Module 7: Historical Linguistics

Has the English language always remained unchanged? How has it evolved into the language we use today? Historical linguistics looks at how language changes over time, focussing on different aspects such as morphology (= how are words put together?), syntax (= how are sentences formed) and phonology (= what are the sounds of a language).

Introduction to Historical Linguistics

Has the English language always remained unchanged? How has it evolved into the language we use today?

English has evolved significantly since its beginnings. It is a basic rule that languages change over time. We consider this as neither good nor bad, it is just a natural thing. Every part of a language can change, but it depends on the situation: what changes exactly, and how does it change? Looking at language change, we can look at it from two perspectives: on the one hand, there is variation at the same time (= synchronic variation); on the other, we can look at change over time (= diachronic variation).

Lesson 1:

Has the English language always remained unchanged? How has it evolved into the language we use today? English has changed significantly since its beginnings, so let us go back to the beginning and have a look at the most important stages.

Lesson 2:

In this module, you will explore two phonological changes that happened in the recent history of English. You will learn about one consonant change, rhoticity (= pronunciation of r), and one vowel change, known as the trap-bath split.

(Picture from: Pronunciation Studio Ltd. (n.d.). The TRAP-BATH Split. https://pronunciationstudio.com/trap-bath-split/)

Lesson 3:

In this lesson, you will look at changes in the English language at a morphological (= how words are formed) level. In doing so, you will see that English developed from a synthetic to an analytic language.

In Old English, words had different forms (= inflections) to show their relationships. For example, cases helped put the words into a relationship, while Modern English uses prepositions and word order to organise sentences. Moreover, you will check out some remnants from Old English in Modern English, such as the Saxon genitive and the irregular plural forms.

Lesson 4:

In this module, you will look at some basic principles of semantics before focussing on semantic change – the process in which word meanings change over time. The focus will be on five popular words – silly, nice, naughty, gay and guy – and how they underwent semantic changes. Finally, the module will concentrate on four types of changes in word meaning: broadening, narrowing, amelioration and pejoration.

Final Quiz

Test yourself and take the quiz about lessons 1-4!