Present-Day English (PDE) Definition and Examples

The term Present-Day English (PDE) refers to any one of the varieties of the English language (usually a standard variety) that is used by speakers who are alive today. Also called late or contemporary Modern English. But not all linguists define the term in this way. Millward and Hayes, for example, describe Present-Day English as the period since 1800. For Erik Smitterberg, on the other hand, Present-Day English refers to the period from 1961, the year in which texts that make up the Brown and LOB corpora were published, on (The Progressive in 19th-Century English, 2005). Regardless of the precise definition, Mark Ably describes contemporary English as the Wal-Mart of languages: convenient, huge, hard to avoid, superficially friendly, and devouring all rivals in its eagerness to expand (Spoken Here, 2003). Examples and Observations Perhaps the two most salient characteristics of Present-Day English are its highly analytic grammar and its immense lexicon. Both of these features originated during the M[iddle] E[nglish] period. Although English has lost all but a handful of its inflections during ME and has undergone little inflectional change since, ME marks only the onset of the burgeoning of the English vocabulary to its current unparalleled size among the languages of the world. Ever since ME, the language has been more than hospitable to loanwords from other languages, and all subsequent periods have seen comparable influxes of loans and increases in vocabulary. . . .All areas of life in the present-day era have seen the influx of new words. To be sure, many words derive from electronic technologies . . .. Some words come from the entertainment industry such as . . . anime (Japanese animation) and celebutante (a celebrity known in fashionable society). Some words come from politics, for example, POTUS (presid ent of the United States), rubber-chicken circuit (the round of fund-raising dinners attended by politicians), and wedge-issue (a decisive political issue). . . . New words also come from a mere desire to play with the language, such as baggravation (the aggravation at having ones bags lost at the airport), fantabulous (beyond fabulous), flaggin (flashing or giving gang signs), losingest (in last place), stalkerazzi (a tabloid journalist who stalks celebrities).(C. M. Millward and Mary Hayes, A Biography of the English Language, 3rd ed. Wadsworth, 2012) Verbs in PDE The Early Modern English period, particularly the 17th and 18th centuries, witnesses developments that result in the establishment of the Present-Day English verbal system. The most noticeable of these affect the subjunctive and the modal auxiliaries, tense auxiliaries (future and [plu]perfect), passive, and the progressive (be -ing). At the end of the 18th century, a fairly high degree of paradigmatic symmetry exists in the verbal group: various combinations of tense, mood, voice and (to a certain extent) aspect can be systematically expressed by sets of auxiliaries and endings.(Matti Rissanen, Syntax. Cambridge History of the English Language, Vol. 3, ed. by Roger Lass. Cambridge University Press, 2000) Modals in PDE [A]lready in Present-day English we seem to be reaching a stage where some modals (shall, ought to, need) are reaching the end of their useful life.(Geoffrey Leech, Modality on the Move. Modality in Contemporary English, ed. by Roberta Facchinetti, Manfred Krug, and Frank Palmer. Mouton de Gruyter, 2003) Adverbs in PDE In Shakespeare, there are many adverbs without -ly (our will . . . which else should free have wrought, Macbeth, II.i.18f), but the -ly forms are more numerous, and the relative number has increased since then. In our example, free would be replaced by freely in present-day English.Today there is a residue of adverbs without the suffix, e.g. far, fast, long, much. In another group of adverbs, there is vacillation between suffix and no suffix, something which has been utilized systematically in a number of cases: dig deep vs. deeply involved; he was admitted free vs. speak freely; right now vs. he rightly concluded that . . .; cp. also clean(ly), direct(ly), loudly(ly), near(ly), short(ly), etc.(Hans Hansen and Hans Frede Nielsen, Irregularities in Modern English, 2nd ed. John Benjamins, 2012) Spelling and Speech Habits in Present-Day English The irregularities of present-day English spelling are more in evidence with vowels than with consonants. . . .-a/ent, -a/ence, -a/encyThis is a notorious source of mis-spellings in present-day English because the vowel in both sets of suffixes is reduced to /É™/. There is some guidance on the choice of a or e spellings from related forms with a stressed vowel: consequent - consequential; substance - substantial. All three endings -ant, -ance, -ancy or -ent, -ence, -ency may occur, but sometimes there are gaps: we have different, difference, but rarely differency; we have delinquent, delinquency, but rarely delinquence.(Edward Carney, English Spelling. Routledge, 1997)Spelling also exerts a certain influence on speech habits so that so-called spelling pronunciations come into existence. . . . [T]he previous silent t in often is pronounced by many speakers. Of this Potter writes: Of all the influences affecting present day English that of spelling upon sounds is probably the hardes t to resist (1979: 77).br/>There are, in other words, tendencies for people to write the way they speak, but also to speak the way they write. Nevertheless, the present system of English spelling has certain advantages: Paradoxically, one of the advantages of our illogical spelling is that . . . it provides a fixed standard for spelling throughout the English-speaking world and, once learnt, we encounter none of the difficulties in reading which we encounter in understanding strange accents. (Stringer 1973: 27) A further advantage (vis–à  Ã¢â‚¬â€œvis the spelling reform propagated by George Bernard Shaw) is that etymologically related words often resemble each other despite the difference in their vowel quality. For example, sonar and sonic are both spelled with o even though the first is pronounced with /əʊ/ or /oÊŠ/ and the latter with /É / or /É‘Ë /. (Stephan Gramley and Kurt-Michael Pà ¤tzold, A Survey of Modern English, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2004) Changes in Pronunciation Changes are taking place in the way words are stressed. There is a long-term trend in two-syllable words for the stress to be moved from the second syllable to the first: this has happened in living memory in such words as adult, alloy, ally and garage. It is still going on, especially where there are related noun-verb pairs. There are many pairs where the noun has first-syllable stress, and the verb second-syllable stress, and in such cases many speakers now stress the verb also on the first syllable: examples are annex, contest, contract, escort, export, import, increase, progress, protest and transfer. In cases where both the noun and the verb have second-syllable stress, there is a tendency for the noun to be given first-syllable stress, as with discharge, dispute, redress and research; occasionally the verb may also be given first-syllable stress. (Charles Barber, Joan Beal, and Philip Shaw, The English Language, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2009)

