scholarly journals History of English as punctuated equilibria? A meta-analysis of the rate of linguistic change in Middle English

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Terttu Nevalainen ◽  
Tanja Säily ◽  
Turo Vartiainen ◽  
Aatu Liimatta ◽  
Jefrey Lijffijt
Keyword(s):  
Middle English ◽  
Language Change ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Early Modern Period ◽  
Norman Conquest ◽  
Linguistic Change ◽  
Punctuated Equilibria ◽  
Late Medieval Period ◽  
History Of ◽  
Using Data

AbstractIn this paper, we explore the rate of language change in the history of English. Our main focus is on detecting periods of accelerated change in Middle English (1150–1500), but we also compare the Middle English data with the Early Modern period (1500–1700) in order to establish a longer diachrony for the pace at which English has changed over time. Our study is based on a meta-analysis of existing corpus research, which is made available through a new linguistic resource, the Language Change Database (LCD). By aggregating the rates of 44 individual changes, we provide a critical assessment of how well the theory of punctuated equilibria (Dixon, Robert M. W. 1997. The rise and fall of languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) fits with our results. More specifically, by comparing the rate of language change with major language-external events, such as the Norman Conquest and the Black Death, we provide the first corpus-based meta-analysis of whether these events, which had significant societal consequences, also had an impact on the rate of language change. Our results indicate that major changes in the rate of linguistic change in the late medieval period could indeed be connected to the social and cultural after-effects of the Norman Conquest. We also make a methodological contribution to the field of English historical linguistics: by re-using data from existing research, linguists can start to ask new, fundamental questions about the ways in which language change progresses.

Ambiguity avoidance as a factor in the rise of the English dative alternation

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Zehentner
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Middle English ◽  
Language Change ◽  
Cognitive Factors ◽  
Case Marking ◽  
Dative Alternation ◽  
Cue Reliability ◽  
History Of ◽  
Potential Impact

Abstract This paper discusses the role of cognitive factors in language change; specifically, it investigates the potential impact of argument ambiguity avoidance on the emergence of one of the most well-studied syntactic alternations in English, viz. the dative alternation (We gave them cake vs We gave cake to them). Linking this development to other major changes in the history of English like the loss of case marking, I propose that morphological as well as semantic-pragmatic ambiguity between prototypical agents (subjects) and prototypical recipients (indirect objects) in ditransitive clauses plausibly gave a processing advantage to patterns with higher cue reliability such as prepositional marking, but also fixed clause-level (SVO) order. The main hypotheses are tested through a quantitative analysis of ditransitives in a corpus of Middle English, which (i) confirms that the spread of the PP-construction is impacted by argument ambiguity and (ii) demonstrates that this change reflects a complex restructuring of disambiguation strategies.

scholarly journals Furiously fast: On the speed of change in formulaic language

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Buerki
Keyword(s):  
Language Change ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Formulaic Language ◽  
Linguistic Change ◽  
Linguistic Feature ◽  
Lexical Change ◽  
Reference Corpus ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Using Data

Abstract Addressing a topic that has been marginal to discussions within historical linguistics, this study looks at how extent and speed of language change can be quantified meaningfully using corpus data. Looking specifically at formulaic language (understood here as word sequences that instantiate typical phrasings), a solidly data-based assessment of the speed of change within a 100-year time window is offered. This includes both a relative determination of speed (against the speed of change in lexis which is generally thought to be the fastest type of linguistic change, cf. Algeo 1980: 264; Trask and Millar 2010: 7) as well as a new independent measure of speed which is easy to interpret and therefore of high validity, while also robust and potentially applicable to any linguistic feature that can be counted in corpus data. Using data from a diachronic reference corpus of 20th century German, it is shown that change in formulaic language is very notably faster than lexical change, that the extent of change over a century is comparable in extent to contemporary inter-genre variation and that overall, the rate of change does fluctuate somewhat at the level of temporal granularity employed in this study. It is also argued that quantifying the speed of linguistic change can play an important role in building a deeper understanding of language change in general.

scholarly journals Linguistic variation and change: Middle English infinitive

2004 ◽  
Vol 37 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 103-114
Author(s):  
Frančiška Trobevšek Drobnak
Keyword(s):  
Middle English ◽  
Complex I ◽  
Linguistic Variation ◽  
Norman Conquest ◽  
Linguistic Change

