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Abstract: English is more widely spoken and written than any other language. It has become global language and it is used by at least 750 million people (Graddol, Leith, Swann, Rhys and Gillen, 2007). English is also the biggest donor language in the world and it has borrowed many words from other languages. More than fifty percent of all English words are of Latin and French origin (Finkenstaedt and Wolff, 1973). They came into English during the historical events which allowed contacts with different foreign nations and thus their culture and language. Latin and French have been the biggest suppliers of words into English. In the Old English people coined new words together because there was no need to use foreign words. However, later, people had the need to express sophisticated concepts and they found it easier to adopt existing words (Hock and Joseph, 1996). Latin has been a major influence on English. Words from Latin were introduced into Old English and Middle English by the Romans. Words were manly associated to church and its services. The French influence has been around since the Middle Ages. Before the Norman Conquest in 1066, there were contacts between the English and French cultures. After 1066, when William, Duke of Normandy won the English throne, French became the official language of government and the upper classes of Norman nobility. In the 18th and 19th centuries, French was the language of culture, prestige and civilization. In Modern Period, English borrowed from less and less languages and people were more concerned about the situation of English language (Baugh and Cable, 2002). The thesis deals with the of Latin and French borrowings by focusing on their use in contemporary English. The examples for the analysis have been collected from an issue of the English magazine, called Glamour Magazine. Each borrowing is analysed according to the different categories of various vocabulary areas it belongs to. In addition, the meaning, the etymology and word class is provided for each word. The borrowings are then evaluated according to the group, frequency, arrival into English and origin and word class.
Keywords: borrowings, etymology, history of English language, Latin and French origin, Glamour Magazine.
Published in DKUM: 10.12.2014; Views: 1987; Downloads: 155
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Abstract: This thesis discusses the influence of Irish language on the use of English language in Ireland. It reveals how the Irish speak, how much Irish English vocabulary they understand, how much of it they use and in what circumstances. Irish language is greatly reflected in English language spoken in Ireland and Irish English adopted linguistic, phonological and stylistic features of both Irish and English language. The thesis consists of a theoretical and empirical part. The first part discusses several aspects of Irish English such as history, grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary. The latter part consists of a questionnaire analysis and the interpretation of the results. The purpose of the empirical part was to explore to what extent, where and how often Irish people use Irish English words in everyday communication. The results confirmed my hypotheses and showed us that the young are not as familiar with it as the older Irish people are, however they all seem to use it rarely and always in informal situations. The literature and online sources on Irish English language were accurately examined before and during the research.
Keywords: Irish language, English language, Irish English, history, grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary
Published in DKUM: 27.03.2013; Views: 1971; Downloads: 164
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