The development of the Middle English vocabulary (borrowings, word formation).

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 885.

The change in ME vocabulary was caused by Scandinavian invasion. The grammatical and phonetic structures were similar, the languages had a lot in common. The first borrowings came from the Northern and Eastern regions. They were spoken by the same social rates. The considerable part was common to English and Scandinavian dialects. The roots were the same though the endings were different. Another part of Scandinavian vocabulary did not correspond to English. In this sphere Scandinavian dialects influenced English – political and every-day life: e.g.: lagy, husbonda, sister, callen, wrang. Names of the places: e.g.: Kirkby, Derby, Langtoft. There were 2 languages spoken by people. They mixed together and there occurred blend of 2 languages. In many situations Scandinavian words were very alike English. Etymological doublets – words which have common origin though they existed in different languages. e.g.: shirt (native), skirt (Sc). The struggle for supremacy between French and English was in favor of English. The penetration started in the 12^th century and reached the climax only in the 13^th-14^th centuries. French was introduced as the language of law. The population became bilingual. Many French words were connected with the life of the higher society: Government, court (prince, noble, govern, royal judge); Army (army, male, victory); Art (art, colour, image); Amusement (feste, dinner); Town professions (tailor); Religion (saint, religion).