Seminar 5. Middle English and New English phonetics.

Questions and assignments:

1. Prove, by instances of phonetic changes, that ME was divided into a number of dialects.

2. Point out some changes preceding the Great Vowel Shift which display the same directio of evolution.

3. How could the vowels in OE talu, findan ultimately develop into diphthongs, though originally they were short monophthongs (NE tale, find).

4. Account for the vowel interchanges in NE child-children, wild-wilderness, bewilder; behind-hindrance.

5. What is meant by “discrepancy” between pronunciation and spelling in Mod. E? Give examples of phonetic and conventional spelling. Prove that the written form of the word usually lags behind its spoken form and indicates its earlier pronunciation.

6. Recall the development of [y] and [y:] and explain the differences in pronunciation and spelling of merry, hill, busy, buy, evil, bury (all descending from OE words with short [y]) and sleeve, fist, mice, sundry (descending from OE words with long [y:]).

7. *Reconstruct the phonetic changes so as to prove that the words have descended from a single root: listen and loud, deep and depth, husband and house, foul and filth, long and length, sheep and shepherd, tell, tale and talk,thief and theft, person and parson.

8. *Account for the mute letters in late, sight, wrong, often, bomb, autumn, course, knowledge, honour, what, whole, guest, pneumonia, psalm.

Text for analysis: “The prologue”(“Canterbury Tales”)

Whan that Aprille with his shoures sote

The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote

And bathed every veyne in swich licour,

Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breet h

Inspired hath in every holt and heeth

The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne

Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,

And smalle fowles maken melodye.

That slepen al the night with open ye,

(So priketh hem nature in hir courages):

Than llingen folk to goon on pilgrimages

And palmers for to seken straunge strondes

To ferne halwes, couthe in sondry londes;…

(Words in bold type are for phonetic analysis).

Литература:

1. Иванова И.П., Чахоян Л.П., История английского языка. Учебник. Хрестоматия. Словарь. – СПб., 1998.

2. Расторгуева Т.А. A History of English. М., 1983.

3. Ильиш Б.А. История английского языка (на английском языке). М., 1973.

4. Иванова И.П., Беляева Т.М. Хрестоматия по истории английского языка. М. 1980 (М. 1973)

 

Seminar 6. Middle English grammar.

Questions and assignments:

1. Describe the sources of the modern pl. Forms of nouns and the spread of the ending –(e)s.

2. What is the connection between the growth of articles, the history of pronouns and the decline of adjectival declensions.

3. Make a list of verb inflections in Mod. E and trace their origin (show their grammatical and dialectal sources).

4. Why would it be incorrect to apply the terms”strong” and “weak” to Mod. E standard and non-standard verbs?

Text for analysis: “A Treatise for Astrolabe”

Litel Lowis my sone, I have percieved wel by certeyne evidences thyn abilite to lerne sciences touchinge noumbres and proportiouns; and as wel I considere I thy bisy preyere in special to lerne the Tretise of the Astrolabe. Than, fir as mechel as a phillosophre seith, “he wrappeth him in his frend, that condescendeth to the rightful preyers of his frend”’ ther-for have I geven thee a suffisaunt Astrolabie as for oure orizonte, compowned after the latitude of Oxenford; up-on which by mediacion of this litel tretise, I purpose to teche thee a certain nombre of conclusions apertening to the same instrument.

(Words in bold type are for phonetic analysis).

Литература:

1. Иванова И.П., Чахоян Л.П., История английского языка. Учебник. Хрестоматия. Словарь. – СПб., 1998.

2. Расторгуева Т.А. A History of English. М., 1983.

3. Ильиш Б.А. История английского языка (на английском языке). М., 1973.

4. Иванова И.П., Беляева Т.М. Хрестоматия по истории английского языка. М. 1980 (М. 1973)