1. Study Guide: The Nature of Language
English I, Unit 2
Study Guide: The Nature of Language

2. Old English to Modern English
Click on each topic you want to review. Study the information or questions asked about the topic (click again to see some answers/explanations). Click the orange arrow to go to the next question. The home button on the final page of each topic will bring you back here so you can pick another topic.
The Origin of Language
Ancient Languages
Old English to Modern English
Word Meanings and Word Parts
Understanding Word Parts
Working with Word Parts

3. The Origin of Language
1. Make sure you study the ultimate origin of language.
Some linguists say that man initially communicated by grunting, facial expressions, and gestures. These very slowly developed into words, syntax, expressions, and semantics. However, the Bible says that God created through language (“And God said…”), and that God is the Word (John 1:1). Since we are created in the image of God, we have the same capacity for language. This was proven when Adam named the animals, using and developing language.

4. The Origin of Language
2. Be aware of where multiple languages came from.
The Bible tells us that because of the Tower of Babel, God confused man’s language. This was a blessing as it ultimately created various branches and dialects of language which spread and grew as man migrated to different areas of the world. Archeological evidence shows that languages were being used with structure and words before Abraham’s time.

5. The Origin of Language
3. Study your vocabulary words from the first lesson, “Origin of Language.”
If it makes it easier for you, put as many of the words into a sentence as you can so you can remember their meanings, like such: “Along with anthropology and archeology, linguists use morphology to determine if unique tongues emigrated from one original area. Linguists also study the idioms, phonetics, semantics, syntax, and nonverbal cues of the language as they participate in linguistics.”

6. The Origin of Language
4. What are the four characteristics of language, as well some of their details?
A pattern of sounds: all humans have the ability to make the sounds, animals can imitate only some of the sounds
A collection of words: these stand for objects, actions, or ideas, only man uses these with full understanding
A system of word arrangement: a connected pattern of words to express thoughts
The elements of grammar: includes syntax and morphology to show how words are used in sentences

7. The Origin of Language
5. What are some benefits of and reasons to learn a second language?
Can help us understand other people and their cultures
Can help us understand thought patterns behind these languages
Your knowledge of communication can be expanded
Your English vocabulary and knowledge will be expanded at the same time

8. Ancient Languages
1. Describe how the Indus people came to be about and what happened to their language.
After Babel, some similar-speaking groups moved to the area we now know as Middle Eastern countries; it was then called the Indus Valley. The Indus people spoke what we call an Aryan branch of language. Their language eventually spread to Eastern Europe. Most Europeans speak an Aryan tongue.

9. Ancient Languages
2. Indicate general areas where these languages developed and give an example language for each.
Latin, Germanic, Greek and Celtic
Latin: Southern Europe area, French/Spanish/Italian; Germanic: Western Europe and Scandinavia areas, German/English/Dutch; Greek and Celtic: Greece and Ireland/Wales areas, Greek/Welsh/Gaelic

10. Ancient Languages
3. Study your vocabulary words from the second lesson, “Ancient Languages.”
Be prepared to use these words in context for an essay question or to finish off a sentence. For example: “The _____ language was spoken in the Irish isles of Britain.”

11. Old English to Modern English
1. Study how Old English was changed from the time of the Britons to the time of the Anglo-Saxons.
Britons were forced to use Latin when Rome invaded; Latin was the second most important language to affect English because of church and religious words. When the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invaded, many Anglo-Saxon (or Germanic) words entered into English; these were practical, like land and bread. Some Latin words/word endings were still kept.

12. Old English to Modern English
2. What percentage of English is of Germanic/Anglo-Saxon origin?
1/3
1/4
1/5
Answer: B (however, most of these words are pronouns, adverbs, and conjunctions which we commonly use about 4/5 of the time when we speak!)

13. Old English to Modern English
3. Describe the impact of the Norman invasion on the English language.
The Normans (French) only used Latin and French and considered Old English to be lower-class. French and Old English co-existed; French did not replace Old English but merely added to it. It wasn’t until the 14th century with Chaucer that all speaking and writing was done in anything other than Latin or French. The Bible was now only in Latin and only read by clergy; they opposed any other translation.

14. Old English to Modern English
4. Why was Chaucer important to the development of English?
Geoffrey Chaucer was important because his writings in English (not French or Latin) show the transition from Old English to Middle English. Word endings used in Old English (often because of Latin) were beginning to be dropped, and instead word order became important. The first instances of dropped word endings are seen in Chaucer’s work, and these show the Middle English stage of English.

15. Old English to Modern English
5. List some important features of the Great Vowel Shift after Chaucer.
Old English had sought to keep “pure” long vowels (steady sound) but this was lost during the Shift
Anglo-Saxons spoke with diphthong vowels (so long “a” sounded more like “aaaaa-eeee”); French and Latin sounds were converted to these unusual diphthong spellings
Modern English now has to deal with multiple diphthong spellings for only one sound (such as ee and ea for long “e”)

16. Word Meanings and Word Parts
1. What four language skills are affected by words and expression? How are the skills affected?
Listening, speaking, reading, and writing are all affected by what we know about words, how they are used, and how ideas are represented without them (nonverbal expression). Knowing word meanings, word parts, and word context are several ways that will help you listen, speak, read, and write better.

17. Word Meanings and Word Parts
2. Some word meanings are no longer used (they are obsolete). What did the words conversation and peculiar originally mean at the time of the King James Bible in 1611?
Conversation meant “manner of life; citizenship” and peculiar meant “a very special person or object.”

18. Word Meanings and Word Parts
3. Latin used word endings to show meaning; some English words still do the same thing by combining roots and prefixes. Study closely all roots and prefixes in lesson “Word Roots.”
Some of these will be on your test. If you want more reference, look them up in a dictionary and think of words that use the roots/prefixes.

19. Understanding Word Parts
1. What will never change when you add a prefix to it? Is this true with suffixes, as well?
Roots never change when a prefix is added. Dis- plus belief is simply disbelief. Suffixes, however, will sometimes change a root’s spelling. For instance, to change believe to an adjective you have to drop the final “e”: believable (not believeable).

20. Understanding Word Parts
2. En, em, im, and in all mean what? Give some examples of each.
These can all mean in or into. Here are some examples of each:
Engage
Embark
Impress
Invade

21. Understanding Word Parts
3. What can in and im also mean, like in the word inarticulate? What would inarticulate mean? What might immature mean?
In and im can mean not. So if someone is inarticulate, they are not articulate, or not good with speaking well. Immature means that someone is not mature.

22. Working with Word Parts
1. Study the mnemonic groups I-V that apply to many –able words. The groups are in lesson “Working with Word Parts.” Prepare to change root words into words ending in –able.
Here are some words you could practice changing into –able words: rely, manage, believe, impregnate.

23. Working with Word Parts
2. Study the mnemonic groups VI-VIII that apply to many –ible words. The groups are in lesson “Working with Word Parts.” Prepare to change root words into words ending in –ible.
Note that –ible words are far less common than –able words, so unless the word is quite clearly needing to end in –able, consider trying it with the –ible ending instead.