法语对英语的影响 [9]
论文作者:姚清论文属性:短文 essay登出时间:2009-04-06编辑:黄丽樱点击率:15258
论文字数:6980论文编号:org200904061306287676语种:中文 Chinese地区:中国价格:免费论文
关键词:FrenchEnglishvocabularyinfluenceNorman Conquestnaturalization法语英语词汇影响诺曼征服归化
o languages and Naturalization of the language
(i) Assimilation
The rapidity with which the new French words were assimilated is evidenced by the promptness with which many of them became the basis of derivatives. English endings were apparently added to them with as much freedom as to English words. For example, the adjective gentle is recorded in 1225 and within five years we have it compounded with an English noun to make gentlewoman (1230). A little later we find gentleman (1275), gentleness (1300), and gently (1330). These compounds and derivatives all occur within about a century of the time when the original adjective was adopted. In the same way we have faith (1250) giving faithless and faithful (both by 1300), faithfully (1362), and faithfulness (1388), as well as the obsolete faithly (1325). The adverbial ending -ly seems to have been added to adjectives almost as soon as they appeared in the language. Some adverbs occur almost as early as the adjectives from which they are derived. It is clear that the new French words were quietly assimilated, and enter into an easy and natural fusion with the native element in English. [9]
(ii) Loss of native words
The other case is the loss of native words. After the Norman Conquest, duplications frequently resulted, for many of the French words that came into use bore meanings already expressed by a native word. In such cases one of two things happened: of the two words one was eventually lost, or, where both survived, they were differentiated in meaning. In some cases the French word disappeared, but in a great many cases it was the old English word that died out. The substitution was not always immediate; often both words continued in use for a longer or short time, and the English word occasionally survives in the dialects today. Thus the OE ēam, which has been replaced in the standard speech by the French word uncle, is still in use (eme) in Scotland. The OE anda contested its position with the French envy until the time of Chaucer, but eventually lost out and with it went the adjective andig (envious) and the verb andian (to envy). In this way many common Old English words succumbed. The OE æpele yielded to F.noble, and æpeling became nobleman. Dryhten and frēa were displaced by the French prince, although the English word lord, which survived as a synonym, helped in the elimination. At the same time leod was being ousted by people. Here likewise the words in parentheses are the French verbs that replaced the native word. Not all the Old English words that have disappeared were driven out by French equivalents. Some gave way to other more or less synonymous words in Old English. Many independently fell into disuse. Nevertheless the enormous invasion of French word not only took the place of many English words that had been lost but itself accounts for a great many of the losses from the Old English vocabulary. [10]
(iii) Expansion of meaning
Where both the English and the French words survived they were generally differentiated in meaning. We have kept a number of words for smell. The common word in Old English was stench. During the Middle English period this was supplemented by the word smell (of unknown origin) and the French words aroma, odor, and scent. To these we have since added stink (for the verb) and perfume and fragrance, from French. Most of these have special connotations and smell has become the general word. Stench now always means an unpleasant s
本论文由英语论文网提供整理,提供论文代写,英语论文代写,代写论文,代写英语论文,代写留学生论文,代写英文论文,留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。