教孩子学phonics，讲单词的时候查单词的词源，英语单词来源可真复杂，吸收了大量的外来词。

 

贴出两个有关英语语言发展史的音视频：

10分钟漫画英语发展史：

http://video.sina.com.cn/p/v/b/612961494237.html

 

曾给学生布置过一篇VOA听写，讲英语的发展历史：

http://www.51voa.com/VOA_Special_English/Explorations_24880.html

http://www.51voa.com/VOA_Special_English/Explorations_18188.html

 

文本如下：

 

EXPLORATIONS - The History of English: How a Language Grew

 

VOICE ONE:

This is Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Shirley Griffith with the VOA Special English program EXPLORATIONS. Today we present the first of two programs about the history of the English Language.  

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

More people are trying to learn English than any other language in the world. English is the language of political negotiations and international business. It has become the international language of science and medicine.  International treaties say passenger airplane pilots must speak English. English is the major foreign language taught in most schools in South America and Europe. School children in the Philippines and Japan begin learning English at an early age.  English is the official language of more than seventy-five countries including Britain, Canada, the United States, Australia, and South Africa. In countries where many different languages are spoken, English is often used as an official language to help people communicate. India is a good example.  English is the common language in this country where at least twenty-four languages are spoken by more than one million people.

(MUSIC)  VOICE TWO:

Where did the English language come from? Why has it become so popular? To answer these questions we must travel back in time about five thousand years to an area north of the Black Sea in southeastern Europe.

 

Experts say the people in that area spoke a language called Proto-Indo-European. That language is no longer spoken. Researchers do not really know what it sounded like.

 

Yet, Proto-Indo-European is believed to be the ancestor of most European languages. These include the languages that became ancient Greek, ancient German and the ancient Latin.

 

Latin disappeared as a spoken language. Yet it left behind three great languages that became modern Spanish, French and Italian. Ancient German became Dutch, Danish, German, Norwegian, Swedish and one of the languages that developed into English.

 

VOICE ONE:

 

The English language is a result of the invasions of the island of Britain over many hundreds of years. The invaders lived along the northern coast of Europe.

 

The first invasions were by a people called Angles about one thousand five hundred years ago. The Angles were a German tribe who crossed the English Channel.  Later two more groups crossed to Britain. They were the Saxons and the Jutes.

 

These groups found a people called the Celts, who had lived in Britain for many thousands of years. The Celts and the invaders fought.

 

After a while, most of the Celts were killed, or made slaves. Some escaped to live in the area that became Wales. Through the years, the Saxons, Angles and Jutes mixed their different languages.  The result is what is called Anglo-Saxon or Old English.

 

Old English is extremely difficult to understand.  Only a few experts can read this earliest form of English.

 

VOICE TWO:

Several written works have survived from the Old English period. Perhaps the most famous is called Beowulf. It is the oldest known English poem. Experts say it was written in Britain more than one thousand years ago.  The name of the person who wrote it is not known.

Beowulf is the story of a great king who fought against monsters. He was a good king, well liked by his people. A new book by Seamus Heaney tells this ancient story in modern English. Listen as Warren Scheer reads the beginning of this ancient story.

VOICE THREE:

So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by

and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.

We have heard of those princes' heroic campaigns.

There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes,

a wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes.

This terror of the hall-troops had come far.

A foundling to start with, he would flourish later on

as his powers waxed and his worth was proved,

In the end each clan on the outlying coasts

beyond the whale-road had to yield to him

and begin to pay tribute. That was one good king.

 

VOICE ONE:

 

The next great invasion of Britain came from the far north beginning about one thousand one hundred years ago. Fierce people called Vikings raided the coast areas of Britain. The Vikings came from Denmark, Norway and other northern countries. They were looking to capture trade goods and slaves and take away anything of value.

 

In some areas, the Vikings became so powerful they built temporary bases. These temporary bases sometimes became permanent. Later, many Vikings stayed in Britain. Many English words used today come from these ancient Vikings. Words like "sky," "leg," "skull," "egg," "crawl," " lift" and "take" are from the old languages of the far northern countries.

 

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

The next invasion of Britain took place more than nine hundred years ago, in 1066. History experts call this invasion the Norman Conquest. William the Conqueror led it.

The Normans were a French-speaking people from Normandy in the north of France. They became the new rulers of Britain. These new rulers spoke only French for several hundred years. It was the most important language in the world at that time. It was the language of educated people. But the common people of Britain still spoke Old English.

