Changing patt erns of Word- Order from Old English to Early Modern English

• Author: Jonida Shkurti - Mirela Kosta
• Position: Jakov Xoxa Artistic High School - Sadik Dilka High School
• Pages: 148-154

148

Vol. 4 No.3

January, 2019

Balkan Journal of Interdisciplinary Research

IIPCCL Publishing, Graz-Austria

ISSN 2410-759X

Acces online at www.iipccl.org

Changing pa erns of Word- Order from Old English to Early Modern English

Jonida Shkurti

Jakov Xoxa Artistic High School

Mirela Kosta

Sadik Dilka High School

Abstract

Word order pa erns in English are related directly to the morphology of the language. In

shaping them, linguistic, cultural as well as historical factors need to be taken into consideration.

Language refl ects our historical, social and our cultural life. It is the principal vehicle for the

transmission of cultural knowledge and the primary means by which we gain access to the

contents of others' minds. Just as language use refl ects social life, the elements of social life

constitute an internal part of the way language is used; it even refl ects our way of living

changes. This means that change contributes to synchronic variation in a language system –

old and new, and new and new, variants may co-exist at any one time in a speech community.

It also has a diachronic e ect – as some variants become dominant and retained and as others

are lost, the ‘linguistic character’ of the language also changes. However, processes of change

not only ‘move’ a language from one stage to another; they can also, given enough time and

appropriate conditions, eventually result in the gradual emergence of a new language.English

is the typical example of the above phenomenon. It changed from a highly infl ected language

into an analytical one. A very surprising the fact for linguists is that languages that are highly

infl ected do not have a fi xed word order - as in the case of Old English Language. The infl ection

of each element in languages like Old English, allows for the words to be rearranged without

altering the meaning of the overall clauses or sentences in which they are part. Instead, the

meaning in these languages is given by the individual word endings. However, languages like

today’s English, which are less infl ected, rely on a particular resource to maintain the function

of the word: in this case, the resource is the word's position in the clause.

Keywords: Word order, social life, Old English, language.

Introduction

The focus of this work is to analyze how the English Language word order has changed

from Old English to Early Modern English and to identify how linguistic, cultural as

well as historical factors need to be taken into consideration as the primary shaping

forces of this language. Structure and word order has o en been analyzed and

studied by numerous academics such as Elly van Gelderen (2006), John Alego (2005)

or Charles C. Fries (1940)in order to show how syntax has worked and still functions

in languages and its importance for speakers to communicate properly. The reason

for this is the fact that the structure has been progressing with the passing of time and

the word order has helped speakers to express themselves conveniently. In order to

see the di erences, some of the points will be the advances made throughout history,

giving concise notions about the changes that have undergone; regarding also their

similar features; and also making reference to some specifi c features, among some

general ones.