What have I learnt today? 14/06/2011.

What have you learnt today?

Regional accents and dialects

• Definition of accent - differences in sound patterns of a specific dialect.
• Definition of dialect - specific variety of english, defined by lexis, grammar and phonology.
• Received pronounciation - standard english - typically queen's speech.
• Shockingly, Only 2% of the UK population speak Received Pronunciation, and this percentage is diminishing, yearly. 
• The three types of received pronounciation -

Conservative RP = used by older speakers.
Mainstream RP = neutral.
Contempary RP = Typical of younger RP speakers.

Early origins of english.

• The English language has been influenced by a number of invasions over time.

• 5th Century - The anglo saxon invasions.

-449 AD, the angles, saxons and jutwa began to arrive in the UK.
-Native Britons moved to Cornwall, Wales and Cumbria.
-Cornish, Welsh and Cubric languages develop.
-Anglo-Saxon prefered to use their mother tongue.
-4 major dialects - West Saxon, Northumbria,kentish and mercian.
-Christian missionaries begin to arrive in 597, bring Latin vocabulary.
-Words from this era include - candle, cucumber, cheese, elephant, street and wine.

• 8th century - The viking invasions.

-Raded Britain in787 until 11th century.
-More than 1500 place names have originated by Scandinavia e.g. Yorkshire , Lincolnshire.
-English pronouns originated from this era.
-examples of words - awkward, band, bull, steak and want.

• 1066- The norman conquest.

-1066 - battle of hastings.
-french had prominence.
-latin and french had a huge influence.
-words like - administration, miracle and councilm liberty, confess, army and battle.