 

Old English took many words from the Norman French. Some of these include "damage,"  "prison," and "marriage." Most English words that describe law and government come from Norman French. Words such as "jury," "parliament," and "justice." 

The French language used by the Norman rulers greatly changed the way English was spoken by eight hundred years ago.  English became what language experts call Middle English. As time passed, the ruling Normans no longer spoke true French. Their language had become a mix of French and Middle English. 

 

VOICE ONE:

 

Middle English sounds like modern English. But it is very difficult to understand now.  Many written works from this period have survived. Perhaps the most famous was written by Geoffrey Chaucer, a poet who lived in London and died there in fourteen hundred. Chaucer's most famous work is "The Canterbury Tales," written more than six hundred years ago.

"The Canterbury Tales" is a collection of poems about different people traveling to the town of Canterbury.  Listen for a few moments as Warren Scheer reads the beginning of Chaucer's famous "Canterbury Tales."

 

VOICE THREE:

Whan that aprill with his shoures soote

The droghte of march hath perced to the roote,

And bathed every veyne in swich licour

Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth

Inspired hath in every holt and heath.

 

VOICE ONE:

Now listen as Mister Scheer reads the same sentences again, but this time in Modern English.

VOICE THREE:

When April with his showers sweet with fruit

The drought of March has pierced unto the root

And bathed each vein with liquor that has power

To generate therein and sire the flower;

When Zephyr also has, with his sweet breath,

Quickened again, in every holt and heath,

The tender shoots and buds, and the young sun.

 

VOICE TWO:

English language experts say Geoffrey Chaucer was the first important writer to use the English language. They also agree that Chaucer's great Middle English poem gives us a clear picture of the people of his time. Some of the people described in The Canterbury Tales are wise and brave; some are stupid and foolish. Some believe they are extremely important. Some are very nice; others are mean. But they all still seem real.

 

OICE ONE:

The prologue you just heard describes a group of religious travelers going to Canterbury. To entertain themselves, they agree to tell stories while they travel.

The Knight's Tale is about two men who compete for the love of a beautiful woman. The Miller's Tale is a funny story that tells about a young man who is in love with a married woman. The two play a mean trick on the woman's old husband.

One of the most famous characters in the series of stories is the Wife of Bath. She is a strong, and opinionated woman who likes to talk about her many adventures in life and marriage. 

Some of the people described in "The Canterbury Tales" are wise and brave; some are stupid and foolish. Some believe they are extremely important. Some are very nice, others are mean. But they all still seem real.

The history of the English language continues as Middle English becomes Modern English, which is spoken today. That will be our story next time.
(THEME)
VOICE TWO:
This program was written and produced by Paul Thompson. Our studio engineer was Elfin Draper. This is Shirley Griffith.

VOICE ONE:
And this is Steve Ember. Join us again next week to hear the second part of the History of the English Language on the VOA Special English program, EXPLORATIONS.

 

Part II

 

 (MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
This is Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Shirley Griffith with the VOA Special English program, EXPLORATIONS. Today we present the second of our two programs about the history of the English Language.

(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:

Last week, we told how the English language developed as a result of several invasions of Britain. The first involved three tribes called the Angles, the Jutes and the Saxons. A mix of their languages produced a language called Anglo-Saxon, or Old English. It sounded very much like German. Only a few words remained from the Celts who had lived in Britain.

Two more invasions added words to Old English. The Vikings of Denmark, Norway and Sweden arrived in Britain more than one thousand years ago. The next invasion took place in the year 1066. French forces from Normandy were led by a man known as William the Conqueror.

The Norman rulers added many words to English. The words “parliament,” “jury,” “justice,” and others that deal with law come from the Norman rulers.

VOICE TWO:

Over time, the different languages combined to result in what English experts call Middle English. While Middle English still sounds similar to German, it also begins to sound like Modern English.

Here Warren Scheer reads the very beginning of Geoffrey Chaucer’s great poem, “The Canterbury Tales” as it was written in Middle English.

(SOUND)

VOICE ONE:

Chaucer wrote that poem in the late thirteen hundreds. It was written in the language of the people. The rulers of Britain at that time still spoke the Norman French they brought with them in 1066.

The kings of Britain did not speak the language of the people until the early 1400s. Slowly, Norman French was used less and less until it disappeared.

VOICE TWO:

The English language was strongly influenced by an event that took place more than 1400 years ago. In the year 597, the Roman Catholic Church began its attempt to make Christianity the religion of Britain.

The language of the Catholic Church was Latin. Latin was not spoken as a language in any country at that time. But it was still used by some people.

