A Handbook of English Philology

by
M.N. Sinha











ISBN 81-85897-71-9
pp. : 208 + viii
Price : Rs. 110.00

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List of Contents :

Part I

1.  Introductory : 
I. Introduction to Language—Definition —Functions of Language —Theories of the Origin of Language —Approaches to the Language —Conventional Character of Language.
II. Indo-European Family of Language —Classification —Characteristics —Difference with Germanic —Grimm’s Law (The great Consonant Shift) —Verner’s Law —The Stress-shift.
2. Characteristics : 
I. Characteristics of the English Language.
II. Masculinity of the English Language.
III. Characteristics of Old English.
IV. Linguistic Omnivorousness of English.
3. Foreign Influences : 
I. Causes of Borrowings.
II. Latin Influence.
III. Latin Influence—a help or a hindrance.
IV. Celtic Influence.
V. Scandinavian Influence.
VI. Importance of the Scandinavian loan-words.
VII. French Influence.
VIII. Greek Influence.
IX. Loan-words—milestones of general history.
4. Word-making : 
I. Word-making in English (‘Regular Process’ of word-making)—Composition (Compounds)—Derivation—Back-formations—Shortening—(Root creation)—Telescoping—Conversion.
5. Semantics : 
I. Changes of Meanings— Extension of Meaning —Specialisation of Meaning —Degeneration of Meaning— Elevation of Meaning —Emotional addition and popular misunderstanding.
6. Grammatical Development : 
I. Development of English grammar form chaos to cosmos.
II. Inflectional leveling.
7. Some Makers of English : 
I. The Bible—Shakespeare— Milton.

Part II

1. Contemporary English : 
I. Fashion in Language.
II. Conventional Character of Language.
III. Needed words.
IV. Slang.
V. Fossils.
VI. Value of the study of Place-names.
VII. Standard English.
VIII. American English—American or English ?
IX. Influence of Science and Technology.
X. Expansion of the general English vocabulary in the modern age.
XI. English Today (Present day tendencies and trends).
XII. English Tomorrow (The future of English)— English as a World Language.
2. Short Notes : 
Hybridism— Johnsonese —Euphemism —Malapropism —The History of ing— The Possessive case —The S-ending in Nouns and Verbs —Monosyllabism —The Language of Poetry —Some Innovations in the syntax of the infinitive (Spit infinitive)— Folk-etymology—The Great Vowel Shift—Portmanteau word— Gradation (Ablaut)— Radiation—Basic English—The Principle of Value-stressing—Haplology— Fixed compounds—Free compounds—Doublets —Archaism —Mutation Plurals— Word —Gender.
3. Philological Notes

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