The development of the English language

The development of the English language

Introduction

Welcome! You are about to get a taste of the history of the English language. Make sure you have pen and paper. When you have completed all questions, hand over your paper to the teacher. You will then be given further instructions.

 

Enjoy!

 

Ready... Set... Go!

Back in the day...

Video Chapter 1

...people spoke English in a different way. We would probably not be able to understand an Englishman from a couple of centuries ago. So, what happened? How did English develop into the kind of English we speak today? During this class you will take a look at the different influences that have played a role in the development of the English language. Watch the whole video (which you can find through the link) and answer to the following questions. Try to answer these five questions at once, without watching the video again.

 

1.   Name three words that were given to the English language by the Vikings?

2.   Christianity brought an amount of Latin words to the English language. Can you name two of them?

3.   Name three words that are said to originate from Shakespeare?

4.   From what immigrants did the words ‘coleslaw’ and ‘cookies’ come?

5.   Which commonly used abbreviation, used in Internet language or in chat and text messages, has two meanings? 

      Write down both meanings.

 

United Kingdom

 

 

Taking it step by step

From now on we will look at the video in more detail. As you have seen, the video consists of ten chapters which are dedicated to main influences on the English language. Every chapter is accompanied by specific questions which you are allowed to look up in the video. Watch the first chapter again and answer the following questions. Remember that it is perfectly fine for you to watch a chapter several times in order to give the right answers.

 

magnifying glass

Chapter 1

Video Chapter 1

Questions:

 

6.   In what century did the Romans leave Great Britain?

7.   Which Germanic tribe did not contribute to the term ‘Anglo-Saxon’?

8.   Which days were named after Anglo-Saxon gods?

 

 

 

Anglo-Saxons

 

 

Chapter 2

Video Chapter 2

Questions:

 

9.    What does ‘ad nauseam’ mean? (You may use the Internet for this question only)

10.   What is the à la carte version of ‘cow’?

11.   How long did the hundred year war against France last?

12.   In what year did English take over as the language of power?

 

 William the Conquerer on Canterbury Cathedral

 

Chapter 3

Video Chapter 3

Questions:

 

13.   How many new words and phrases did Shakespeare give to the English language?

14.   Name three show offy words that originate from Shakespeare?

15.   Name three catch phrases that originate from Shakespeare?

16.   “A plaque on both your houses”

       What is the origin of this phrase and in what kind of conversation is it used?

       (You may use the Internet for this question only)      

 

William Shakespeare

 

 

Chapter 4

Video Chapter 4

Questions:

 

17.   In what year did a new translation of the Bible appear?

18.   Name the Dutch equivalents of the following phrases that originate from the King James Bible

       (You may use the Internet for this question only):

 

       a)  A leopard cannot change its spots

       b)  A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

       c)  A wolf in sheep's clothing

       d)  To have a fly in your ointment

 King James Bible

 

Chapter 5

Video Chapter 5

Questions:

 

19.   In what year was the Royal Society formed?

20.   In what language was science discussed at first?

21.   Name three words that were influenced by the discoveries of science?

22.   Name three words that were brought by the discovery of the human body?

 

Isaac Newton

Chapter 6

Video Chapter 6

Questions:

 

23. What words originate from the following areas? Name two for each one.

 

a) Caribbean

b) India

c) Africa

d) Australia

 

24. Besides enriching the English language with new words, what was another consequence of

     the expansion of the empire in terms of language?

 

 

 

Map of all the offical territorial claims of the British Empire that it ever held.

Chapter 7

Video Chapter 7

Questions:

 

25. How long did it take Doctor Johnson to write his dictionary?

26. How many entries did Johnson's dictionary contain?

27. How many years did it take for the Oxford English Dictionary to be completed?

28. Why do you think it is necessary to write new dictionaries?

 

Doctor Johnson

 

Chapter 8

Video Chapter 8

Questions:

 

29. In what year did the English arrive in America?

30. Name three words that were borrowed from the Native Americans? 

31. What new 'language' did America spread?

32. There are old forgotten English words that lived on in America. Name three of them?

 

 

An impression of one of the earliest voyages from England to America

Chapter 9

Video Chapter 9

Questions:

 

33. In what year was the first email sent according to this video?

34. Name two words that were created because of the influence of Internet?

35. What commonly used internet term is also used in the ‘real’ world?

36. What influence of internet language on everyday conversations is mentioned?


SMS

Chapter 10

Video Chapter 10

As you have been able to see, the English language has absorbed words from many other languages. Some words were brought by the Vikings and Christianity for example. Other words were borrowed from different cultures, like when the English travelled the world. They even left some words behind, never to use again. And, looking at Shakespeare, some words and phrases were invented on the spot. As you can see today, with the Internet adding new words as well, a language never stops developing. Language is alive and because people use it, it stays alive.

 

Homework: Write an essay (300-400 words) about one of the following questions:

 

1. Do you think English can become the global language of the world? Why?

2. Some people feel that the Dutch language is slowly being “polluted” with English words.

    Do you agree? Why/why not?

