D’Shane Riviere
English 12 1P
February 20, 2014
The Changing English Language
The Language which we speak today has come a long way. They have been altered for many reasons, from social and political pressures to immigration. We all learn, adapt and try to fit in to our environment and the language that it speaks. Amazingly enough, languages can change for the more noticeable reasons, but one thing for sure the English language has changed immensely over time.
English language has a history different from many others. It began with the arrival of three Germanic tribes who invaded Britain during the fifth century AD. The Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, crossed the North Sea from what is presently Denmark and northern Germany. At that time the people of Britain spoke a Celtic language. Many of the Celtic speakers were pushed west and north by the invaders into what is currently Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The Angles came from "Englaland” and the language which they spoke were called "Englisc" - from which the words "England" and "English" are derived.
English has changed immensely over the period of time. The change is so amazing that the English speakers of the 1300s would not have understood the English of the 500, much less the English that is spoken today. They are changes of every sort which have taken place form the sounds, in their distribution, and in the grammar. Diphthongs in Modern English are ō and ā. Words such as stones and name exemplify the fate of unaccented vowels, which became ə, and then ə disappeared.
The Old English speakers/writers depended upon the difference between unaccented vowels. These vowels coalesced into ə and this disappeared, much of the case system disappeared too. In Moder...
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...tead of adding brand new words, today the English vocabulary is expanded by blending words that have already been used over the time and by back-formation.
Speaking English could be said to be an art form. Talkenglish.com give us the 5 steps as to how to speaking English correctly and fluently. The first step is, Don’t Study Grammar too much. The second step is simple, try to learn and study phrases. The third step is to practice what you read and hear. The fourth is to submerge one’s self. Last but certainly not the least important, study the correct material.
Work Cited
"Changing Voices." Language Change in Spoken English. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
"5 Speaking Rules You Need to Know!" Speaking Rules. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
"History of the English Language." EnglishClub. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
Throughout countless ages the English language has been constructed, comprehended, and perfected in so many different ways. For many years including the present time there are well known linguist and many different sorts of writers who have studied the English language to the absolute core. These linguists as well to writers have researched how different cultures, people with different backgrounds had taken the English language and converted it in their own types of speech, slang, dialect and grammar proving the flexibility of the English language. It is being altered in a vast variety of ways depending on certain circumstances. A specific type of speech that has been studied and still to this day is being argued about is called Ebonics.
Language has been said to effect culture and a person’s way of thinking; in addition to culture effecting language. Throughout the last 100 years there have been apparent and subtle changes in the English language. The changes an English speaking person may see throughout their life time are different catchphrases, the way language is written, the type of formality used, and how deeply English is affected by cultures; as well as how it effects other cultures around the world.
The English language has been in constant transition throughout its history, but the most significant transformation in modern English can be credited to William Shakespeare. With Shakespeare’s invention of commonly used expressions, his creation of new words, and his use of iambic pentameter, he was able to affect the language in a way that no person since has. Shakespeare’s influence on modern English is not only visible in everyday speech, but also in the fact that his work has survived over four hundred years and it continues to be performed and read worldwide.
Nothing ever stays the same for very long. As time passes, people, places, and ideas develop and change in a variety of ways. The english language is spoken and written so differently today that you probably could not speak understand its earliest incarnation. English has evolved and continues to evolved due to a multitude of reasons. The english language has changed and developed over time due to the way the lanuguage is used, the way the language is spread, and the development and advancement of new technology.
Enter the Normans, in 1066 the Norman Duke William (under the belief he had the “right to rule England [England lecture]) invaded and defeated the Anglo-Saxon king. At this time the general population had come to speak Englisc (or some dialect of it), while the Norman invaders spoke a dialect of Old French (which would later come to be called Anglo-Norman) and kept written records in Latin [Kahane 186]. Gradually, there was a shift in the vernacular (from Anglo-Norman to English) as well as a shift in the written language (from Latin to Anglo Norman) [England lecture]. In order to maintain distance and further the effects of bilingualism, various phrases and words were imported from French to Anglo-Norman, as were expressions from Latin (as a sort of revival of the language.)
how the English language has changed in the many years from then until now. The
In Johnson’s preface to A Dictionary of the English Language, Johnson argues the importance of preserving language. Other dialects had a produced their own dictionaries, such as the French and Italians. Various writers of the eighteenth century were alarmed at the fact that there was no standard for the English language, since there was no standard it could easily become extinct. Johnson explored many points, such as how and why languages change as well as how many words are formed.
Bibliography GRADDOL, D., LEITH, D., and SWANN, J., (eds) (1996) English: history, diversity and change, Routledge in association with The Open University (course book) University College of London Phonetics department website (www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/estuary/queen2.htm) entered on 23/3/03
New languages are always overwhelming.English is difficult language to learn, especially if it isn’t practiced often. The english language includes rules that can be frustrating to get a grip of. Many International students face the fear of not being understood or not pronouncing something correct...
The duration of Early Modern English took place during the English Renaissance, and hence the amazing evolutions that occurred within it (Myers 166). After the Renaissance came the Age of Reason, and it is during this time that the language becomes recognizable to today (Smith 9). The most common example of Early Modern English is the fact that Shakespeare wrote in it, and it poses the most similarities to Modern day; the language moved from a synthetic one to a more analytical one, and relied less on inflectional endings and more with word order to convey information (Durkin 1). Early Modern English is the premise for the ever-evolving language that millions speak
The English language arose from the early Anglo Saxon inhabitants in ancient England and spread to Scotland and other European countries via the British Empire and later to the United States through colonial political and economical influences. It later dispersed to other parts of the world through these same influences to become one of the leading languages of the world. It has over the years developed by adopting different dialects to create a language, which is the standard lingual Franca in many countries. The rapid growth of the English language and its adoption by different cultures across the globe is sufficient ground to make it the global language.
The settlement of the British Isles by north Europeans followed by Norman French paints the backdrop to this essay which will focus on the period between the early 15th and 17th centuries, when a 'standard' English evolved. It will show that modern-day English is very different to that first introduced to the British Isles, but by identifying changes through time, its continuity can be demonstrated. Finally, it will suggest that present day English is in a position analogous to that which existed before the Norman invasion, when there were many varieties and dialects, and that this may lead to its decline as a global language, due to decreasing intelligibility.
It has led to the development of new dialects and modification of existing ones. The British Empire has been able to spread the language across the globe and to date it is the most widespread language and most used in foreign transactions. Currently, the population of non- native English speakers is higher than native English speakers. This is a clear indication that English has become an international language.
It is one of the main languages in the world and it is the international language these days. English language is the language that faced many changes that affects in several things. For example, some changes occur in writing system, phonological system and other changes during many centuries. English language is about four stages: Old English, Middle English, Modern English, and Early Modern English. In each era, there is an affection of other tribe’s languages on English language. As an example, Germanic tribes who moved into Britain and have an impact on Old English language are (Angles, Saxons, and Jutes). In the same way, the effects of the tribes lead to have many changes in vowel system, which calls the Great Vowel Shift .In this paper, I will discuss the Great Vowel Shift and the the process of that huge change.
Over the years English inarguably has reached a status of a global language and commonly is characterized as a lingua franca. It has become the language that is spoken by millions of people all over the world; as the mother tongue, as the language used for international communication and as the language learned in the millions of schools.