8/13/2019 Linguistics Engl Lang

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/linguistics-engl-lang 1/3

LINGUISTICS AND THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

(A) Some basic linguistic terms: Language, Indo-European languages, Langue- Parole, Tongue, Lingua Franca, Dialect, Slang, Jargon, Register, and Idiolect.

(B) Classical and Modern Languages

(C) The English Language: Current Status Histor! Classi"ication Characteristics#In"lection$ %le&ibilit!$ and 'ocabular!( 'arieties o" English)

(A) Some basic linguistic terms: Language: *) The +a! human beings communicate using +ords$ +hether +ritten or

s,o-en) .) It is also used "or the ,articular s!stem o" communication ,re/ailing in a

s,eci"ic countr!$ nation$ or communit!)

 Indo-European languages: "amil! o" Euro,ean and Asian languages: a "amil! o"languages con/entionall! di/ided into the "ollo+ing branches: 0alto1Sla/onic$ Germanic$

Italic$ Indo1Iranian$ Celtic$ Gree-$ Albanian$ Armenian$ Anatolian$ and Tocharian) This

language "amil!$ no+ s,o-en "rom India to 2estern Euro,e$ includes man! modern

languages$ "or e&am,le$ English$ %rench$ German$ S,anish$ 3ussian$ Hindi$ and Urdu) Langue: the s!stem o" language)

 Parole: real1+orld language) Tongue: the ,articular language used b! a s,eci"ic countr!$ nation$ or communit!)

 Lingua Franca: a language or mi&ture o" languages used "or communication b! ,eo,le

+ho s,ea- di""erent "irst languages)

 Dialect : the s,eci"ic +a! a language is used in a ,articular area o" a countr! or among

those in a ,articular ,art o" a communit! +hen this is distinct in some +a! "rom the

language s,o-en generall! in that nation or communit!)

Slang : the +ords$ e&,ressions$ and turns o" ,hrase used b! a ,articular grou, o" ,eo,le$es,eciall! +hen these are considered nonstandard)

 Jargon: the +ords associated +ith a ,articular s,eciali4ed acti/it! or grou, or used in a ,articular situation$ es,eciall! in order to suggest that the! are technical or di""icult "or anordinar! ,erson to understand)

 Register : language o" a t!,e that is used in ,articular social situations or +hen

communicating +ith a ,articular set o" ,eo,le #e)g): "ormal$ in"ormal() Idiolect : the ,articular language or s,eech habits o" an indi/idual)

(B) Classical and Modern Languages: Latin$ Ancient Gree-$ Hebre+$ Sans-rit$ Classical

Chinese languages currentl! s,o-en in the +orld #e)g): Modern Gree-()

(C) English

*) Current Status

♦  National language in the United 5ingdom$ the United States$ Australia$ and Ne+

6ealand #788 million()

♦ 9ne o" the t+o national languages o" Canada)

♦ Asia: English as a second language in India$ a-istan$ 0angladesh$ Sri Lan-a$

 Ne,al$ and 0hutan)

*

8/13/2019 Linguistics Engl Lang

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/linguistics-engl-lang 2/3

♦ A"rica: English is an o""icial language in 0ots+ana$ Lesotho$ S+a4iland$

6imbab+e$ 6ambia$ Mala+i$ Uganda$ and 5en!a$ Gambia$ Sierra Leone$ Nigeria$

Ghana$ and Liberia)

♦ The largest global lingua franca  in use in our ;global /illage< #billions o"

s,ea-ers()

.) Histor!

♦ Celtic: Celts

♦ Latin: 3omans #*st  centur! 0C( con/ersion to Christianit! in the =th and >th

centuries AD)

♦ Germanic dialects #7th centur! AD(: Germanic tribes: Angles$ Sa&ons$ and ?utes)

♦  Norse #@th centur!(: 'i-ings)

♦  Norman %rench #*8==(: The Norman Conuest)

♦ 9ld English #or Anglo1Sa&on(: Northumbrian$ Mercian$ 2est Sa&on$ and 5entish

dialects s,o-en "rom BB to **88 AD)

♦ Middle English: "rom about **88 to *B78 AD) The Statute of Pleadings  #*=.(made English instead o" %rench the o""icial language o" arliament and the courts)

♦ Modern English

) Classi"ication

♦ As a Germanic language$ English belongs to the Indo1Euro,ean "amil! o"

languages)

B) Characteristics:

B)*) In"lection

German$ Latin$ 3ussian$ Gree-$ %rench and 3omanian are in"lected languages) Thismeans that man! +ords undergo changes o" s,elling 1 and o"ten o" ,ronunciation 1 to

mar- changes in tense o" /erbs$ gender o" nouns$ case or ,luralit! o" nouns$ mood o"

/erbs$ agreement o" adecti/es$ and other distinctions)English is relati/el! unin"lected)

