PRESENTS

Understanding the Language of

A Short History of English Where did the English language begin? The earliest origin of English is in Africa.

What are the stages of development of the language? Proto-English Old English Middle English Early Modern English (Shakespeare’s time) Modern English

Old English (1000 AD) Faeder ure, thu the eart on hefonum si thin nama gehalgod…Urne gedoeghwamal ican hlaf syle us to doeg

Middle English (1300 AD) Fader oure that is I heuen, blessed be thi name…Oure ilk day bred gif us to day.

Early Modern English 1600 Shakespeare’s Time Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name... Give us this day our daily bread.

Modern English (2000) Our father who is in heaven, may your name be hallowed... Give us our daily bread today.

All four versions of the Lord’s Prayer Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name... Give us this day our daily bread. Our father who is in heaven, may your name be hallowed... Give us our daily bread today. All f rom “English Language –big changes” by April Holladay

Some Influences on English Germanic Tribes (Angles, Saxons, Frisians, Jutes) Scandinavian Invasion Norman Conquest of Britain (French) Trade with the Roman Empire Christianity (more Latin and Greek words) Invention of Print Samuel Johnson’s dictionary (1755) Shakespeare The Internet

What changes a language? Migration Mixing with other cultures Being conquered Trade with other cultures Religion Books and other print sources Media Centralized government Scholars New Ideas and Technology

What were the influences on Early Modern (also called Elizabethan or Shakespearean) English ? The Elizabethan period “presents the English language in a transitional and undeveloped condition, rejecting and inventing much that the verdict of posterity has retained and discarded” (Abbott 15).

Influences on Shakespeare’s English Values of the time: clarity preferred over correctness, and brevity preferred over both clarity and correctness New discoveries = new thoughts that require new words Revival of classical studies (Greek, Latin) Transitional period of the Language Greater influence of spoken English over written (more contractions) From A Shakespearean Grammar by Edwin Abbott

Qualities of Shakespearean English Grammatical errors (according to today’s rules of Standard English) Any part of speech can be used as any other Versatility in the arrangement of words in sentences Words and phrases have a greater variety of uses than today

Adjectives In Shakespeare’s English Add “y” to any word to form an adjective “Slumbery agitation” – Macbeth “Unheedy haste” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream Articles (a, an, the) may be omitted “When lion rough in wildest rage doth roar” A Midsummer Night’s Dream (“a” omitted before “lion”)

Adjectives In Shakespeare’s English Adjectives may be used as adverbs or nouns “Which the false man does easy.” Macbeth (easily) “Grow not instant old.” Hamlet (instantly) Adjectives may be compounded “I am too sudden-bold.” Love’s Labour Lost “Honorable-dangerous” Julius Caesar

Adjectives In Shakespeare’s English “-er” and “-est” added where today’s English doesn’t add them “Horrider: Cymbeline “Certainer” Much Ado About Nothing Double comparative and superlative “More nearer” Hamlet “Most unkindest” Julius Caesar Adjective may be placed AFTER the noun rather than before “In the seat royal” Richard III

Adverbs in Shakespeare’s English Along may mean “along with me” Forth, hence, and hither may be used to show motion without a verb “I have no mind of feasting forth tonight” Merchant of Venice Double negative: Viola in Twelfth Night says, “Nor never none /Shall mistress of it be, save I alone,” by which she meant that no one except herself would ever be mistress of her heart.

Prepositions in Shakespeare’s English May be left out “That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds” Romeo and Juliet “to” left out before “clouds” May differ slightly in meaning to today’s prepositions, but the meaning is usually decipherable

Verbs in Shakespeare’s English The “-ed” ending may be omitted “These things indeed you have articulate” Henry IV (articulated) “to” may be omitted in an infinitive “The rest I wish thee gather.” Henry VI (to gather)

Verbs in Shakespeare’s English Verb tense may be inconsistent: changes in tense allowed where today’s rules would not allow it “Therefore they thought (past) it good you hear (present) a play.” Taming of the Shrew Any noun or adjective could become a verb “That has so cowarded and chased your blood.” Henry V

Effects of Rhythm on Shakespeare’s Language Shortening of words by using contractions so words will fit the rhythm Changing the accent of words so they fit the rhythm

Compounding New words created by compounding any parts of speech: “the steep-up heavenly hill” “Sonnet 7” “til Henry’s back-return” Henry V Prologue 41

Sentence Order The most emphatic words may be placed at the beginning of the sentence in spite of grammatical rules: “In dreadful secrecy impart they did” Hamlet “Before the time I did Lysander see, Seem’d Athens a paradise to me.” A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Ellipses (Words Left Out) “Elizabethan Authors objected to scarcely any ellipsis, provided the deficiency could be easily supplied from the context.” (Abbott 279) Little words left out such as : and, as, but, if, ere, or, like, since, than, though, and pronouns “This is that banish’d haughty Montague, And here is come.” Romeo and Juliet (here he is come)

Shakespeare’s Impact on Modern English: Some Phrases Created by Shakespeare Eaten out of house and home Full circle Neither rhyme nor reason Seen better days A sorry sight A spotless reputation In my heart of hearts

Words Coined by Shakespeare Nouns: accused addiction alligator amazement anchovies assassination backing bandit bedroom bump buzzers courtship critic dauntless dawn design dickens discontent embrace employer engagements excitements exposure eyeball fixture futurity glow immediacy investments kick leapfrog luggage manager mimic misgiving mountaineer ode outbreak pageantry pedant perusal questioning reinforcement retirement roadway rumination savagery scuffles shudders switch tardiness transcendence urging watchdog wormhole zany

Words Coined by Shakespeare Verbs: besmirch bet blanket cake champion compromise cow denote deracinate dialogue dislocate divest drug dwindle elbow enmesh film forward gossip grovel hobnob humor hurry impedes lapse lower misquote negotiate numb pander partner petition puke rant reword secure submerge swagger torture unclog

Words Coined by Shakespeare Adjectives: aerial auspicious baseless beached bloodstained blushing circumstantial consanguineous deafening disgraceful domineering enrapt epileptic equivocal eventful fashionable foregone frugal generous gloomy gnarled hush inaudible invulnerable jaded juiced lackluster laughable lonely lustrous madcap majestic marketable monumental nervy noiseless obscene olympian premeditated promethean quarrelsome radiance rancorous reclusive remorseless rival sacrificial sanctimonious softhearted splitting stealthy traditional tranquil unmitigated unreal varied vaulting viewless widowed worthless yelping

Words Coined by Shakespeare Adverbs: importantly instinctively obsequiously threateningly tightly trippingly unaware

Works Cited and Consulted Abbott, Edwin. A Shakespearian grammar: An attempt to illustrate some of the differences between Elizabethan and modern English. For the use of schools. 2 nd ed. London:Macmillan, "History of the English Language." Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation Inc. 7 Mar Holladay, April. "English Language - Big Changes." USA Today 07/15/ /06/2005. Holladay, April. "Script for origins of English Language Comes out of Africa." USA Today 7/8/ /06/2007. Vernon, Jennifer. "Shakespeare's Coined Words Now Common Currency." National Geographic News April 22, /06/2007.