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Historical Linguistics

Old English

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A Brief History of English

Old English: ~450 AD - 1066 AD

Anglo-Saxons and Vikings bring Germanic languages to Britain

Middle English: 1066 AD - ~1500 AD

French (Normans) invade Britain and bring Latinate language to Britain

Early Modern English: ~1500 AD - ~1700 AD

Renaissance→ printing press, science, theatre, literature, art

Modern English: ~1700 AD - Present

Technology, colonialism, globalization

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Pre-Old English

Pre-500 AD: British Isles occupied by Celts, then Romans

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Old English

~450 AD: British Isles invaded by Anglo-Saxons; Anglo-Saxon language (with a little Celtic influence, maybe) becomes “Old English”

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Old English

The Vikings come to England around 800 AD and add more words. The two languages come together to change Old English

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Old English: Beowulf

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What did it sound like?

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Letters in Old English

æ (ash) cat, apple

ð (eth) this, that

Þ (thorn) bath, thorn

œ (ethel) coil

Ȝ (yogh) loch, Bach

Ƿ (wynn) win, wonder

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Old English

But most of the words we say in everyday conversation come from Old English.

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How do we get new words?

TED talk: “Go Ahead, Make Up New Words!”

Take notes!

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How do words change?

Companion	Someone who eats bread with you
Business	a state of being busy
Broadcast	to sow seeds

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How do words change?

Broadening: Meaning of a word becomes broader or more inclusive. It means everything it used to mean and more.

Companion	Someone who eats bread with you	Someone who is with you
Business	a state of being busy	all kinds of work or occupations
Broadcast	to sow seeds	to spread anything (especially news)

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How do words change?

Engine	Any machine
Disease	Discomfort
Vest	any garment
Wife	woman

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How do words change?

Narrowing: Meaning of a word is more specific than it used to be.

Engine	Any machine	Uses power to drive something
Disease	Discomfort	illness
Vest	any garment	a garment with no arms that goes over a shirt
Wife	woman	a married woman

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How do words change?

Nice	Foolish, silly, absurd
Angel	messenger
Fond	foolish

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How do words change?

Amelioration: The meaning of a word gets an upgrade (the word is nicer than it used to be)

Nice	Foolish, silly, absurd	Kind, pleasant
Angel	messenger	messenger of God
Fond	foolish	affectionate

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How do words change?

Silly	Happy, blessed, fortunate
Bully	Sweet (adjective)
Villain	A person who worked at a villa

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How do words change?

Pejoration: Meaning of a word is more negative than it used to be

Silly	Happy, blessed, fortunate	foolish, without substance
Bully	Sweet (adjective)	a person who takes advantage of someone weaker
Villain	A person who worked at a villa	A wicked, evil person

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How do words change?

Awesome	Inspiring awe
Love	An intense emotional feeling
Very	true

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How do words change?

Bleaching: Meaning of a word is less intense than it used to be

Awesome	Inspiring awe	really good
Love	An intense emotional feeling	a positive feeling (toward a movie, food, etc)
Very	true	used to intensify an adjective

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How do words change?

Kleenex	A specific brand of tissue
Orange	A kind of fruit
Crown	Headwear of a king or queen

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How do words change?

Metonymy: The meaning of a word shifts to a meaning of a word it’s closely associated with

Kleenex	A specific brand of tissue	Any tissue
Orange	A kind of fruit	the fruit AND the color
Crown	Headwear of a king or queen	the headwear AND the person / office wearing it

Pejoration

Bleaching

Metonymy

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Freewrite

Choose one of the the slang words from your previous freewrite (or another one from the list). How has it changed? Use the TED Talk, what you know about meaning change, or both, to explain.

(around 150 words)