HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS
HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS
Submitted By: MANSIB ALI
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
According to past papers from PU Lahore
Ø Write a note on historical linguistics? 2008,2009/s, 2010/s, 2017
1. What is History?
Inquiry, knowledge acquired by investigation. Incidents, situations before, current time, umbrella term, keeps historical record of language.
i. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus:
“A chronological record of significant events, explanation, causes study of past events.
2. What is Linguistics?
A scientific study of language, language form, meaning and in context …
i. FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE (26 November 1857 - 22 February 1913), structuralist of Switzerland:
“Linguistics, recognize laws operating universally in language, strictly rational manner, separating general phenomena, branch of languages”
ii. NOAM CHOMSKY (7 December 1928-alive/United States), mentalist:
“Study of language, clarify, part substantiate certain conclusions, human knowledge, relate directly to classical issues, philosophy of mind”
3. Historical linguistics and its Etymology:
Study of development of language over time. How do changes occur? Causes and effects of these changes? Lexicography, morphology, syntax.
i. Etymologically speaking, dates back in 18th, firstly used as scientific discipline in 1777 by FRIEDRICH WOLF.
ii. Longman Dictionary:
“Branch of linguistics, studies language change, language relationships, certain languages, related, e.g. the indo-european language.”
iii. Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary, 9th edition:
“The study of history and development of language.”
4. Relationship Between Language and History:
i. Language and history are interdependent
ii. The role of past events
iii. Study of causes and effects
iv. Perception
v. Historical factors affects, use of language
5. Assumptions of Historical linguistics:
i. Arbitrariness in linguistics symbols
ii. Regularity or sound laws
6. Scope of Historical linguistics:
i. How a language derived from earlier language
ii. Comparison of different languages
iii. Trace the history of all observable languages
iv. To understand how language change?
7. Conclusion:
Study of the development of language, compares every language, derived from earlier language. A discipline for the first time. The process of language change, universal, continuous…….
HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS
History means inquiry and the knowledge acquired by investigation. Incidents and situations before the current time are studied in history. It is an umbrella term and keeps the historical record of language also. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus, in which history is defined as:
“A chronological record of significant events (as affecting a nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes or the study of past events.”
Linguistics may be defined as the scientific study of language as it is based on rules. It does not mean the study of many languages but theoretical discipline that shares its border with psychology, philosophy, logic and anthropology. Linguistics is concerned with human language as a universal and recognizable part of human behavior. It has a well-defined subject matter such as natural languages living or dead. FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE (26 November 1857 - 22 February 1913), is a structuralist of Switzerland says about linguistics:
“Linguistics will have to recognize laws operating universally in language, and in a strictly rational manner, separating general phenomena from those restricted to one branch of languages or another”.
Apart from this, the term Linguistic has been derived from two Latin words: Lingua (Language) and Istics (Knowledge/Science). Linguistics dates back to 4th century B.C. Linguistics is the theory that human languages determine the structure of the real world as perceived by human beings, rather than vice versa and that is structure is different and Commensurable from one language to another. NOAM CHOMSKY (7 December 1928-alive in United States), a mentalist, asserts as:
“The study of language that can clarify and in part substantiate certain conclusions about human knowledge that relate directly to classical issues in the philosophy of mind”.
So, linguistics is the science of language. It is the subject whose practitioners devote their energy to understand why human language is the way. It is the study of history, acquisition, structure and use of as many language as possible.
Historical linguistics is the study of development of language over time. How do changes occur in language? What are the causes and effects of these changes? It is primarily the study of languages which are organically related to similarities such as lexicography, morphology and syntax. All these questions fall in the purview of historical linguistics. It aims to classify the world's language and to study the historical development of language. Longman Dictionary asserts:
“A branch of linguistics which studies language change and language relationships. By comparing earlier and later forms of a language and by comparing different languages, it has been possible to show that certain languages are related, e.g. the indo-european language.”
Etymologically speaking, historical linguistics dates back in 18th century. It was firstly used as scientific discipline in 1777 by FRIEDRICH WOLF. It pinpoints the fact that all languages have derived from past language and past and present languages are interdependent. Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary, the 9th edition, defines it:
“The study of history and development of language.”
In addition to, one finds out deep relationship between language and history. Both are interdependent. History deals with the role of past events, study of causes and effects is also included in history. Language is a source to describe them. Historical factors affects the use of language.
Assumption of historical linguistics:
There are two assumptions underline historical linguistics. Firstly, linguistics symbols are essential arbitrary. There is no inherent connection between the sounds of the words and the object it signifies. It means that, it is historical linguistics that deals with semantic aspect of language, history gives meanings to words.
The second assumption is phonetic level. If one sound changes, all similar sounds in a similar phonetic environment and geographical areas changes too. According to sound law, morphology of words change according area. Historical linguistics establishes that languages are related to one another on the basis of consistent regularity of sound laws. For example, German sound pf, correspond to English p. German zw correspond to English tw.
German English
Pfeffer Peeper
Pfanne Pan
Zwinal Twice
Zwolf Twelve
Scope of Historical Linguistics:
Historical linguistics tries to prove that a language is derived from an earlier language, and that particular words in it are derived from particular earlier words. Another concern of historical linguistics is to understand how changes. Phonetic aspect of language also came from history. Linguistics compares languages for several reasons, for example, to note their similarities, and to find out that language has derived from what other language.
Furthermore, to describe and trace the history of all observable languages which amounts and constructing as for as possible the mother language of families. However, the mother scope is to determine the forces that are permanently and universally at work in all languages, and to deduce the general laws to which all specific historical phenomenon can be reduced.
SIR WILLIAM JONES in 1786 presented the views that Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, Celtic and Germanic appeared to have sprung from a common source. The next stage began in 1816 with the publication of FRANZ BOPP's, "On system of conjugation in Sanskrit". From 1870 to 1880, far reaching changes took place in the method.
WHITNEY and the neo-grammarians studied language more historically. Then, comparative linguistics began to be studied in historical perspective and linking the facts in their natural order. But FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE (26 November 1857 - 22 February 1913), is a structuralist of Switzerland challenges historical linguistics in its hey-days:
"Historical linguistics is its study of change over time"
Conclusion:
To cap it up the whole discussion, it can rightly be said that historical linguistics is the study of development of language which compares every language as every language is derived from earlier language. FRIEDRICH WOLF is the one who uses historical linguistics as a discipline for first time. According to JOHN LYON, the process of language change is universal and continuous as Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary, 9th edition defines it:
“The study of the history and development of language".
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