Grammar Vocabulary

Grammar Vocabulary13. Grammar:

14. Irregular/Exceptions:

(from Greek prefix gram-/graph-: "to draw, to write“)the rules about how to use words in a language English DOES have rules! We learn these in grammar class. But in English, we break all the rules! Why?

words or usages that break typical rules

English has over one million words. (French has <100,000 words. ) Why so many?

Part I

History of the English Language

Part I: English grows in Englandhttp://www.earlyyearsresources.co.uk/history-geography-c406/geography-c427/british-isles-outline-map-p12705

United Kingdom

Modern Day

England

Scotland

Republic of Ireland(Not part of UK)

Northern Ireland

Wales

Before English…• Prehstoric/Stone Age (? - 1000 B.C.)

Illustration by Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov (PD-1923)

• Contribution to the U.K. Ancient Monuments

• Contribution to English None

• The Celts Invade (? - 400 B.C.)

• Contributions to the U.K. Languages (Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, &

Irish Gaelic) , Poetry, Art, & Music• Contributions to English Mostly place names like Britain,Dover, Thames River, CAMbridge (cam=“crooked”), the River Avon (avon= “river”), BERKshire (berk= “hilly place”), EXeter, and OXford (ex/ox=“water”).

• The Romans Invade (~40 - 400 A.D.)

• Contributions to the U.K.

Buildings, aqueducts, roads, etc.

Contributions to English (then)

Mostly place names: London, places ending in –CASTER/CESTER or –CHESTER (Latin for “camp”) such as Chester, Manchester, Winchester, Lancaster, Gloucester, etc.

The Romans push most Celts North and West. Some Celts stay and become Romans.

English comes to England!

• These tribes spoke an ancient form of German.

• Germanic tribes wanted England’s farmland and its minerals (lead, copper, tin, silver).

• Celts who had been “Romanized” were left helpless in England.

• In the 400’s A.D., the Roman Empire was attacked by Germanic tribes. The Romans in England were called back to Rome to help.

The Indo-European Roots of the Old Germanic Languages

Romanized Celts escape to Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.

• Germanic Tribes (Angles, Saxons, Jutes) Invade

• By 1000 A.D., the tribes have mixed together.

• The Germanic Tribes invade in the 400’s.

• The Country is called Englaland (“The land of the Angles”).

• The language, Anglo-Saxon, is called Englisc = Old English.

• The people are called Angelcynn (“Angle-kin” = “related to the Angles).

• Old English: The first form of EnglishHwæt we Gardena in geardagum, þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon, hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon. Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum monegum mægþum meodosetla ofteah, egsode eorlas , syððan ærest wearð feasceaft funden; he þæs frofre gebad, weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra ofer hronrade hyran scolde, gomban gyldan. þæt wæs god cyning. æ= ð/þ=Hwæt = we= -dena=in= dag= cyning=hu= ða= oft=eorl= fund= he=under= weorð= ofer=rade= scolde= gyld=þæt= wæs= god=

Beowulf• One of the oldest written works in Old English.• Written down ~700-1000?• Before it was written, it was an old story.

Words we still use from Old English• the• that• and• am• is• are• I• me• you• he• his• it• run• laugh• speak

• work• not• father• mother• wife• do• work• drink• eat• day• earth• heaven• sea• all• thing

• steal• house• ship• bath• bridge• sheep• dog• wood• field• glee• here• there• and• many• more!

• Old English words often changed forms in a different way than Modern English words.

• Why? Over many years we have SIMPLIFIED English (Examples: past verb = “-ed” / plural nouns = “-s”)

• But very old words people use every day stayed the same. So NOW they seem irregular.

NOUNS• wife/wives• man/men• woman/women• child/children• wolf/wolves• goose/geese• sheep/sheep• fish/fish

VERBS• be/am/is/are/was/were• run/ran• eat/ate/eaten• drink/drank/drunk• sing/sang/sung• say/said• speak/spoke/spoken• think/thought

Who invades next?• The Christians (bringing Latin back!)

• The Vikings (bringing Old Norse)

• The Normans (bringing Old French)

• What did they bring to English? Wait for the History of the English Language: Part II