Chapter 4: Prosody
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Donka Minkova
Abstract
The chapter traces the development of word and phrasal stress from Old to Present-day English. Section 1 and Section 2 define the terms needed to describe the prosodic patterns of speech and address the notions of syllable structure and syllable weight. Section 3 surveys the methodological bases for prosodic reconstruction, focusing specifically on the interplay between meter and language in the recovery of rhythmic patterns in speech. Old English meter and prosody are covered in Section 4, where the basic principles of Old English alliterative versification provide the foundation for reconstructing word and phrasal stress. Middle English meter and prosody are covered in Section 5, again with specific references to metrical form, word stress, and phrasal stress. The section includes a discussion of the effect of lexical borrowing from French and Latin on the prosody of English. Section 6 is devoted to the major prosodic changes in English during and after the Renaissance.
Abstract
The chapter traces the development of word and phrasal stress from Old to Present-day English. Section 1 and Section 2 define the terms needed to describe the prosodic patterns of speech and address the notions of syllable structure and syllable weight. Section 3 surveys the methodological bases for prosodic reconstruction, focusing specifically on the interplay between meter and language in the recovery of rhythmic patterns in speech. Old English meter and prosody are covered in Section 4, where the basic principles of Old English alliterative versification provide the foundation for reconstructing word and phrasal stress. Middle English meter and prosody are covered in Section 5, again with specific references to metrical form, word stress, and phrasal stress. The section includes a discussion of the effect of lexical borrowing from French and Latin on the prosody of English. Section 6 is devoted to the major prosodic changes in English during and after the Renaissance.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Table of Contents V
- Abbreviations VII
- Chapter 1: Introduction 1
- Chapter 2: Periodization in the History of the English Language 8
- Chapter 3: Phonology 36
- Chapter 4: Prosody 57
- Chapter 5: Morphology 77
- Chapter 6: Syntax 102
- Chapter 7: Semantics and Lexicon 123
- Chapter 8: Idioms and Fixed Expressions 140
- Chapter 9: Pragmatics and Discourse 165
- Chapter 10: Onomastics 185
- Chapter 11: Orthography 200
- Chapter 12: Styles, Registers, Genres, Text Types 218
- Chapter 13: Standards in the History of English 238
- Index 253
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Table of Contents V
- Abbreviations VII
- Chapter 1: Introduction 1
- Chapter 2: Periodization in the History of the English Language 8
- Chapter 3: Phonology 36
- Chapter 4: Prosody 57
- Chapter 5: Morphology 77
- Chapter 6: Syntax 102
- Chapter 7: Semantics and Lexicon 123
- Chapter 8: Idioms and Fixed Expressions 140
- Chapter 9: Pragmatics and Discourse 165
- Chapter 10: Onomastics 185
- Chapter 11: Orthography 200
- Chapter 12: Styles, Registers, Genres, Text Types 218
- Chapter 13: Standards in the History of English 238
- Index 253
