Part 2: Principal Features of Germanic Languages.

 

The Outline of Seminar 1

Points for Discussion:

I. Phonetic System of Germanic Languages.

1. Word Stress.

2. System of Consonants in Common Germanic.

3. Changes within the System of Consonants. Grimm's Law. Verner'sLaw. Rhotacism.

4. Vowel System in Common Germanic. Germanic Vowelshift. Germanic Fracture.

II. Main Features of Grammar in Common Germanic.

1. Morphological Structure of the Word.

2. Categories of Nouns. Noun Declensions.

3. Categories of Adjectives. Strong and Weak Declensions of Adjectives. Degrees of Comparison.

4. Indo-European and Germanic Ablaut.

5. Strong and Weak Conjugations of Verbs.

III.Common Germanic Vocabulary.

1. Etymological Layers within Germanic Vocabulary:

a) Indo-European Words;

b) specifically Germanic Words

Recommended Literature

Obligatory 1. Lectures on the theme.

2. Verba L. History of the English Language.-Nova Knyha,2004.

P.25-30

3. B. Ilyish. History of the English Language.-Л.,1973.

P.12-30.

4. И. П. Иванова и др. Практикум по истории

английского языка.-М.,1985.

 

TheoryTexts for analysisAssignmentsExercises

p.4-7; Text1 (p.8) 1-3,p.7 3,4,p.15

p.13-14(i-umlaut) 5-7,p.8

8,p.8

14-15,p.8

Additional: 1. T. A. Rastorguyeva. History of English.-M.,1983.

P.34-48.

2. G. I. Stoudenets. History of the English Language in

Tables.-K.,1998.

Tables 14-24.

 

Questions for Self-testing:

1. What can you say about the Common Germanic word accent?

2. What kind of process is the Germanic vowelshift?

3. What kind of process is the Germanic fracture?

4. What changes of consonants are characteristic of Common Germanic?

5. What is the essence of Grimm's Law?

6. What is the essence of Verner's Law?

7. What kind of process is rhotacism?

8. What are the main peculiarities of Common Germanic in the sphere of consonants?

9. What grammatical categories characterize Germanic nouns?

10. What can you say about the declensions of adjectives in CG?

11. What classes of verbs existed in Common Germanic (Gothic)?

12. What main features are strong verbs characterized by?

13. What is the origin of the dental suffix of weak verbs?

14. Do such groups as weak verbs exist in Slavonic languages? in Romanic languages?

15. What layers is the Common Germanic vocabulary characterized by?

16. Name some features of West Germanic languages?

17. What features reflect the common genealogical lineage of Germanic and Slavonic languages?

18. Compare Germanic and Slavonic languages. What common features characterize them?

 

 

Seminar 2

Old English Phonology. Main Features and the Changes.

 

 

Part 1: Get ready for a test on the theme: “Principal Features of Germanic

Languages”.Use materials for Seminar 1(the previous one).

 

A sample of the test:

TEST 2. Card N...

Task 1. Explain the correspondence of sounds in the given pair of words (line 1) and introduce the missing letters (lines 2 and 3):

(1) L canis – OE hund;

(2) R колода - OE _ olt;

(3) Lith bala - OE _ ol

(1) OE cw æ ð - OE cw æ don

(2) OE cea _ - OE curon (past)

(3) OE w æ s - OE we _ en

(1) OE bryc - OHG brucca

(2) Goth cuni - OE c_ nn

(3) Goth drobian - OE dr_fan

 

Part 2: Old English Phonology. Main Features and Processes.

The Outline of Seminar 2

Points for Discussions:

1. Word Accent in OE.

2. Indo-European, Common Germanic and Old English Vowel Systems Compared.

3. Development of Stressed Vowels in Old English:

1) the process of i-umlaut;

2) breaking;

3) diphthongization due to initial palatal consonants;

4) back mutation;

5) contraction.

4. Quantitative Changes of Vowels in OE.

5. Development of Vowels in Unstressed Positions.

6. The System of Consonants in OE.

7. Development of Consonants in OE: splitting of velar consonants; loss of consonants; metathesis.

8. Shortening of Consonants.

Recommended Literature

Obligatory 1. Lectures on the theme.

2. Verba L. History of the English Language.-Nova Knyha,

2004.

P.30-38.

3. B. Ilyish. History of the English Language.-Л.,1973.

P.44-53.

4. И. П. Иванова и др. Практикум по истории

английского языка.-М.,1985.

 

TheoryTexts for analysisAssignmentsExercises

Les.2, pp.17-25 Text2, p.19 1-5, p.9 1-11, p.24-25

 

Additional: 1. T. A. Rastorguyeva. History of English.-M.,1983.

P.74-83; 88-91.

2. G. I. Stoudenets. History of the English Language in

Tables.-K.,1998.

Tables 30-39.

 

Questions for Self-testing:

1. How many monophthongs did Common Germanic and Old English vowel systems include?

2. How many diphthongs did CG and OE vowel system include?

3. Speak of OE diphthongs and their phonological status.

4. What were the phonemic premises of palatal mutation? Supply the examples.

5. What is the essence of i-umlaut? What monophthongs underwent

i - umlaut in West Germanic languages?

6. What is the essence of OE process which is called breaking? Can we see any remnants of the process in ModE?

7. What is the essence of OE palatal mutation before x'? Can we see any remnants of the process in ModE?

8. What is the essence of OE diphthongization due to initial palatal consonants? Can we see any remnants of the process in ModE?

9. What is the essence of OE process called back mutation? Supply some examples.

10. What is the essence of OE process called contraction? Can you supply some examples of any remnants of it in ModE?

11. When did each of the above mentioned processes take place?

12. What classes of consonants existed in OE (according to the place and manner of articulation)?

13. What processes took place within the system of consonants in OE?

14. What is the essence of splitting of velar consonants in OE? How did the process influence further development of consonants?

15. What happened to long consonants in OE?

16. In what positions were the vowels lengthened in OE? How did it

influence further development of vowels? Supply some examples.

17. Speak of the allophones denoted by the letter 'cen' in OE. Supply examples.

18. Speak of the allophones denoted by the letters 'thorn', 'eth' and 'crossed d' in OE. Supply examples.

19. Speak of the allophones denoted by the letter 'feoh' in OE. Supply examples.

20. Speak of the allophones denoted by the letter 'yogh' in OE. Supply examples.

 

Seminar 3