Advertising and Behavior Control Essay - 805 Words

In the article â€Å"Advertising and Behavior Control† there were many arguments for and against advertising. The first and the biggest problem Robert L. Arrington has against advertising is â€Å"puffery.† The reason/reasons why Arrington has a problem with puffery is due to the fact that the seller makes exaggerated, or suggestive claims about a product. His overall argument on puffery is that it isn’t just â€Å"bragging† but it is bragging that is designed to persuade you to want the item or product being sold. The bragging goes so far as they convince the viewer (of the advertisement) they need the product. Puffery ultimately leads to manipulation, exploitation, and control over what people think of the product. Although Arrington has reasons†¦show more content†¦These are just a couple of the arguments for and against advertising, and Arrington continues with many more thought provoking and legitimate arguments. All in all, Arrington make s claims for and against advertising, and eventually comes to the conclusion that he does not know what is right. If advertising is indeed good or bad as he says on page 289 â€Å"I do not pretend to have the answer. I only hope that the above discussion, in showing some of the kinds of harm that can be done by advertising and by indicating the likely limits of this harm, will put us in a better position to grapple with the question.† In my own opinion I don’t think that advertising should be controlled anymore than it is now. My reason for thinking this way is because products are made to be sold and along with that products are also madeShow MoreRelatedTaking a Look at Manipulative Advertising773 Words   |  3 Pages​The meaning of advertising is the act or practice of calling public attention to ones product, service, need, etc(cited in Collins English Dictionary). 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Comparing The Tang Dynasty And The Western Civilization

