Early modern English

From ArticleWorld

Early modern English refers to the years between the late 1400’s and 1650 when the English language benefited from a period of stability in England and became more standardized than it had been. Some characteristics of speech at this time were the use of two 2nd person pronouns – ye and thou- and the conjugation of the 3rd person verb with the ending – e(th) instead of the –s common today.

Changing times

There were a number of changes and innovations during this time that influenced the evolution of English as a language. The introduction of printing in 1476 meant that more people had access to more books and so, for those that could read, this in turn meant that vocabulary became richer. Because of the relative stability of the time, coming as it did after a long period of instability, literature was able to prosper, one example of which is the work of William Shakespeare.

The first edition of the King James Bible was written in early modern English as well as the Book of Common Prayer. The publication of these works, added to the fact that church services were beginning to be held in English rather that Latin, were also influential in the standardizing of English as a language. Increased prosperity led to more trade which meant that people were mixing with others from more distant areas and so there was a combining of different dialects.

Further transitions

In the 17th century, early modern English gave way to modern English. It was at this time that social changes were taking place and, as the lower classes began to take their place in society and invade the positions of the upper classes, a corresponding change in forms of pronoun and vocabulary use were noted.

It was also at this time that the settlement of America began and this too had a big influence on the development of the English language.