In Middle English the old inflected infinitive lost its supine function and gradually replaced the uninflected infinitive in all positions, except in the complementation of moal and a limited number of other verbs. According to most linguists, the choice between the to infinitive and the bare infinitive was either lexically or structurally conditioned. The theory of linguistic change as the assertion of weaker or stronger linguistic variants postulates the affinity of stronger variants for more complex, i. e. functionally marked grammaticall environment. The author tests the validity of the theory against the assertion of the English to infinitive at the expanse of the bare infinitive after the Norman Conquest. The results confirm the initial hypothesist that the degree of formal marked­ ness of the infinitive concurred with the degree of the functional markedness of grammatical pa­ rameters.

scholarly journals Some Observations on What Grammaticalization Is and Is Not

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. e343
Author(s):  
Brian D. Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Language Change ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Linguistic Change ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
Grammatical Change

The notion of ‘grammaticalization’ — the embedding of once non- (or less-) grammatical phenomena into the grammar of a language — has enjoyed broad acceptance over the past 30 years as a new paradigm for describing and accounting for linguistic change.  Despite its appeal, my contention is that there are some issues with ‘grammaticalization’ as it is conventionally described and discussed in the literature.  My goal here is to explore what some of those problems are and to focus on what grammaticalization has to offer as a methodology for studying language change.  Drawing on case studies from the history of English and the history of Greek, I reach a characterization of how much of grammatical change can legitimately be called “grammaticalization” and how much is something else. In this way, I work to achieve a sense of what grammaticalization is and what it is not.

The History of the English Language and the Medievalist

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth Lerer
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Change ◽  
First Century ◽  
Linguistic Change ◽  
Languages In Contact ◽  
History Of ◽  
Vowel Shift ◽  
Vernacular Literacy

The History of the English Language (HEL) is a largely ideological enterprise keyed to fitting literary evidence into expected categories, and yet recent work has suggested that we can no longer simply assume that phenomena such as the Great Vowel Shift were “real,” historical, systematic changes. Contemporary debates on language change and use have historical precedent; social arguments about language are part of a very long tradition; languages in contact have generated linguistic change and adaptation, and language and national identity, as well as personal self-consciousness, have long gone together. This chapter will explore the ways in which the historical and institutional associations of HEL and the “medievalist” are contingently driven, and then to suggest some ways in which the redefinition of the “medievalist” in the twenty-first century can productively include a newer, critical sensibility about the place of HEL in the teachings of social vernacular literacy.

2. Origins

2018 ◽  
pp. 12-32
Author(s):  
Simon Horobin
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Middle English ◽  
Old English ◽  
English Language ◽  
French Language ◽  
Norman Conquest ◽  
Language Origins ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Late Modern

Where does the English language come from? While English is distantly related to both Latin and French, it is principally a Germanic language. ‘Origins’ provides a brief history of the English language, highlighting a number of substantial changes, which have radically altered its structure, vocabulary, pronunciation, and spelling. It begins with Old English (AD 650–1100), then moves on to Middle English (1100–1500), which saw the impact of the French language after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Early Modern English period (1500–1750) witnessed the biggest impact of Latin upon English, while Late Modern English (1750–1900) resulted in an expansion of specialist vocabulary using Latin and Greek.

scholarly journals Survival in Frontotemporal Dementia Phenotypes: A Meta-Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 109-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalyani Kansal ◽  
Manisha Mareddy ◽  
Kelly L. Sloane ◽  
Alexa A. Minc ◽  
Peter V. Rabins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Frontotemporal Dementia ◽  
Median Survival ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Corticobasal Degeneration ◽  
Tailored Interventions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Fluent Aphasia ◽  
Phenotype Heterogeneity ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Background: Survival in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is not well understood. We conducted a mixed effects meta-analysis of survival in FTD to examine phenotype differences and contributory factors. Methods: The PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Cochrane databases were searched for studies describing survival or natural history of behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD), progressive non-fluent aphasia (PNFA), semantic dementia (SD), FTD with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FTD-ALS), progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration. There were no language restrictions. Results: We included 27 studies (2,462 subjects). Aggregate mean and median survival were derived for each phenotype and, for comparison, Alzheimer's disease (AD) (using data from the selected studies). Survival was shortest in FTD-ALS (2.5 years). Mean survival was longest in bvFTD and PNFA (8 years) and median survival in SD (12 years). AD was comparable in survival to all except FTD-ALS. Age and sex did not affect survival; the education effect was equivocal. Heterogeneity in FTD survival was largely, but not wholly, explained by phenotypes. Conclusions: Survival differs for FTD phenotypes but, except for FTD-ALS, compares well to AD survival. Elucidating the potential causes of within-phenotype heterogeneity in survival (such as complicating features and comorbidities) may open up opportunities for tailored interventions.

