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The birth of english language
Introduction to the history of english
The birth of english language
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Modern English (1800 - now)
The expansion of the British Empire drove the language into other nations. The growth of specific industries like science, war, manufacturing, and medicine brought specific words into the language. The invention of the automobile created an entirely new need for words. These specific words are now ingrained into our language and include terms like blitz, bulldozer, air-raid, cholesterol, allergy, hormones, stethoscope, quark, psychoanalysis, astronaut, carburetor, differential, spark plugs, and traffic light. The advent of the entertainment industry brought us words like film, microphone, tweeter, and loudspeaker. The same goes for the invention of computers and the Internet with new words like weblog, Internet,
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Compound words came from combining fundamental words into specific ones like house sitter, jetlag, and fire extinguisher. We began using roots from Greek and Latin to create new words and we added prefixes and suffixes to alter those new words. Many of those Greek and Latin words are now used in science and medicine. English speakers also took brand names and used them as coined words, like a Frigidaire became synonymous with a refrigerator and a Zipper was a zipper. As the language constantly changed, it became more flexible allowing for more change that was readily accepted by speakers. Slang, idioms, and local vernacular has made the standard form of English practically a separate language itself. Speakers are often able to make conscious switches between their vernacular and the standard form of the …show more content…
The language was heavily influenced by Latin and Greek languages as well as the Germanic language. As the world gets smaller and people on opposites sides of the planet are able to communicate, other languages’ influences grow. One such language is Arabic. Even though many English speakers do not realize it, Arabic has heavily influenced English, but in roundabout ways. Since the Spanish were influenced by the Moors (Arabics) thousands of Spanish words have Arabic roots. So, many Spanish words that made their way into English also have Arabic roots. It is relatively easy to spot them, since many begin with al-, like algebra, algorithm, alchemy, and almanac.
Arabic words also traveled into the English language through Sanskrit. One way to see where words came from is to look into the etymology, which is the study of word origins. One word that made its way from Sanskrit, then into Arabic, and into Italian was the word sugar. As sugar was first developed in India, it was only natural that it made its way into the Arabic countries and because of this, the word candy comes from Arabic as the word developed from the idea of cane sugar. Words from the game of chess are also descended from Arabic, even though the game made its way into England through the
9 The term is borrowed from linguistics, referring to the process by which the specific nature of a given sound in a particular word changes or assimilates the sound preceding it.
English in its entirety can be simply described as author, biologist and physician, Lewis Thomas had once said, “We pass the word around; we ponder how the case is put by different people, we read the poetry; we meditate over the literature; we play the music; we change our minds; we reach an understanding. Society evolves this way, not by shouting each other down, but by the unique capacity of unique, individual human beings to comprehend each other” (Thomas 120). The impact literature can bring onto others is simply amazing and is a gift that should be shared with everyone. This spring semester has quickly broadened my perspective. Being that this is my freshman year in college I prodded around ideas of what majors I had interests in. I toyed around with political science, but I found that I spent more time on arguing with what the political figures stood for than actually studying. I was almost certain I wanted to be an interior designer but I became overly fixated on how to properly draw three dimensional boxes to further myself any farther. Truth be told, I am the type of person who rather create something encrusted with detail than something cut in dry like politics or basic shapes. I have always have had a love for literature and especially poetry. At age eight I became a published poet in a children’s book. Even at a young age I knew with words I can create something to quench my need to express how I feel about a certain topic or issue. Therefore I have recently declared myself as a literature major. Through the structured English 1B's course and power of words from authors; Boisseau, Bishop, Glaspell and Ibsen I have gained valuable life lessons .
As the English language was beginning to develop, words were being borrowed from the French, Latin, and Scandinavian. Majority of the words used in the diary entry are words from each of these countries. For example, the lexis ‘Admerall’ was of a French origin. The lexis ‘gunnes’ was of a Scandinavian orgin and finally the lexis ‘nobull’ was of a Latin origin. All these words are commonly used in Present Day English, however, the spelling of the words are dissimilar. Large-scale borrowing of new words often had serious consequences for the meanings and the stylistic register of those words, but, various new stylistic layers emerged in the lexicon, which could be employed for a variety of different
The purpose of this assignment is to explain the impact of English language learners in the classroom. As a foreign student, English language learner in the United States faces multiple challenges for achieving academic success. To successfully complete a task, they need to master both English as a language and how it is used in core content classes especially when they are an adult. When trying to assist in instructing English language learners, they usually have many concepts and language abilities that they need to master, as do the teachers that are trying to teach them. With the incorporation of the concepts and approaches to identify and assess the issues and concerns that we have learned in our classroom instruction, such as lesson preparation,
some word(s) could be different compared to how the words are used in the 21st century. In
Peter Trudgill argues that overtime the meanings of words have been changed by society in order to fit the general understanding of a word. He defends his argument against people that claim the definition of a word should come from its origin. However, Trudgill illustrates the transition words have undergone throughout history, and how those affects are arbitrary to when it comes to communication now.
