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Literature review on linguistic change
An essay on language change
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Etymology of Court
In this report, I have attempted to display a general understanding of how the word court arrived in the English language and suggest reasons for its evolution. Much of the challenge has been determining what of the information I could present. Length restrictions and the condition set out, to use The Norton Anthology of English Literature as the only source to show the synchronic use of the word, have forced me to take a more narrow approach. Since court is a polysemic word I decided that rather then dwelling on the changes in all of its senses, I would attempt to acknowledge why this occurred. The latter part of the essay is spent discussing how court has branched its meaning to be used in the adjective courteous and how it operates as a verb.
The etymology of the word court is a complex study. By looking at its roots, we find the word dates back to Latin origin. In Latin, curia meant a senate house. When Julius Caesar ruled, the Curia Julia was the name given to the senate house he started. The similar sounding curtus, meant short. It seems that both of these words became the word cort in Old French. This is relevant because after the Norman Conquest, French borrow words began to appear in English, including court. Intriguingly, court has never meant “to be short” in the English language. A third Latin word, cohors gave court a new meaning again. Cohors had meant an enclosed yard for housing poultry. By 1300, Englishmen were using court to mean “A clear space enclosed by walls or surrounded by buildings” (Oxford English Dictionary Online (OED) 2000, court). Hence, the English “court” became a polysemic word.
Albert C. Baugh places court in the group of “Governmental and Administrative Words” that appeared in the century and a half following 1250, in his book, A History of the English Language. He suggests “We should expect that English would owe many of its words dealing with government and administration to the language of those who for more than two hundred years made public affairs their chief concern” (1978, 168-169). By including court in this category we can make some conclusions regarding its evolution. Though the political institution has always existed, its structure is volatile and subject to change. In fact, one of the primary (and perhaps the most important) engines of historical change has been the constant trans...
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...; “an institution said to have existed in southern France in the Middle ages, a tribunal composed of lords and ladies deciding questions of love and gallantry...” (OED court). This may also explain why suddenly the verb involved itself with the matters of the heart. In either case, the noun has influenced the verb.
This paper has discussed the word court. It has covered the roots and origin of the word, why it is polysemic, how it came into the English lexicon, reasons for why it has evolved in English, and how it has become an adjective and a verb. By looking at examples of text and making a comparison of connotation in past and present, a synchronic examination has helped display the diachronic word. You may argue that there are no modern text examples in this paper and many of the words’ senses have been overlooked. While this is true, my goal was to display how court has evolved as a word in our language, not its most recent usage and meanings. Considering the conditions for the assignment, I feel my purpose was best served by the focus I have taken. In conclusion, this paper has demonstrated the awesome history of a single word, manipulated by language, time and history.
The “writ of Henry I on local courts” is an administrative command issued around 1108 by Henry I, King of England during the Anglo-Norman period from 1100 till 1135. Henry addresses the writ to two individuals specifically in the country of Worcestershire, Samson and Urse of Abbetot, as well as to the barons of Worcestershire generally. Samson and Urse both held titles of prestige and power in Worcestershire County as the bishop and sheriff respectively at the time. The writ generally concerns the court systems, both royal and local, and more specifically delineates the jurisdictional spheres to be enjoyed by the particular courts concerning land disputes. Technically, the writ alludes to four distinct courts: the King’s Court, the Lord’s Court, and the County (or Shire) Court and the Hundred Court. Moreover, it refers to two types of people within Anglo-Norman society: the barons, or lords, and the vassals, or those who held the lands of, and at the pleasures of, the barons.
Simpson, J. A., and E. S. C. Weiner. The Oxford English dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press; 1989.Print.
6 The Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1989) 140. All future references will appear in the text.
Lawyers. In today's culture, just the word alone is enough to inspire countless jokes and endless sarcastic comments. Far from being the most loved profession, lawyers have attained a very bad image despite the importance of their work and the prestige and wealth that usually accompanies it. Were lawyers seen in this fashion when Charles Dickens was writing his magnificent pieces of literature? The image of lawyers of that time may not seem so different to the people who are about to enter the twenty-first century.
Ray, A. Rímpression De L'ancien Moniteur Depuis La Réunion Des Étatsgénéraus Jusqu'au Consulat (mai 1789-novembre 1799) Avec Des Notes Explicatives. Paris: Bureau Central, 1840. Print.
The Supreme Court was first called to assemble on Feb. 1, 1790, in the Merchants exchange Building in New York City, then the Nation's Capital. Justice Jay happened to be a day late to the first day of court due to transportation problems. I suppose his horse threw a shoe? The Supreme Court spent its first session organizing itself and determining its own powers and duties. The new Justices heard and decided their first actual case in 1792.
---. "Questions and Answers about Official English" U.S. English. Ed. U.S. English. U.S. English, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
*All primary documents from this text come with this preface in mind (especially that which I have bolded): In this volume, as in its predecessor, I have tried to keep both footnotes and editorial comment to a minimum, the only real problem occurring with documents written in the emerging literary English of the period. With most of these I have used modern versions, but one or two I have left in the original, to instance the spelling and form of the language. With these some notes have been necessary, but by and large they are intelligible with a little effort, and should be interesting to read. Such mistakes, as exist are of course, mine.
Pollock, F., & Maitland, F.W. (2012). The history of English law before the time of Edward 1: Crimes and torts. Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund.
-Common Law: the “law of the land”(Pool 127), which was built up over many centuries
Until the mid-eighteenth century, police forces, probation services, court systems and prisons were not present, as Newburn (2013, pp. 22-25) states. The author adds that the first attempt to maintain order thanks to a
...ificantly impacted the evolution of commercial law. The rapid expansion of European economies in the eleventh century exponentially increased the merchant class. The increased number of merchants subsequently led to an increased number of disputes when trading on an international basis. Local governments refused to fulfill the dire need of merchants, thus Law Merchant was created. Rules were established for trading between merchants which would address the previous issues involving hostility, cultural differences, and different trading customs. Courts were formed to settle disputes between the merchants. These courts formed swift and fair judgments through the help of local experts in commerce. However, the government eventually absorbed these courts by copying the Law Merchant’s rules and the Law Merchant faded away until its reappearance several centuries later.
Winston, Jessica "A Mirror for Magistrates and Public Political Discourse in Elizabethan England." Studies in Philology 101 (2004): 381-400. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 6 Nov. 2009.
It was created with the idea that as the law was handed down from the King’s Courts, it represented the common custom of the people; Developing from three English Crown courts of the 12th and 13th centuries who started deciding in disputes were local or manorial courts had jurisdiction before: The Exchequer, The King’s Bench and the Common Pleas. Usually, there are no formal codes, texts or regulations that common law relies on
The courts have the function of giving the public a chance to present themselves whether to prosecute or defend themselves if any disputes against them rise. It is known to everyone that a court is a place where disputes can be settled while using the right and proper procedures. In the Criminal court is the luxury of going through a tedious process of breaking a law. Once you have been arrested and have to go to court because of the arrest, you now have a criminal case appointed against you. The court is also the place where a just, fair and unbiased trial can be heard so that it would not cause any disadvantage to either of the party involved in the dispute. The parties are given a chance to represent themselves or to choose to have a legal representative, which is mostly preferred by many.