Early Modern English
(“1476-1776”)
“Modernity”?
common linguistic identity among citizens
·
one
language: English
o decline in status of Latin
and French
§
(no
native speakers of French for a long time)
o rise in status and expansion
in function of English
·
one
dominant variety becomes ‘supraregional’
o not university towns
o London English
Selection
of London
English as supraregional standard
·
political
and commercial prestige
·
because
of immigration, already a mixed dialect
o are, verbal -s from
northern England
o GVS may reflect
accommodation & divergence
GVS
“major change in vowel system of SE English”
·
another
criterion of EModE
How
could London English influence other regions?
·
prestige
of individual speakers
·
influence
of civil service (“Chancery Standard”)
·
printing:
Caxton chose Westminster in 1476
“Modern”?
linguistic development
·
written,
printed, standardized (writing before speech)
o “selection” first stage of
standardization
Printing
(1476!)
·
initially
multiplied variation
o translations
o foreign employees
·
later
standardizing influence
o London-based
o mass-produced
o cheaper
§
doesn’t
change to reflect later sound changes
“Modernity”?
cultural-linguistic developments
·
“adaptable
to the demands of social, intellectual, and technological advancement”
·
contemporary
cultural highlights include
o Reformation: decline in
authority of Catholic church, rise of vernacular in religion and education
o Renaissance: veneration for
classical culture and languages
§
drew
attention to inadequacies of English
§
raised
status of English
·
concomitant
translation of classical culture into European vernaculars
§
epitome:
Bible translated into English from Hebrew and Greek
Elaboration of English so that it can
express new concepts
o took over domains of Latin
and French, e.g.
§
literature,
scholarship, religion, law, science
§
growth
of strong literature in the vernacular
§
don’t
take it for granted that Milton wrote PL in English
o borrowed Latin and French
vocabulary
§
first
English dictionaries were ‘hard word’ dictionaries for the non-classically
educated
·
watershed
ca. 1700
o Newton: Latin before 1700,
English after it
·
even
in vernacular, terms still very classical
o common to many languages
(ISV)
o opaque, intimidating
(“autochthonous”!)
§
need
dictionaries
Codification
and control e.g. in dictionaries and grammars
·
make
standard known, teachable
o standard languages are felt
to be common, most widely understood
·
reduce
variation
o standard languages are felt
to be uniform
o put one variant at top of
hierarchy on grounds of criteria
§
purism
§
politeness
§
custom
… but whose?
·
confirm
its status
o standard languages are felt
to be prestigious
§
associated
with social, political, economic status
§
reinforced
by educational system
·
standard
English || Latin
Sources
of linguistic authority
§
state-sponsored
academies?
§
individual
teachers, man of letters?
o e.g. Samuel Johnson, Noah
Webster
§
universities?
o SJ’s last-minute MA
§
publishers?
o commissioning of Johnson,
Lowth by bookseller Dodsley
o Webster plagued with debt
Another
criterion of EModE: spread of English beyond Britain
·
through
Scotland and Ireland at expense of Celtic languages
·
to
trading stations and colonies (why 1776?)
Lexical
borrowing
into English (sometimes via European languages)
·
motivation:
need
·
medium:
often oral
Development
of new varieties of English
§
reflect
state of British English at the time of separation
o first diaspora (e.g.
Canada):
§
rhotic
§
/æ/
in words like class
o second diaspora (e.g. New
Zealand):
§
non-rhotic
§
/ɑ/ in words like class
Early
Modern English
Transformation of vowel system of SE
English
Rise
in status
and standardization of English
-replaces
French and Latin in domains like religion and law
Selection of a single statusful
variety of English: London English
-reflects
political, commercial prestige of capital
Elaboration of its vocabulary
-from
Latin and Greek
-from
colonial languages
Standardization of its vocabulary and
grammar
-texts:
dictionaries and grammars
-teaching
Spread
of English
-through
Britain
-into
trading posts and colonies