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English Structures
Historical Linguistics: The History of English |
Origins of Old English
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So far we've gone back to Old English as the origin of
English.
But did English exist before the year 450?
The question of language change has prompted linguists
to search further for ancient languages, even ones that may no longer
exist and that may never have had written records.
Linguists have sought to place languages into groups showing
the history of change.
English belongs to the West Germanic Branch of
the Indo-European Family.
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| For a pictorial overview of the various language trees, try the THE LANGUAGE FAMILIES OF THE WORLD site by Dr. C. George Boeree of
Shippensburg University. |
Indo-European |
Similarities are noted between languages of Europe and India, creating
the idea that one group of people were the original speakers of a language
that diverged into many of the modern European and Indian languages.
The suggested name for the people is Kurgan. Their language is called proto-Indo-European, and its morphology
has been recreated by linguists.
- The suggested homeland for the Kurgan people is between the River
Don and the Ural mountains, north of the Caspian Sea.
- The Kurgan people migrated both East to India and West to Europe from
this location.
- Click on the link below to see a map of the area where the Kurgan people are thought to have lived. The ivory colored area gives a rough estimation. The eastern edge is marked by the Ural mountains, and the Western edge by the Don River
Map showing Kurgan area
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Teaching Language and Its History |
When teaching how to look up words in a dictionary, make sure to explain
the etymology part of a word’s entry.
- It’s not that ELLs need to know the history of English, but rather
they need to know that they won’t find the current meaning of the
word in the etymology section.
- Besides, while they don’t need to learn the history, they may
find it interesting nonetheless.
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American Sign Language The sign language used by the deaf community in the United States.
Test of English for International Communication. A standardized exam for Educational Testing Services that is intended to determine the general capability of an NNSE to use English to conduct business. It is used by some businesses, predominantly in Asia, in hiring.
Test of English as a Foreign Language. A standardized exam from Educational Testing Services that is intended to determine the general capability of an NNSE to use English as the language of insruction .It is used as an admissions requirement by most US universities and colleges for international students.
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. A term that encompasses both TEFL and TESL. It is the name of the professional organization to which many teachers belong. TESOL the organization has many regional affiliates both in the US and abroad.
Teaching English as Second Language. Refers to the activity of teaching the English language as a tool necessary for some daily task like instruction, shopping, or interpersonal interactions.
Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Refers to the activity of teaching the English language as an intellectual, academic pursuit to non-native speakers of English.
Native Speaker of English. Refers to a person who acquired English in infancy and young childhood as a first language.
Native Speaker. Refers to a person whose relationship to a language is that it was encountered in infancy and young childhood as the dominant language of the environment.
Non-Native Speaker of English. Refers to a person who didn't acquire English as a first language, but came to it after another language was established.
Non-Native Speaker. Refers to a person whose relationship to a particular language is that he/she didn't encounter it while initially acquiring language, but came to it after another language was established.
Limited English Proficient. An adjectival phrase used to refer to the same students as ELL refers to. LEP is falling into disuse as it focuses attention on student deficiency rather than on the positive attribute of learning. Is being replaced by ELL.
Second Language. Refers to any language gained subsequent to the first or native language. It is acquired or learned secondarily to the native language. Doesn't refer to the ordinal numbering of languages, only to the relationship of a particular language to a persons native language.
First Language. Refers to the language that an individual encounters as an infant and young child; a persons native language.
English for Specific Purposes. Refers to the goal of learning English to use it for highly focused activity, such as for business or for aviation communication.
English as a Second Language Program. refers to a school program that is purposefully structured to provide instruction on the English language to NNSEs. An ESL program does not typically include instruction in any other subjects than English. An ESL program may be a component of a larger ELL program at a school.
English as a Second Language. Refers to the subject matter of the English language and the methodology for teaching the English language to non-native speakers. ESL makes no reference to the subjects other than English, but it is not methodology alone either, it refers to teaching the English language as content area. Typically, ESL refers to the study of English in a country where it is used for at least one daily task, such as instruction, interpersonal relations, or shopping.
English Langauge Learner Program. Refers to a school program that is purposly structured to provide instruction on the English language and instruction in other content areas to English Language Learners.
English Language Learner. Refers to students who are in the process of learning English, whether they are in ESL classes exclusively or a combination of ESL classes and other subject area classes.
English as a Foreign Langauge. Refers to the study of English as an intellectual, academic pursuit, not a a language whose use is necessary or desirable for daily life, although it may be used as a research tool. Typically, EFL is the study of English in a country where English is not a language of instruction or daily interactions, such as in Italy or in Saudi Arabia.
English for Academic Purposes. Refers to the goal of learning English to use it as the language of instruction for other subject areas.
Refers to a school program that is purposely structured so that students will use two languages on a daily basis.
Refers to the use of two languages in any capacity on a daily basis. A bilingual person uses two languages on a daily basis--for work and at home, perhaps, or for different subjects at school. Can also refer to the ability to use two languages, even if not used daily.
