Early Modern English: Key Dates + Events

Question 1

What years did the Early Modern English period span?

Answer 1

1500-1800

Question 2

Words from what languages entered the English language because of the Renaissance?

Answer 2

Latin and Greek

Question 3

When was Caxton’s printing press invented?

Answer 3

1476

Question 4

What was a major impact of the printing press?

Answer 4

the standardization of spellings

Question 5

In short, what was the Great Vowel Shift?

Answer 5

a rapid change that resulted in shorter vowel sounds

Question 6

When did the Great Vowel Shift (roughly) take place?

Answer 6

1300-1700s

Question 7

What is a neologism?

Answer 7

a newly coined word

Question 8

What is affixation?

Answer 8

adding prefixes or suffixes to existing words to create new words.

Question 9

What is compounding?

Answer 9

combining separate words to make one word

Question 10

How were V and U used in Early Modern English?

Answer 10

V was used to begin words and U was used in other positions.

Question 11

What is a loan word?

Answer 11

a word that is directly borrowed from another language

Question 12

What two vowel sounds were often interchangeable in the Early Modern English period?

Answer 12

i and y

Question 13

How did the King James Bible impact so many people’s English?

Answer 13

it was read aloud in churches, so many people would hear it

Question 14

What did the King James Bible contribute to English?

Answer 14

around 18 new phrases and 40 new words