The English language changed throughout its periods of existence. This development was, for example, influenced by other languages. The Latin language contains specific lexical and morphological features which the English language inherited. In order to understand which and why the features were taken from Latin and therefore influenced the English lexis and morphology, this paper will give a general overview about the development of the English language and the relationship to and influence of Latin. The morphological and lexical features of affixes will be examined in detail.
The English language encountered other languages like Celtic or Scandinavian as well, but the strong relationship between Latin and English is undeniable, which marks the relevance for this paper. A reason English borrowed features of Latin, is the importance of the language in the past. Latin was a Lingua Franca, such as English is a Lingua Franca now. But Latin disappeared as a first language in the past. Nevertheless, several languages which are called “Latin variants” took over the language features of Latin. Such languages are Spanish, French, or Italian, which are Romance languages. These Latin stemmed languages came in contact with English and therefore influenced its development. The most prominent language contact in the Latin stemmed field of languages is French.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Theoretical background
- Borrowing
- The Zero Period
- The First Period
- The Second Wave - Christianization
- The Third Wave - Renaissance
- Methodology
- Results
- Derivation
- Prefixation
- Suffixation
- Inflection
- Discussion and Conclusion
- References
Objectives and Key Themes
This paper investigates the influence of Latin on the development of the English language, specifically focusing on morphological features, particularly affixes. The study aims to provide an overview of the historical interaction between Latin and English, examining the process of borrowing and the impact of various periods of influence, including the Zero Period, First Period, and the Second and Third Waves of Christianization and the Renaissance, respectively. The paper will explore the types of borrowing and analyze the impact of Latin on the English lexicon and morphology.
- The influence of Latin on the English language.
- The process of borrowing and its different forms.
- The historical periods of Latin influence on English.
- The role of affixes in the morphological changes of English.
- The impact of Latin on the English lexicon and morphology.
Chapter Summaries
The Introduction sets the stage by discussing the ongoing evolution of language, particularly highlighting the influence of Latin on English. The chapter lays out the purpose and scope of the paper, focusing on the analysis of affixes as a key morphological feature.
The "Theoretical Background" section delves into the concept of "Borrowing" as a primary source of new words, explaining various types of borrowing: simple loanwords, adapted loanwords, and loan translations. The chapter then discusses the four periods of Latin influence: the Zero Period, the First Period, the Second Wave (Christianization), and the Third Wave (Renaissance), providing context for the historical evolution of the English language.
The Methodology chapter outlines the approach used in the study, including the sources of data, the process of analysis, and potential limitations. The paper relies heavily on dictionaries as the primary source for analyzing the development of English words influenced by Latin.
Keywords
The key keywords and focus topics of this paper include the development of the English language, the influence of Latin, borrowing, loanwords, affixes, derivation, prefixation, suffixation, inflection, and the historical periods of influence: Zero Period, First Period, Christianization, and the Renaissance.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anonym (Autor:in), 2022, The influence of Latin to affixes of the English language, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/1398986
