early modern english Flashcards
why does v often come at the start of words and u in the middle?
due to clarity of printing, technology has changed this.
why do many words have silent Es?
either due to great vowel shift to indicate longer vowel sound or due to leftovers of norman french.
why were there so many variations of spellings in eme?
lack of standardisation.
You’re doing great xx
Keep smashing it !
what is vernacular?
the language spoken day to day.
what happened in the renaissance era?
a rebirth of culture, art, literature, language due to rediscovery of greek/roman work. slight drift from church.
what was the vernacular like in middle english? (1100-1400)
full of variety, only bible and legal docs were written in latin. all texts were handwritten.
what major invention changed language?
the printing press.
what happened as early modern english began to develop?
standardisation began.
latin used less.
standard english began as midlands dialect and became the prestiged dialect.
what do Chaucer’s canterbury tales from 1400 show?
the huge variations of vernacular at the time.
when did the printing press reach london?
1470s.
what happened in the late 1400s causing neologisms in english?
beginning of Tudor reign - international trade, science, culture from other languages.
what and when was the great vowel shift?
1500s
major phonetic shift as long vowel sounds became shorter.
what did henry 8ths act of supremacy lead to?
english translations of religous texts.
what was the great bible?
bible that was widely accessible and so promoted literacy.
why was shakespeare’s work so influential?
they were some of the first early modern english texts using printing press, opportunity to be creative and original. not based on anything else.
what was the first daily newspaper?
Daily courant -1702
who’s dictionary was so influential and why?
Johnson - provided standard meanings and spellings still used today.
what did lowth publish?
prescriptivist grammar rules about standard grammar rules.
what has changed about the word you?
it used to have different word for subject and object.
subject: you/thou
object:ye/thee
(you/ye was formal)
why may there no longer be two words for you?
rise in equality in England and less hierarchy.
What did third person singular verbs often end in?
Eth
Were auxiliary verbs commonly used?
No
What was different about negation?
Double negatives more common
