THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Q.1: When was Anglo-Saxon spoken in England?
Ans: While Anglo-Saxon is an ancestor of modern English, it is also a distinct language. It stands in much the same relationship to modern English as Latin does to the romance languages. The English language developed from the West Germanic dialects spoken by the Angles, Saxons, and other Teutonic tribes who participated in the invasion and occupation of England in the fifth and sixth centuries. As a language, Anglo-Saxon, or Old English, was very different from modern English. Anglo-Saxon was spoken in England from AD 450 to AD 1150.
Q.2: Why is Anglo-Saxon not like modern English?
Ans: The reason that Anglo-Saxon is not like modern English is that there were two more foreign invasions on British. The invaders were Norman from Denmark and Normans from Normandy in France. The result of these invasions was that old English was changed into Middle English.
Q.3: What happened to the language as a result of the Norman Conquest?
Ans: As a result of the Northman Conquest, the old English was greatly modified and was turned in the course of next three centuries into a compound language called Middle English.
Q.4: Which countries form part of the British Isles?
Ans: England, Wales and Scotland form part of the British Isles.
Q.5: Which other languages are spoken in Britain today?
Ans: Along with English Welsh is spoken in Wales and Gaelic in Scotland, the Celtic dialect was spoken in Southwest corner of England two hundred years ago.
Q.6: Why is English not spoken as a first language in parts of Wales and Scotland?
Ans: English is not spoken as the first language in parts of Wales and Scotland because the Anglo-Saxon after conquering England could not penetrate into remote parts of Britain. The result was that the English language was never implanted in those parts.
Q.7: Why does language tend to change more rapidly in a primitive society than in an advanced one?
Ans: The reason that language tend to change more rapidly in primitive society than in advanced one is that in an advanced society the invention of printing and spread of education fix the traditional usage of words and phrases so the speed of change is slow. But in the primitive society that is not the case. Hence change takes place rapidly.
Q.8: What kinds of words in Modern English are derived from Anglo-Saxon?
Ans: Most of the common words in English are Anglo-Saxon in origin, for instance, nouns like father, mother, food, drink, bed hunger, all strong verbs, most of the prepositions and conjunctions.
Q.9: Why does English have such a large vocabulary?
Ans: English has such a large vocabulary because it has borrowed several words from different languages such as German, French, Latin, and Greek. It has been rightly said that the majority of England vocabulary is of Latin origin. Similarly, it has also derived some words from Arabic and Dutch.
Q.10: What is the origin of word Yacht?
Ans: Yacht is a Dutch word which accounts for its uncommon spelling. The name is derived from a Dutch word for hunting, Yacht was so named for their speed. First Yacht was given by the Dutch King to King Charles II as a wedding gift in 1662.
Q.11: What is the origin of the word TELEVISION? What does it mean?
Ans: Television is typical of many new scientific words which are deliberately invented from old Greek and Latin words. In this case, the prefix ‘tele’ is Greek and means ‘far’ (of telephone, telegram), while the root ‘vision’ is derived from the Latin verb meaning ‘to see’.
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