Latin made it possible for a church member from Rome to speak to a church member from Britain. Educated people from different countries could communicate using Latin.

Latin had a great effect on the English language. Here are a few examples. The Latin word “discus” became several words in English including “disk,” “dish,” and “desk.” The Latin word “quietus” became the English word “quiet.” Some English names of plants such as “ginger” and “trees” such as “cedar” come from Latin. So do some medical words such as “cancer”.

VOICE ONE:

English is a little like a living thing that continues to grow. English began to grow more quickly when William Caxton returned to Britain in the year1476. He had been in Holland and other areas of Europe where he had learned printing. He returned to Britain with the first printing press.

The printing press made it possible for almost anyone to buy a book. It helped spread education and the English language.

VOICE TWO:

Slowly, during the 1500s English became the modern language we would recognize. English speakers today would be able to communicate with English speakers in the last part of the Sixteenth Century.

It was during this time period that the greatest writer in English produced his work. His name was William Shakespeare. His plays continue to be printed, acted in theaters, and seen in motion pictures almost four hundred years after his death.

VOICE ONE:

Experts say that Shakespeare’s work was written to be performed on the stage, not to be read. Yet every sound of his words can produce word pictures, and provide feelings of anger, fear, and laughter. Shakespeare’s famous play “Romeo and Juliet” is so sad that people cry when they see this famous story.

The story of the power hungry King Richard the Third is another very popular play by Shakespeare. Listen as Shep O’Neal reads the beginning, of “Richard the Third.”

Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lowered upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.
Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths;
Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;
Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings,
Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.

(SOUND)

VOICE TWO:

The development of the English language took a giant step just nine years before the death of William Shakespeare. Three small British ships crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1607. They landed in an area that would later become the southern American state of Virginia. They began the first of several British colonies. The name of the first small colony was Jamestown.

In time, people in these new colonies began to call areas of their new land by words borrowed from the native people they found living there. For example, many of the great rivers in the United States are taken from American Indian words. The Mississippi, the Tennessee, the Missouri are examples.

Other Native American words included “moccasin”, the kind of shoe made of animal skin that Indians wore on their feet. This borrowing or adding of foreign words to English was a way of expanding the language. The names of three days of the week are good examples of this. The people from Northern Europe honored three gods with a special day each week. The gods were Odin, Thor and Freya. Odin’s-day became Wednesday in English, Thor’s-day became Thursday and Freya’s-day became Friday.

VOICE ONE:

Britain had other colonies in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and India. The English language also became part of these colonies. These colonies are now independent, but English still is one of the languages spoken. And the English language grew as words from the native languages were added.

For example, the word “shampoo” for soap for the hair came from India. “Banana” is believed to be from Africa.

Experts cannot explain many English words. For hundreds of years, a dog was called a “hound.” The word is still used but not as commonly as the word “dog.” Experts do not know where the word “dog” came from or when. English speakers just started using it. Other words whose origins are unknown include “fun,” “bad,” and “big.”

VOICE TWO:

English speakers also continue to invent new words by linking old words together. A good example is the words “motor” and “hotel.” Many years ago some one linked them together into the word “motel.” A motel is a small hotel near a road where people travelling in cars can stay for the night.

Other words come from the first letters of names of groups or devices. A device to find objects that cannot be seen called Radio Detecting and Ranging became “Radar.” The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is usually called NATO.

Experts say that English has more words that explain the same thing that any other language. For example, the words “large,” “huge,” “vast,” “massive,” and “enormous” all mean something really “big.”

VOICE ONE:

People often ask how many words there are in the English language. Well, no one really knows. The Oxford English Dictionary lists about six hundred fifteen thousand words. Yet the many scientific words not in the dictionary could increase the number to almost one million.

And experts are never really sure how to count English words. For example, the word “mouse.” A mouse is a small creature from the rodent family. But “mouse” has another very different meaning. A “mouse” is also a hand-held device used to help control a computer. If you are counting words do you count “mouse” two times?

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Visitors to the Voice of America hear people speaking more than fifty different languages. Most broadcasters at VOA come from countries where these languages are spoken. International organizations such as VOA would find it impossible to operate without a second language all the people speak.

The language that permits VOA to work is English. It is not unusual to see someone from the Mandarin Service talking to someone from the Arabic Service, both speaking English. English is becoming the common language of millions of people worldwide, helping speakers of many different languages communicate.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This Special English program was written and produced by Paul Thompson. This is Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week for another EXPLORATIONS program, on the Voice of America.