♦ Ad/erbs$ ,re,ositions$ conunctions$ and interections are in/ariable) The! are s,elled

the same +a! no matter ho+ the! are used)

♦  Nouns$ ,ronouns$ adecti/es and /erbs$ ho+e/er$ are in"lected) Most English nouns

sho+ a ,lural b! adding an s or an es: cow, cows !o", !o"es) Some nouns ha/e +hat

are called mutated$ or changed$ ,lurals: #an, #en wo#an, wo#en foot, feet tooth,

teeth  goose, geese #ouse, #ice louse, lice) A /er! "e+ nouns 1 "or e&am,le$ o",

o"en 1 ha/e ,lurals ending in en) A "e+ nouns remain unchanged in the ,lural: deer, sheep, #oose$ and grouse)

♦ %i/e o" the se/en ,ersonal ,ronouns ha/e distincti/e "orms "or subect or obect use:

 I, #e he, hi# she, her we, us and the$, the#) And there are also distincti/e

 ,ossessi/e ,ronouns: #ine, his, hers, ours, theirs)

♦ 'erb "orms$ +hile in"lected$ are not as com,licated as the! are in Latin$ Gree-$

German or 3omanian) The one English /erb +ith the most "orms is Fto beF # !e, a#,

.

8/13/2019 Linguistics Engl Lang

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/linguistics-engl-lang 3/3

is, are, was, were, !een, and !eing () 3egular /erbs ha/e onl! "our "orms: tal%, tal%s,

tal%ed $ and tal%ing $ "or e&am,le) Irregular /erbs ha/e "i/e "orms: sing, sings, sang,

 sung $ and singing ) A "e+ /erbs that end in a t  or d  ha/e onl! three "orms: cut, cuts,cutting ) These /erb in"lections are in mar-ed contrast to 9ld English$ in +hich ridan$

or Fride$F had * "orms$ and to Modern German$ in +hich reiten has *=)

B).) %le&ibilit!

♦ It is ,ossible to Frun a raceF #noun usage( or Frace someone to the cornerF #/erb

usage()

♦ It is also ,ossible in English to use nouns as adecti/es: auto#o!ile show, state

 fair, hot dog stand )

♦ ronouns$ adecti/es$ and ad/erbs can also "unction as nouns)

B)) 'ocabular!

There are an estimated >78$888 +ords in the English language) Nearl! hal" o" these are o"

Germanic #or Teutonic( origin$ and nearl! hal" "rom the 3omance languages #languages

o" Latin origin11such as %rench$ S,anish$ and Italian11or Latin itsel"() There also ha/e been generous borro+ings "rom other languages$ including Gree-$ Dutch$ Modern

German$ and Arabic)

♦ Germanic: the nouns  father, #other, !rother, #an, wife, ground, land, tree, grass,

 su##er $ and winter )

♦ %rench: constitution, president, parlia#ent, congress$ and representati&e cit$, place,

&illage, court, palace, residence, do#icile, cuisine, li!ert$, &eracit$. 

♦ S,anish: cigar, ar#ada, guerrilla, #atador, #os'uito$ and tornado)

♦ Latin: #alnutrition, transfer, circu#ference, supernatural, su!#arine, su!ur!,

 su!stantial, conte#porar$, #ultilingual, con(unction, co#passion)

♦

Gree-: alpha!et, geo#etr$, geolog$, photograph$, ps$cholog$, ps$chiatr$, patholog$,!iolog$, philosoph$, telephone, logistics$ and #eta#orphosis)

♦ Arabic: alcohol, alche#$, alge!ra, al#anac, arsenal, assassin, cipher, eli"ir,

#os'ue, sugar, s$rup, and )ero)

♦ coffee #Tur-ish( gull  #Cornish( flannel  #2elsh( clan$ and plaid  #Gaelic and Irish(

#a##oth, so&iet $ and &od%a #3ussian( ro!ot  #C4ech( papri%a #Hungarian( (ungle,

thug, sha#poo, loot, pa(a#as$ and  polo  #Hindi(  paradise, lilac, !a)aar, cara&an,

chess, shawl, and %ha%i #ersian( #ar#alade, fla#ingo$ and &eranda  #ortuguese(

%etchup, !a#!oo$ and orangutan #Mala!( ta!oo and tattoo #ol!nesian(.

 

7) 'arieties o" English

♦ 0ritish English$ American English$ Australian and Ne+ 6ealand English)♦ Asia: English as s,o-en in India$ a-istan$ 0angladesh$ Sri Lan-a$ Ne,al$ and

0hutan)

♦ A"rica: English as s,o-en in 0ots+ana$ Lesotho$ S+a4iland$ 6imbab+e$ 6ambia$

Mala+i$ Uganda$ and 5en!a$ Gambia$ Sierra Leone$ Nigeria$ Ghana$ and Liberia)

♦ General English and English "or S,ecial ur,oses #e)g): English "or Academic

ur,oses English "or Medicine English "or M0A()