3. The best investment in your future is learning Chinese. Do you agree? Why/why not?

4. Sum pipol fil det speling sjoet bie simplifait, laik dis. Do you agree? Why/why not?

5. How would you feel if in ten years time the Dutch language would disappear and everyone is

    obliged to speak English?

 

 

Earth

 

The end

All good things come to an end. And so does this lesson... By now you probably have quite an impression of the development of the English language. Before you hand over your answers to your teacher, take a look at the image below and ask yourself: How on earth can “ghoti” be pronounced as “fish”? Have fun!

 

 

welcome to the English languagewelcome to the english language

  • Het arrangement The development of the English language is gemaakt met Wikiwijs van Kennisnet. Wikiwijs is hét onderwijsplatform waar je leermiddelen zoekt, maakt en deelt.

    Auteur
    J Hollenberg
    Laatst gewijzigd
    2012-02-05 20:48:26
    Licentie

    Dit lesmateriaal is gepubliceerd onder de Creative Commons Naamsvermelding 3.0 Nederlands licentie. Dit houdt in dat je onder de voorwaarde van naamsvermelding vrij bent om:

    • het werk te delen - te kopiëren, te verspreiden en door te geven via elk medium of bestandsformaat
    • het werk te bewerken - te remixen, te veranderen en afgeleide werken te maken
    • voor alle doeleinden, inclusief commerciële doeleinden.

    Meer informatie over de CC Naamsvermelding 3.0 Nederland licentie.

    Aanvullende informatie over dit lesmateriaal

    Van dit lesmateriaal is de volgende aanvullende informatie beschikbaar:

    Toelichting
    This lesson contains a video, made available by the Open University, about the history of the English Language. Each chapter is accompanied by specific questions and at the end there is an essay assignment. The goal is to introduce students to the history of the english language.
    Leerniveau
    VMBO gemengde leerweg, 2; VMBO kaderberoepsgerichte leerweg, 1; VWO 2; VO; VMBO kaderberoepsgerichte leerweg, 2; VMBO basisberoepsgerichte leerweg, 4; VMBO gemengde leerweg, 3; VMBO basisberoepsgerichte leerweg, 1; VMBO theoretische leerweg, 1; HAVO 4; HAVO 1; VMBO theoretische leerweg, 4; VWO 6; VMBO gemengde leerweg, 1; VMBO theoretische leerweg, 2; VMBO basisberoepsgerichte leerweg, 2; VWO 1; HAVO 3; VWO 3; HAVO 5; Praktijkonderwijs; VWO 4; VMBO theoretische leerweg, 3; VMBO basisberoepsgerichte leerweg, 3; VMBO kaderberoepsgerichte leerweg, 4; HAVO 2; VMBO gemengde leerweg, 4; VWO 5; VMBO kaderberoepsgerichte leerweg, 3;
    Leerinhoud en doelen
    Engelse taal en cultuur;
    Eindgebruiker
    leraar
    Moeilijkheidsgraad
    gemiddeld
    Studiebelasting
    0 uur 50 minuten
    Trefwoorden
    development english language history

    Bronnen

    Bron Type
    Video Chapter 1
    http://youtu.be/OI5uekd517s     		Link
    Video Chapter 1
    http://youtu.be/r9Tfbeqyu2U     		Link
    Video Chapter 2
    http://youtu.be/1B8TwBrCIEY     		Link
    Video Chapter 3
    http://youtu.be/BMkuUADWW2A     		Link
    Video Chapter 4
    http://youtu.be/kN7-EvgKAsk     		Link
    Video Chapter 5
    http://youtu.be/YVDmFVx8O_A     		Link
    Video Chapter 6
    http://youtu.be/ES3qDORQjAA     		Link
    Video Chapter 7
    http://youtu.be/c7W7UgFxri8     		Link
    Video Chapter 8
    http://youtu.be/rbvumrknAKs     		Link
    Video Chapter 9
    http://youtu.be/OPltpdu9KGM     		Link
    Video Chapter 10
    http://youtu.be/70KHDbLmr_I     		Link

  • Downloaden

    Het volledige arrangement is in de onderstaande formaten te downloaden.

    Metadata

    LTI

    Leeromgevingen die gebruik maken van LTI kunnen Wikiwijs arrangementen en toetsen afspelen en resultaten terugkoppelen. Hiervoor moet de leeromgeving wel bij Wikiwijs aangemeld zijn. Wil je gebruik maken van de LTI koppeling? Meld je aan via info@wikiwijs.nl met het verzoek om een LTI koppeling aan te gaan.

    Maak je al gebruik van LTI? Gebruik dan de onderstaande Launch URL’s.

    Arrangement

    IMSCC package

    Wil je de Launch URL’s niet los kopiëren, maar in één keer downloaden? Download dan de IMSCC package.

    Voor developers

    Wikiwijs lesmateriaal kan worden gebruikt in een externe leeromgeving. Er kunnen koppelingen worden gemaakt en het lesmateriaal kan op verschillende manieren worden geëxporteerd. Meer informatie hierover kun je vinden op onze Developers Wiki.

  • Gebruik
    Weergave
  • Wikiwijs is een dienst van