Code-switching and vernacular support: an early Middle English case study

Multilingua ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janne Skaffari
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
Middle English ◽  
Code Switching ◽  
British Library ◽  
Norman Conquest ◽  
Switching Patterns ◽  
History Of

AbstractIn the multilingual history of England, the period following the Norman Conquest in 1066 is a particularly intriguing phase, but its code-switching patterns have so far received little attention. The present article describes and analyses the multilingual practices evinced in London, British Library, MS Stowe 34, containing one instructional prose text from c. 1200,

‘Truth Never Needed the Protection of Forgery’: Sainthood and Miracles in Robert Hegge’s ‘History of St. Cuthbert’s Churches at Lindisfarne, Cuncacestre, and Dunholme’ (1625)

2011 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 270-283
Author(s):  
Sarah Scutts
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Church Of England ◽  
Early Modern Period ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Norman Conquest ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Religious Polemic ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The Church

Robert Hegge’s ‘History of St. Cuthbert’s Churches at Lindisfarne, Cuncacestre, and Dunholme’ was one of many texts produced in the early modern period which portrayed and assessed the Anglo-Saxon Church and its saints. This Protestant antiquarian work fits into a wider tradition in which the medieval past was studied, evaluated and employed in religious polemic. The pre-Reformation Church often played a dual role; as Helen Parish has shown, the institution simultaneously provided Protestant writers with historical proof of Catholicism’s league with the Antichrist, while also offering an outlet through which to trace proto-Protestant resistance, and thereby provide the reformed faith with a past. The Anglo-Saxon era was especially significant in religious polemic; during this time scholars could find documented evidence of England’s successful conversion to Christianity when Pope Gregory the Great sent his missionary, Augustine, to Canterbury. The See of Rome’s irrefutable involvement in the propagation of the faith provided Catholic scholars with compelling evidence which not only proved their Church’s prolonged existence in the land, but also offered historic precedent for England’s subordination to Rome. In contrast, reformed writers engaged in an uneasy relationship with the period. Preferring to locate the nation’s Christian origins in apostolic times, they typically interpreted Gregory’s conversion mission as marking the moment at which Catholic vice began to creep into the land and lay waste to a pure primitive proto-Protestant faith. In order to legitimize the establishment of the Church of England, Catholicism’s English foundations needed to be challenged. Reformers increasingly placed emphasis upon the existence of a proto-Protestant ‘strand’ that predated, but continued to exist within, the Anglo-Saxon Church. Until the Norman Conquest, this Church gradually fell prey to Rome’s encroaching corruption, and enjoyed only a marginal existence prior to the Henrician Reformation in the 1530s. Thus Protestants had a fraught and often ambiguous relationship with the Anglo-Saxon past; they simultaneously sought to trace their own ancestry within it while exposing its many vices. This paper seeks to address one such vice, which was the subject of a principal criticism levied by reformers against their Catholic adversaries: the unfounded creation and veneration of saints. Protestants considered the degree of significance the medieval cult of saints had attached to venerating such individuals as a form of idolatry, and, consequently, the topic found its way into countless Reformation works. However, as this essay argues, reformed attitudes towards sainthood could often be ambivalent. Texts such as Hegge’s prove to be extremely revealing of such ambiguous attitudes: his own relationship with the saints Cuthbert, Oswald and Bede appears indistinct and, in numerous instances, his understanding of sanctity was somewhat contradictory.

scholarly journals On Early and Late Modern English Non-native Suffix -oon

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-143
Author(s):  
Laura Wright
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Middle English ◽  
Early Modern Period ◽  
Literary Work ◽  
Romance Languages ◽  
Social Meaning ◽  
Modern Period ◽  
History Of ◽  
The One ◽  
Late Modern

This paper is about identifying a nuance of social meaning which, I demonstrate, was conveyed in the Early and Late Modern period by the suffix -oon. The history of non-native suffix -oon is presented by means of assembling non-native suffix -oon vocabulary in date order and sorting according to etymology. It turns out that standard non- native -oon words (which are few) tended to stabilise early and be of Romance etymology. A period of enregisterment, c. 1750–1850, is identified by means of scrutiny of non-native -oon usage in sixty novels, leading to the conclusion that four or more non-native -oons in a literary work signalled vulgarity. A link is made between the one-quarter non-European -oons brought to English via colonial trade, and the use of such -oons by non-noble merchants, traders and their customers splashing out on luxury foreign commodities. Thus, it is found that a suffix borrowed from Romance languages in the Middle English period received fresh input during the Early Modern period via non-European borrowings, resulting in sociolinguistic enregisterment in the Late Modern period.

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