We borrow them from other languages (sushi), we create them by shortening longer words (gym from gymnasium) or by combining words (brunch from breakfast and lunch).
First of all when the Arabs invaded Spain Arabic language did not exist but when the occupation became more rooted the Arabic language was spreading vastly and it started to become the standard language of intellectual and science. At that time the influence became very high and the Arabic civilization became more advanced than of Western Europe. The Arabic language became very influential for many aspects for example literature played a big role. Arab poets in Al-Andalus became famous for their poetry and it started to influence western literature. Many poets of Al-Andlus talked about love and the relationship between the men and women in their poetry and that influenced many western poets.
In Johnson’s preface to A Dictionary of the English Language, Johnson argues the importance of preserving language. Other dialects had a produced their own dictionaries, such as the French and Italians. Various writers of the eighteenth century were alarmed at the fact that there was no standard for the English language, since there was no standard it could easily become extinct. Johnson explored many points, such as how and why languages change as well as how many words are formed.
After Muhammad’s death, caliphs, political and military leaders who ruled under Islamic Principles, wanted only to establish political rule other than attempting to spread the religion as a whole. This attempt caused Arabic to become a more than just a local language, and today is the official language of various countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria. It is so prominent because in the countries with Islam as their main religion every person speaks Arabic; it is the language of the Quran and to be considered a true Muslim one must learn to read the sacred texts in their true form. Muslim countries have still man...
According to Anne Curzan, a language historian, it's important to note that humans make dictionaries, therefore a dictionary only provides the opinions of the most commonly used meanings of a word. It's not a set list of “right definitions” because people use them differently for how they see fit. Words’ meanings can evolve over time due to slang usage and the influence of other languages and cultures. When a bigger group of people discover a slang version of a word, it might become popular, which could make that the most common meaning for the word. Also, a word in one society might mean something completely different in another society. If languages or cultures intertwine with others, then the common definitions used might change with it. All of this can contribute to the evolution of a word's meaning, and this is acceptable because even though words may change over time, so does the language as a whole
Language as a dynamic structure is exposed to constant development, transformation and alteration. Media, society, culture, science, technology and politics are the core factors that contribute towards language evolution. Due to numerous linguistic and extra linguistic factors, newly coined units in the language are in the process of entering and influencing the English language. These new units, known as neologisms, serve as our guidance in understanding the never-ending evolution in the English language. Furthermore, neologisms ease each individual’s process of coping with changes by creating mental bridges between the old and the contemporary. The English language vocabulary is facing constant change, as neologisms enter in a blink of an eye through the media. The mass media being the major source and ground on which English neologisms are coined, plays a significant role of intermediary between the English population as active consumers and the language itself.
Arabic is a language that is an example of a language that is spoken with rules and regulations that govern it, these rules come from the holy Quran. When Arabic goes through grammatical alteration, the language loses its richness, and no longer sounds the tough language that makes it special worldwide. Currently, with all the westernization occurring in the Arab world, many have diverted from the standard Arabic. Families have changed their first language to English; from my point of view, ...
Experiencing those days where people would laugh at other for the broken English; the grammar and pronunciation are the toughest parts of the language. People with English as a second language always stumble upon difficulties; however, the determination of learning a new language do not decrease easily as the motivation is still surrounding one’s mind. Today, English has become an international communication; even the teaching and learning of the language has already spread throughout the world. English is known as one of the most common use language and has been offering classes everywhere for years especially around Asia; additionally, the world common language has now become the number one language uses in every fields of career that is being offer everywhere. Non-American students should be required to take English class as a second language in school
Coming from a Spanish speaking household having to learn a new language can always be difficult. While, I was a child learning a second language was difficult. It was difficult for me to put words to use in the correct way. And use terms that make sense with one another term. It was difficult for me because some Spanish words sound the same as English words, and while learning I wanted to translate everything the way I say it in Spanish to English. For example, in Spanish “helo” means ice, but if you say it out loud it sounds like “yellow”. Little things like that will be a big issue to me. I have to put up with many looks from others and hear all sorts of criticism around me. Learning a new language at a young age was a struggle with reading