Early Modern English
Middle English
Old English
General
100

Prescriptivism

Prescriptivism can result in

hypercorrection.

1 Define hypercorrection.

2 Give an example of

 hypercorrection in the history

 of English.

Prescriptivism

1 Overuse of the prestigious

 variant

2 Overuse of initial h- (as a

 response to h-dropping, e.g.,

 herb; intrusive -r

100

2 Sg Pronouns

Middle English had 2 variants of

the 2Sg pronouns.

1 What is this system called?

2 How would a speaker address

the Queen?

2 Sg Pronouns

1 T-V-system (T = familiar; V = 

polite)

2 V-pronoun: you (not thou)

100

What language was spoken in

England before English?

What language was spoken in 

England before English?


Celtic

100

Synthetic vs. analytic

1 Give brief definitions for both.

2 Name one example where

 English has become more

 analytic.

Synthetic vs. Analytic

1 synthetic: many inflections

 analytic: function words & strict

 word order

2 e.g., loss of verbal/nom.

 Morphology + strict SVO

200

Great Vowel Shift

The Great Vowel Shift is a very

important sound change in the

history of the English language.

1 What sounds were affected by

 the GVS?

2 How was moon pronounced

 before the GVS?

Great Vowel Shift

1 long monophthongs

2 mu:n < mo:n

200

Language contact

English has been in contact with

numerous languages.

Name one feature which English

acquired due to contact with

Celtic, Norse & French.

Language contact

Celtic (e.g., do-support; twofold

paradigm of be)

Norse (e.g., 3 Sg. -s; she; they)

French (affixes & words)

200

Case

OE had 4 cases. List them and

their function.

Case

NOM: subjects

ACC: direct objects

DAT: indirect objects

GEN: possessors

(INSTR: instrument (with 

200

Germanic

3 changes set Germanic apart from

other PIE languages.

1 Name the 3 changes.

2 Which change(s) is/are

 responsible for Latin turba >

 OE thorp

Germanic

1 fixed stress; dental preterit &

 first sound shif

2 first sound shift (devoicing of

 voiced stops b > p & frication

 t > th

300

Northern Cities Shift

The Northern Cities shift is a

chain shift.

1 Define what a chain shift is.

2 Is it conditioned or

 unconditioned?

3 How would speakers affected by

 this change pronounce lap?

Northern Cities shift


1 One change triggers another


2 Unconditioned


3 læp > lɛp

300

Middle English Dialects

Middle English is not

homogeneous. Name 2 features

associated with the Northern

dialect and 2 with the Southern

dialect.

Middle English Dialects

North:

they-them-their; til-fra; -s; sall;

whik, <a>

South: hi-hem-hir; to-from; -th;

shall; such; <o>

300

Anglo-Frisian Brightening

OE mæġ ‘may’ is cognate with

Present-Day-German ‘mag’.

Name the sound change(s) that

resulted in the different

pronunciations. Can you say

something about their chronology?

Anglo-Frisian Brightening

1 Anglo-Frisian brightening

 (a > æ)

2 Palatalization

 (g > j)

300

V2

1 What is V2? Give a definition.

2 What is the difference between 

 strict V2 & info-structure V2?

3 Which dialect(s) used strict V2

 in Middle English?

V2

1 The finite verb ist he 2nd

 Constituent in the sentence.

2 subject given > precedes finite V

 (V3)

 Subject new > follows finite V

3 North & East