Unit 1
Who were the Germanic tribes that invaded England in the 5th century?
Angles, Saxons and Jutes
give, law, leg, skin, sky, take, they and some of the weekdays.
What are the main differences between the Southern and Northern English accents?
Trap - Bath Split:
Southern English /æ/ vs /a:/; Northern English æ
Foot-strut Split (aka. cut-put split):
Southern English /ʌ/ vs /u/; Northern English /u/
What accent incorporates the 'vocal fry' and 'up-speak'?
California - particularly girls and women, e.g. Cher (Clueless), The Kardashians, etc.
Beowulf, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare, and King James Bible.
Provide 2 words that were introduced with Christianity in the 6th - 8 centuries.
angel, bishop, candle, church, martyr, priest and school
What is the difference between 'cow' and 'beef'?
One is the name of the animal, and one is the meat derived from animals.
Cow = Germanic word, used by farmers and peasants
Beef = French origins, used by aristocracy and elite who prepared and consumed it.
What is the General American Accent?
The General American Accent is a neutral, non-regional accent commonly used in media, business and education (encompasses various American English dialects that lack strong regional characteristics).
Rhotic 'r'
Cot/Caught (both long a /a:/, as opposed to RP o and ɔː
Flapped 't' and 'd', so that 'metal' and 'medal' sound the same.
List 3 characteristics or Southern American English.
Rhotic 'r' before vowels, e.g. 'brighter', but non- rhotic after vowels, e.g. 'bird'
Ai sound - ae, e.g. Diner, Like
'e' sound to /eə/ sound, e.g. 'bed' and 'bared' sound similar.
What variety of English changes a 'w' to a 'v'?
What event precipitated Middle English? (11th - 15th Centuries)
Norman Invasion of 1066(William the Conquerer, Battle of Hastings).
Norman French becomes language of elite, nobility, courts, law, etc. (army, court, prison, faith, etc) and English remains language of peasant class.
What was the "Great Vowel Shift"?
A significant change between 1400 - 1700, where all Middle English long vowels changed their pronunication, e.g. mona - moon (long o to u).
What are two characteristics of Irish English?
Rhotic R
T aspiration - t sounds have more breath
æ sounds
The final 'g' is dropped
Dublin accents: Glottal 't'
Unvoiced 'th' - t, e.g. think (tink)
Voiced th' - d, e.g. dis, dat
What is MLE?
Multicultural London English
Shares similarities with Cockney, e.g. 'innit' and voiced 'th', e.g. either (eiver) or Dublin English (dis or dat)
Glottal 't'
Stress on different words
Use of non-standard grammar, e.g. you was/wasn't
How are abbreviations used in Modern English texting? Provide examples.
Only used in informal setting
LOL, DMs, ASAP, FML, JK, AF, etc.
What historical and cultural events influenced Early Modern English (1500s)?
Invention of the Printing Press and its introduction to England by William Caxton (1476), led to the formation of a standard language.
The Renaissance - renewed interest in classical languages and literature (Latin, Greek and French). Increase in borrowed words
What is an inkhorn term?
List 5 Characteristics of RP.
RP - Received pronunciation
Does not belong to a region - it is an accent associated with middle and upper class and royalty (Prince Wills and Harry)
Spoken by 2% of the population
Does not use slang
Also known as BBC English - BBC news presenters all spoke this way until the late 1970s
Clipped precise tones
Non-rhotic 'r'
Traditional RP - long vowel sounds
Modern RP - shortened diphthongs, e.g. Near (ni:r)
List 5 characteristics of Cockney
Schwa sounds are stronger (stronger)
H-dropping
L - w
Glottal 't' - Bottle; Water
Voiced th - v, e.g. Brother (Bruva)
Unvoiced th - f, e.g. Think (fink), Everything (everyfing)
'ow' and 'or' sounds, rounder (Cow or Pork)
Me > My
Double negative, e.g. I ain't got none
Third Person > first and second person reversed
What are the two official languages of Jamaica, and how were they influenced?
Jamaican English - British colonizers, Irish intonation, and more recently American English
Jamaican Patois - spoken language, rhythmic and melodic quality - first language for many Jamaicans. Integration of African languages of slaves with English.
Examples, me dun playin, gud mawnin', crayven, renk.
Give examples of loanwords in Modern English that have origins in other languages.
Jungle, bangle, yoga, khaki, brogues, moccasins, shampoo, oxygen, semester, seminar, internet, computer, cell phone, trousers, clan, etc.
What is a 'Lingua Franca'?
A language that is used to communicate with people who do not share a native language. English is used in international trade and intercultural communication, e.g. European global trade agreements.
Spread due to British Empire and solidified by the establishment of the U.S as a superpower.
What are the 3 types of Australian accent?
Cultivated, General, and Broad
Separated by socio-economic class, rather than regional varieties
Cultivated = upper-class, assoc. with education (think RP)
General - tv, film, and advertising (standard Australian accent)
Broad - Ockers (Strayan/Strine), strong, rural accent
What is the 'pin/pen' merger?
In Kiwi (New Zealand) English, the short 'i' and 'e' sounds are interchanged, so that the word 'pin' sounds like 'pen'.
1. Which accents have glottal t's?
2. Which accents change voiced and unvoiced 'th's?
3. Which accents substitute 'my' with 'me'?
1. Cockney, MLE, and Irish (Dublin and Midlands)
2. Cockney, MLE, and Irish (fink and muva) vs (tink and muva) vs (tink and mudder)
3. Cockney, MLE, Irish and Jamaican