From as far back as time could go, nearly who and what a person was depended on their gender. Women were seen as inferior to men no matter their intellectual or social status background. Men and women alike were expected to have certain and specific duties associated with their gender. Gender roles have always been a popular discussion topic due to its major impacts on cultural norms of various time periods. The popular start and discussion of gender roles and feminism specifically was initiated in its early forms dating back to the 18th century when Mary Wollstonecraft founded the modern European feminism ideology. Although feminism and the feminist movement didn’t officially start until the mid 19th century, it did not stop people from†¦show more content†¦For women, although they are seen in areas like politics and entertainment like previously mentioned; their prominent role was being the main caregiver to the children and to their husbands as well as the housekee per while their husband were away at work to provide for the family financially. Women had limited rights within their marriages. They were expected to wait on their husband’s hands and feet. They were unable to initiate a divorce and in more cases than not, were required to share their husbands with their other wives or concubines. Female children were considered unwanted compared to male children because male children had the ability to continue the family name/family tradition as well as provide physical labor out in the fields which benefited the family financially. Usually, with families of more female children than male children, the females would be sold to the wealthy to serve as concubines, prostitutes, participants in arranged marriages, or even to be simply traded for useful cattle/livestock for food and field labor. The status of women declined even more with the end of the Tang dynasty leading to the Song dynasty. Fast forward to the time period of 1350-1550, thi s two hundred year span is known as the Renaissance or the rebirth period.Show MoreRelatedAp World History Units 1-3 Study Guide Essay4374 Words   |  18 Pages 3. The earliest metal worked systemically by humans are * Copper 4. The spread of the Bantu-speaking peoples over southern Africa can be best explained by their * Knowledge of agriculture 5. Characteristics of complex civilizations * Specialization of labor * Trade and cultural diffusion * Written languages * Complex political order and power 6. 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Chinese emperor as Son of Heaven i. rule by Mandate of Heaven ii. dependent on just rule iii. heavy ritual duties to maintain relationship between earth and heaven iv. moralRead MoreCantonese vs. Taishanese: a Study of the Two Most Ubiquitous Dialects in Chinatowns Worldwide2913 Words   |  12 Pagesthey brought their language along as cultural baggage as well as mores and customs that had evolved in one of the worlds great civilizations (Louie, 1). The history of the Cantonese, or Yue, language is more than 2,000 years old, making it older than Mandarin, the official language of China, which only has 700 to 800 years of history. 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Control Freak free essay sample

Virgos are analytical, observant, and precise. We strive to be perfectionist, so we have to be on top of everything and every detail. Whenever I do anything I do my best to make sure it’s perfect, whether it’s something I’m passionate about or something I’m forced to do. I like for things to be perceived in a certain way, I like for my efforts to be praised, and in order to get that it has to be perfect, if not near. A lot of people assume being a control freak is a bad thing, but in my opinion it’s not. I know what I want, and most times how I want it done. I’m not always lost or confused on a lot of things because I’ve probably thought about it in my head before and know what most possible outcomes are. What I’ve learned is that the only people who dislike control freaks are people who are control freaks themselves, or have control issues on some type of level. We will write a custom essay sample on Control Freak or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page People who don’t really like responsibility, and are untamed tend to like control freaks because they keep them in line, and on point. They direct them and help them stay on track. An example of someone who could be a control freak is a Sergeant in the Army. When you’re a sergeant you have to dictate and tell people what to do. You have to make sure people follow a certain set of guidelines and rules, while following them yourself. Having that type of power over people will sometimes go to your head and make you a compulsive control freak. You want things done a certain way, at a certain time, in a certain place, with no exceptions. Another Example of someone who takes being a control freak overboard, or obsessive is  the â€Å"controller. These people obsessively try to dictate how you’re supposed to be and feel. They have an opinion about everything. They’ll control you by invalidating your emotions if those don’t fit into their rulebook. People with low  self-esteem who see themselves as â€Å"victims† attract controllers. Whether spouting unsolicited advice on how you can lose weight  or using anger  to put you in your place, their comments can range from irritating to abusive. What’s most infuriating about these people is that they usually don’t see themselves as controllingonly right. When it comes to myself and being controlling, it was never because I had a desire to control someone. When I was younger I watched over my younger brothers, I had a responsibility. I was left in charge, and having two younger kids to watch over, I had to take on the role of a father. So I was a mini dictator, I had to tell them what to do, and how. I had to make sure everything in the house was straightened, and not broken, and I sometimes had to discipline them. After years of doing this I developed a controlling personality. I don’t see myself as overly controlling, just subtly controlling. I don’t try to control every aspect of people’s lives. The only thing I’m really particular about is details in something I’m doing such as my work, art, appearance. When it comes to relationships and me being controlling, it doesn’t affect them. It doesn’t affect them because I’m not over the top controlling, I just tell them things to help improve them in some type of way. I actually like somewhat controlling people in relationships. The way I see it, it’s a challenge. They’re not easy, and submissive. I love dominance in a person; it gives me a sense of security when someone shows dominance. To me it’s like they care enough to give direction and guidance. Not all control freaks have a need to obsess and be in control of everything that is happening, some of us were put into a position of power that lead to being a control freak. And in our mind, it isn’t being controlling. We’re just particular about things, we know what we want in life. What’s so bad about that?