Language

Old English ( AD) did not sound or look like English today half of the most commonly used words in Modern English have Old English roots Fæder ure þuþe eart on heofonum si þin nama gehalgod tobecume þin rice gewurþe þin willa on eorðan swa swa on heofonum urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us to dæg and forgyf us ure gyltas swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge ac alys us of yfele soþlice.

Middle English ( ) linguistic class division (lower classes spoke English & upper classes spoke French) 14th century English became dominant in Britain again, but with many French words added language of the great poet Chaucer (Lyf prounced“leef”) Oure fadir þat art in heuenes halwid be þi name; þi reume or kyngdom come to be. Be þi wille don in herþe as it is dounin heuene. yeue to us today oure eche dayes bred. And foryeue to us oure dettis þat is oure synnys as we foryeuen to oure dettouris þat is to men þat han synned in us. And lede us not into temptacion but delyuere us from euyl.

Early Modern English ( ) change in pronunciation, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter (Lyf = life) invention of printing – books became cheaper, more people learned to read – standardization to English, spelling and grammar became fixed – 1604, first English dictionary was published Our father which art in heauen, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen. Giue us this day our daily bread. And forgiue us our debts as we forgiue our debters. And lead us not into temptation, but deliuer us from euill. Amen.

Late Modern English (1800 – Present) The main difference between Early Modern English and Late Modern English is vocabulary. more words: Industrial Revolution and technology created a need for new words The British Empire at its height covered one quarter of the earth's surface, and the English language adopted foreign words from many countries.

Which language did Shakespeare use? Hint: Think of the time frame.

Shakespeare’s Influence on Language more than any other individual vocabulary around 30,000 words (average around 10,000) invented new words and phrases (fair play, foul play, into thin air, It was Greek to me, One fell swoop, rhyme and reason, method to madness, Too much of a good thing…) used old words in new ways used verbs as nouns and nouns as verbs (“Lord Angelo dukes it well in his absence” Measure for Measure ) poetic language of the educated English society AND master of plain speech of the common person Enjoyed playing word games (puns)

ALLUSIONS Shakespeare continues to influence our language and our world. The more you watch for allusions to Shakespeare and his work, the more you will find them – in songs, newspapers, books, films, and television shows and, of course, onstage.

English Language 3/3, ¾