Introduction:
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.
The meaning of Great Vowel Shift:
The Great Vowel Shift happened in Modern English between 1500- 1800 which make some changes from Middle English to Modern English. Otto Jespersen is a Danish linguist and he is the discoverer of The Great Vowel Shift. He is the first person who studied the Vowel system and Great Vowel Shift. Furthermore, that period called The Great Vowel Shift because of the huge shift that occurred in vowel system at that time. Additionally, the changes appear in pronunciation during 15th -18th century. Moreover, The Great Vowel Shift is a huge change in the sound system and affects the long vowel of English in 15th to 18th centuries. The meaning of the Great Vowel Shift is "racial change in pronunciation during 15th century as a result of which long vowel sound began to be made higher and further forward in the mouth short round sound were largely unchanged".(The...
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...fi:f) five Ĩ
(mi:d) (med:ₔ)meed Ē
(go:t) (gᵓ:to) goat Ā
(ru:t) (ro:to) root Ō
(daun) (du:n)down Ū
According to the table above, there is an obvious difference between Chaucer and Shakespeare at their way of writing .Moreover, the differences in the way of producing, all of that is as a result of the Great Vowel Shift that occur at 16th century.
Conclusion:
To summarize, The Great Vowel is one of the huge shifts that happened in English language. The Great Vowel Shift change the way of producing the words from Middle English into Modern English .In addition, The Great Vowel Shift makes an effect on the linguistics and English literature. For example, the differences between Chaucer and Shakespeare in their writing anf=d producing the words. Finally, I think, The Great Vowel Shift makes the English language modern after the affection that the language faced .
This paper explores - with illustrative demonstrations - four queries concerning different aspects of phonemic restoration:
One of the many permutations that language has made is into what is collectively known as English. This particular tongue was brought to the British Isles in the Sixth Century CE by Northern Europeans or “Germanic” people. (Kemmer) It followed English colonists around the world, including areas in North America, which will be the subject of this essay.
One example of this is in Falstaff’s use of prose instead of rhyming iambic pentameter. When Falstaff speaks it resembles the way a commoner would speak, he uses small words in short sentences without the formal poetic style of King Henry. In his honor speech Falstaff conveys his message in choppy, conversational style, with no word longer than four syllables (“catechism”), and no sentence longer than eight words (“Yea, but how if honour prick me off when I come on?”) (Shakespeare 101). When King Henry speaks it is in iambic pentameter, he uses larger words, and more lofty subject matter. This divergence in speech style helps intensify the rhetorical divide between these two men, and remind the reader of their juxtapositional traits in the play.
...somewhat to fit the modern English language. William Shakespeare was truly a legendary author that helped expand the English language we speak today. His remarkable work will help teach and influence English for many years to come.
Bunyan, John, and L. Edward. Hazelbaker. The Pilgrim's Progress in Modern English. Alachua, Florida: Bridge-Logos, 1998. Print.
Shakespeare has perhaps contributed the most to the English language of any writer known to man – literally. Over 1000 words and phrases that he coined as part of his plays and prose are now in common use across the globe. He changed nouns into verbs, verbs into adjectives, added on previously unheard-of prefixes and suffixes and in some cases made words out of nothing. Even culturally sensitive words such as ‘ode’ (The ANZACS) and scientific jargon (‘epileptic’) are in fact products of Shakespeare. Bernard Levin probably summed this up best when he wrote: “If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "It's Greek to me", you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if your wish is father to the thought, if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle… had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, … - why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare;…” (Bernard Levin. From The Story of English. Robert McCrum, William Cran and Robert MacNeil. Viking: 1986).
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.
how the English language has changed in the many years from then until now. The
...s, 1882-1942. v.: ill.; 28 cm. Semiannual. Issue no. 33, 32, 1989. Vol. 1, no. 1, 1973; no.2, 1974. California State College, Sonoma, Dept. of English.
Baugh, A.C., & Cable, T. (2001). A history of the English language (5th ed.). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Geoffey Chaucer lived from 1343-1400, and during that time wrote multiple works (Smith 7). Chaucer’s language soon became the new standard for writing, for which it differed from Modern English by the pronunciation of long vowels (Weiner 1). “For example, Middle English’s “long e” in Chaucer’s “sheep” had the value of the Latin “e”, which sounded like the Modern English’s “Shape”” (Weiner 1). And while his writing poses multiple similarities to the English spoken today, it still provides enough difference to see the change with the years in between. Without his work, many linguists would not have a clear understanding of how the linguistics shifts within Middle English itself
Word order also changes, though this process is much slower. Old English word order was much more 'free' than that of Modern English.
Shift is defined as the movement of one linguistic unit from its position to another position. An example of shift is when a speaker says, “in case she decide to hits it” while he intended to say “decides to hit it.” In the previous example, the suffix “s” disappears from its place and it is added...
It is interesting to see the way that the English languge has grown and changed.
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.