2. Possible Causes for Lexical Change
If one were to look at the epic Beowulf, one of the most important works written in Old English, one would notice that a significant amount of the words are barely corrigible to the modern English speaker. As such, it can be inferred that most of the Old English lexicon has been lost. One possible reason for this is the factor of history. One major influence toward the development of the English language is Latin. According to the book Words, Meaning and Vocabulary by XXXXX, it is estimated that approximately 500 words were borrowed from Latin during the Old English period but during the Middle English period, French was the dominant influence on the development of vocabulary. This is possibly due to the Norman Conquest which resulted in French being the dominant language in England. As a result of this, English adopted many French words into its vocabulary. The Norman Conquest was a catalyst for the shift from Old English to Middle English.
Another example of lexical change can be seen in the case of Canada, originally a base for British …show more content…
This can be seen in the case of occupational titles, some of which refer only to males, while their counterparts refer to females. Some examples are ‘policeman’ and ‘policewoman’. Besides that, there is also a difference in the speech patterns of different genders. For example, Yule (2014) mentions that women tend to hedge more frequently, using terms such as ‘sort of’ and ‘kind of’. The most obvious preconception in differences of language use between men and women is that men tend to be more factual in their speech, while women try to appeal to the emotions. This notion was made famous in the bestselling book XXXXXXXXXXX by XXXXXX. Tannen (1991) supports this claim, as he proposed a hypothesis that men prioritise facts and information in their speech, while women on the other hand focus on interaction and social
If one were to look at the epic Beowulf, one of the most important works written in Old English, one would notice that a significant amount of the words are barely corrigible to the modern English speaker. As such, it can be inferred that most of the Old English lexicon has been lost. One possible reason for this is the factor of history. One major influence toward the development of the English language is Latin. According to the book Words, Meaning and Vocabulary by XXXXX, it is estimated that approximately 500 words were borrowed from Latin during the Old English period but during the Middle English period, French was the dominant influence on the development of vocabulary. This is possibly due to the Norman Conquest which resulted in French being the dominant language in England. As a result of this, English adopted many French words into its vocabulary. The Norman Conquest was a catalyst for the shift from Old English to Middle English.
Another example of lexical change can be seen in the case of Canada, originally a base for British …show more content…
This can be seen in the case of occupational titles, some of which refer only to males, while their counterparts refer to females. Some examples are ‘policeman’ and ‘policewoman’. Besides that, there is also a difference in the speech patterns of different genders. For example, Yule (2014) mentions that women tend to hedge more frequently, using terms such as ‘sort of’ and ‘kind of’. The most obvious preconception in differences of language use between men and women is that men tend to be more factual in their speech, while women try to appeal to the emotions. This notion was made famous in the bestselling book XXXXXXXXXXX by XXXXXX. Tannen (1991) supports this claim, as he proposed a hypothesis that men prioritise facts and information in their speech, while women on the other hand focus on interaction and social