Studies in Early Middle English Loanwords: Norse and French Influences (original) (raw)
Related papers
Norse Loans in Middle English and their Influence on Late Medieval London English
Anglia, 2017
Most of the Norse legal and administrative terms attested in Old English were replaced by equivalents from the French superstrate soon after the Norman Conquest, whereas a remarkable number of more basic terms are known to have become part of the very basic vocabulary of modern Standard English. This paper focuses on Norse lexical loans that survived during and beyond the period of French rule and became part of this basic vocabulary. It explores (1) the regional and textual conditions for the survival of such loans and (2) their expansion into late medieval London English and into the emerging standard language. Based on selective textual evidence it is argued that they were not quite as basic originally, that they typically survived and developed in regional centres far away from the French-dominated court, and eventually infiltrated the area in and around late medieval London owing to its growing attraction as an economic and intellectual centre. Both the survival of Norse loans and their later usage expansion are shown to be in harmony with the principles of comparative contact linguistics.
The Lexical Effects of Anglo-Scandinavian Linguistic Contact on Old English
The Lexical Effects of Anglo-Scandinavian Linguistic Contact on Old English
Terje Faarlund attempt to make the case that from its Middle period onwards, English is a North Germanic language, descended from the Norse varieties spoken in Medieval England, rather than a West Germanic language, as traditionally assumed. In this review article we critique Emonds & Faarlund's proposal, focusing particularly on the syntactic evidence that forms the basis of their argumentation.
Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso, Graduação em Letras - Português/Inglês, UTFPR, 2016
ABSTRACT: This study refers to the Scandinavian influences on the English language, which involve essentially linguistic aspects, but, also culture. The history of the English language is directly linked to the people who inhabited the current English territory and to the other cultures that the English peoples had contact with. In this way, it will be made the contextualization of the time and the historical space to which this study refers, namely, the Viking Age in England. Through bibliographical research that encompasses many theories and phenomena related to the Old Norse influences on the English language, the focus of this work will on analyze and reflect on the transition from Old English to Middle English, denoting the impact caused by contact with Old Norse. However, although Scandinavian presence in England and their influences on language and culture are significant, such historical episode is overshadowed by Roman and French interferences that have shown greater impact on continental politics. Therefore, another objective of this study is to value and recognize the importance of Scandinavian permanence in England in what concerns the linguistic and cultural consequences from that period.
Old Norse Influence in Modern English: The Effect of the Viking Invasion
2014
The Vikings from Scandinavia invaded the British Isles during the late eighth century. They prevailed there for the next 300 years, until the Normans arrived. Despite having been such a dominant force they left behind diminutive evidence of their reign. That was the general assumption up until the second half of the nineteenth century when philologists began investigating English. Their investigations successfully established the definite evidence of the Vikings language in English. The Vikings spoke a language called 'Old Norse', which today is an extinct language. Old Norse and Old English were in many ways similar since they belonged to the same language family, Germanic. Therefore, the Old Norse constituents integrated with ease into Old English. These borrowings went undetected for centuries but remain in the language up to the present-day. It is estimated that there are around 400 Old Norse borrowings in Standard English. These borrowings are amongst the most frequently used terms in English and denote objects and actions of the most everyday description. This thesis determines which aspects of the language were and still are influenced by Old Norse and if these borrowings are still productive in Modern English. Moreover, it examines the varied influence Old Norse had on different English dialects.
Defining the outcome of language contact: Old English and Old Norse
Ohio State University Working Papers in …, 2003
The English language throughout its 1500 year history has been impacted by socio-historical developments and changes. One such development took place in Old English: the invasion of England by Norse tribes from c. 800-1000 A.D. was a series of events which had a significant and lasting impact on all areas of the English language. The nature of that social situation and the linguistic outcome is of interest in contact linguistics; in particular, the application by some of terms such as creolization and creole to this process and its outcome has been controversial. In this paper, I examine the English-Norse contact situation and its effects on English and propose that the linguistic outcome of this contact was a koine, and show that this account can better describe the effects of this contact situation on the English language. 1 Socio-historical background A series of Norse invasions of England from c. 800-1000 A.D. resulted in language contact between Old English (OE) and Old Norse (ON). 1 These invasions can be
English: The Language of the Vikings
Abstract: English as North Germanic: Modern English is Modern Norse It is well known that Middle English (and its descendent Modern English) has a large number of words of Scandinavian origin. This is conventionally attributed to language contact and heavy borrowing of Scandinavian words into Early Middle English (not into Old English). However, this alleged borrowing was not limited to lexical words, counter to the normal case in contact situations; grammatical words and morphemes were also borrowed. This is unusual, and calls for an explanation. The explanation argued for here is that the roots of Middle English (and therefore Modern English) are North Germanic, with large borrowings from the Old English lexicon, rather than the other way around, as generally assumed, and that the fusion of the two lexicons dates back not to early Scandinavian settlement in England, but about 200 years later, especially the 12th c. during the full impact of the Norman Conquest. Even more problematic is the fact that Middle English and Modern English syntax is Scandinavian rather than West Germanic. The languages share numerous syntactic properties (e.g. word order, P-stranding, infinitival and directional particles, auxiliaries, infinitival constructions, participles and case inflections), which reflect a deep and typologically significant relation of Scandinavian with Middle/ Modern English. With respect to all these characteristics Middle/ Modern English groups with North Germanic rather than West Germanic.