut watz sesed at Troye,†e bor° brittened and brent to bronde and askez,†e tulk †at †e trammes of tresoun †er wro°tWatz tried for his tricherie, †e trewest on erthe

The Green Knight, c1380

Middle English (Northumberland)

Sociolects!

Ethnolects!

Regiolects!

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Language variation

!


Language variation

Idiolects!

Different persons growing up in the same language are like different bushes trimmed and trained to take the shape of identical elephants. The anatomical details of twigs

and branches will fulfill the elephantine form differently from bush to bush, but the

overall outward results are alike.

W.V.O. Quine

Idiolects!


Old English

Nu sculon herigean heofonrices weard, meotodes meahte, and his modge†anc, weorc wuldorfæder, swa he wundra gehwæs, ece drihten, or onstealde.

Caedmon’s hymn, c670

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1066


Modern English

Substratum (under-level)Germanic (Angles, Saxons

etc.)king, law, deer, cow, cock, piss, …

Superstratum (over-level)Latinate (Norman French)

monarch, justice, venison, beef, penis, urinate, …


Mutability

Language change

Internal(isolation,

fashion, prestige, …)

External(trade, war,

imperialism, …)

PhonologicalMorphologicalLexicalSyntacticSemantic


Semantic change (hyponym / hypernym swap)

dog

… poodle hound spaniel …

Toy, French, … Grey, Blood, … Springer, Cocker, …

hyponym

hypernymhyponym

hypernym


Semantic change (hyponym / hypernym swap)

Modern English

dog

… poodle hound spaniel …

Toy, French, … Grey, Blood, … Springer, Cocker, …

hyponym

hypernymhyponym

hypernym

Middle English

hound

… dogge poodle spaniel …

Mastiff, Basset, … Toy, French, … Springer, Cocker, …

dog

hound dogge

hound


nightknightknee

name cough

…

[nIFt][knIFt] [knij]

[nQm´] [kAF]

[nAit][nAit] [nij]

[nejm] [kAf]

Phonological change

Middle English Modern English


Morphological changePresent

Past

Singular

first drÿge drÿgde

second drÿgst drÿgdes

third drÿgþ drÿgde

Plural drÿgaþ drÿgdon

Infinitive, drÿgan

Past participle, gedrÿged

Present participle, drÿgende


Morphological changePresent

Past

Singular

first dry dried

second dry dried

third dries dried

Plural dry dried

Infinitive, to dry

Past participle, (has) dried

Present participle, (is) drying


Lexical changes

MayhapsHarkCadEldenBurdalaneSweltersomeClyte

TofuInterfaceRobotRadarSandwichMuttonFornication


Syntactic change

Good even, Casca:

brought you Caesar home?

Good evening, Casca: did you bring

Caesar home?


Mutability

SubtotalHistory of English

• Periods• Events

Pressures to change• Internal/external• Aeta-, regio-, socio-, ethno-lects

Types of change• Semantic (e.g., dog/hound)• Phonogical (e.g., “cough”)• Morphological (e.g. ‘levelling’)• Lexical (words come, words go)• Syntactic (Yes/no question formation)


Reconstruction• Contrast and compare• Proto-languages

Language families• Indo-European• Pre-Indo-European

Origins• Lexical theories• Language theories

Origins and varieties of languages


Philology

• Looking at texts for noteworthy signifier/signified linkages

• Contrast and compare


Philology, reconstruction, and language families

Grimm’s Law

Englishfathermotherbrothersisterkingmilk meat

GermanVaterMutterBruder

SchwesterKönigMilch

Fleisch



Grimm’s Law

English German Latin Sanskrit Modern Old father faeder Vater pater pitar mother modor Mutter mater matar

fish fisc Fisch pisces patan

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Grimm’s Law

/p//f/



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Grimm’s Law

/p/—>/f/

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Proto-Germanic


Grimm’s Lawhypothetical, reconstructedlanguage

Proto-IndicProto-Italic

Proto-Indo-European (*PIE)

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Language families

English German Latin SanskritModern Old

father faeder Vater pater pitarmother modor Mutter mater matar


Germanic IndicItalicFamilies

Philo-logicalevidence


Proto-Indo-European (*PIE)






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Indo-European







Indo-European family


Bow-wow theory

Language arose from onomatopoeia (iconic)

Making noises to represent elements in the environment: animals, rain, expulsive gas, …

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Pooh-pooh theory(AKA the ouch theory)

Language arose from spontaneous emotional noises (indexical)

Sighs, moans, cries, ejections of surprise, fear, delight, …

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• Lexical theories• Nothing about syntax• Nothing about phonology,

morphology, …

• Not mutually exclusive

Bow-wow & pooh-pooh theories


Yadda, yadda, yadda

… that language evolved among humans to replace

social grooming because the grooming time required by

our large groups made impossible demands on our

time. Language, I argue, evolved to fill the gap

because it allows us to use the time we have available for social interaction more

efficiently.

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Yo-he-ho theory

Language arose in muscular and rhythmic efforts accompanying group work (indexical)

Gathering, distributing, distance-pursuit of prey, …

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Throwing madonna theory

• Nursing (left-side)• Motor/linguistic

sequencing• Structural• Non-lexical• Piggy-backing theory

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Neuron packing theory

To be, or not to be. That is the question.

[The origin of language may have to

do with] certain physical laws relating to neuron packing or

regulatory mechanisms.

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• Bow-wow and pooh-pooh• Lexical

• Ye-ho-ha, Throwing Madonna, Neuron-packing• Non-lexical• Cognitive

• Yadda-yadda-yadda• Non-lexical• Social

Language origins: sub-total

Not

Mutually

Exclusive


Historical linguisticsLanguages change over time

• External (war, imperialism, trade, …)• Internal (fashion, prestige, isolation, …)

Types of changes• Semantic, phonological, morphological, lexical, …

Genealogical relationships• Reconstructed proto-languages• Language families

Language origins• Lots of guesses, no clear solutions• Lexical, social, and cognitive variants

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english 306a; harris historical linguistics mutability dialectal differences stages of english...

Documents

harris middle english

harris morphol

dog hound dogge hound

harris si en e sege

harris night knight

c1380 homo sapien

c1599 homo sapien

c670 homo sapien