Tabla de Contenidos
Modern English is the English language used from the mid-15th century to the present day. In this period, English evolved, reaching a standardized form and becoming a universal language, as we know it today.
About the English language
The English language is a West Germanic language that belongs to the Indo-European language family. This language arose in the territories of present-day England and later spread to other regions. During English expansion into North America, Africa, and Asia, English also spread to the territories that are now part of the United States and Canada, as well as other English colonies around the world.
Currently, English is the most spoken language in the world, with more than 1 billion speakers. It is used as a lingua franca in different world organizations, in academic, scientific and commercial fields, among others.
Brief history of the English language
The history of the English language can be divided into three stages or phases of development: Old English, Middle English and Modern English, which roughly coincide with part of the Ancient Ages (5th century), Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries). ), the Modern Age (15th and 18th centuries) and the Contemporary Age (1789 to the present). In each of these periods, English was influenced by other languages and eventually went through a process of standardization.
the first dialects
In the fifth century there was a great migration from Germany and other northern European countries to the region of Britannia, the current island of Great Britain. The emergence of the English language occurred from a process of unification of the dialects spoken by these tribes: the Angles, the Jutes and the Saxons.
Although all three groups made contributions to the current English language, the greatest influence was from the Angles and Saxons. The Angles spoke the Englisc language, which later gave rise to the word English and would later become the name of the official language of Great Britain. They also called their territory Angle or Anglaland, a term that later gave rise to the name England.
Soon the Anglo-Saxon dialect became the most dominant in the region and morphed into what is known as Old English.
old english
Old English , Old English or Anglo-Saxon arose in the 5th century and was spoken until about the 12th century. It is considered the least poetic of the English languages, but about 5,000 words come from this period. Some of them are the short words of modern English: on / “on”, for / “for”, him / “he” (direct object) and he / “He” (subject). Also, words such as common / “common” derive from this stage; was / “was”, “was”; and rightly / “with reason”. However, Old English had more complex structures and vocabulary, multiple versions of the same pronoun, and silent letters.
Old English continued to evolve with contributions from other languages, such as Latin, Old Norse, and French, and adopted the Latin alphabet. Also, Old English was not standardized, so there were many differences in the English spoken in each part of the region.
middle english
The Middle English period, between the 11th and 15th centuries, was a decisive stage in the language’s evolution, characterized by strong influences from French, phonetic changes, and the beginning of the standardization process.
The Norman conquest of Britain in AD 1066. C. had a great influence on the Middle English lexicon. From that moment, important social, religious and political changes took place and a specific vocabulary arose for the upper or noble class, who spoke Norman French, and another vocabulary for the lower classes, who spoke the Anglo-Saxon dialect of Germanic origin. Because of this, words such as pig / “ pork” of German origin and pork “pork meat” of French origin appeared. Words such as nature / “nature” also derive from this period; table / «table» and hour / «hora». In addition, French and Latin words for government and religious matters were adopted, such as:council / “advice”; govern / “government”; justice / “justice”; and marriage / “marriage”, among others.
In addition, in Middle English the syntax of Old Norse was preserved, especially from dialects such as Danish or Icelandic. From them he incorporated the way of placing the verbs in the sentence. Likewise, in Middle English the letter “e” was silent in some cases.
With the consolidation of the monarchy in Great Britain in the 14th century, mainly during the reign of Henry VI, further unification of dialects occurred, resulting in the London dialect. This dialect, called London Standard , became the standard language and is known as Middle English , or “Middle English”. Because it arose in the middle of the Middle Ages; it is also sometimes referred to as “medieval English”. Over time, other variants of English were considered vulgar and were lost.
One of the most important authors using Middle English was the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. In fact, his work The Canterbury Tales , written in the 14th century, is an example of the different shades of language of that time.
modern english
When the English merchant William Claxton introduced the first printing machine to England in the 15th century, more precisely, in 1476, he brought about a further standardization of London’s written and spoken language, which was further popularized by the rise of movements cultural and philosophical, mainly in the aristocratic and educated sectors of English society.
Between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries there was also a process known as The Great Vowel Shift/ «The great change of vowels». During this period the sound of long vowels in English changed. This caused changes in spelling, reading, and comprehension of texts before and after this transformation.
Modern English or Modern English arose in the 16th century and continues today, as a result of its evolution in the previous stages. The English that was spoken during those historical processes, between the 16th and 18th centuries, is known as early modern English or Early Modern English . This language had its peak during the Renaissance and was the language used in his works by the English playwright William Shakespeare.
From the 19th century until the 20th century, with the English conquests, Late Modern English arose , or late modern English, it received the influences of the conquered territories.
Eventually, the language spread to other parts of the world and became what we know today as Modern English: a language with pronouns, prepositions, and grammatical roots of Germanic and Norse origin, a vocabulary heavily influenced by Latin and French, and great phonetic diversity, especially vowels.
Modern English and the standardization of English
Modern Standard English originated from the government’s need for a standard language to officially communicate with citizens, keep records, perform various bureaucratic procedures, and consolidate the king’s influence.
Later, with the development of printing and publishing, books and other works began to be printed that contributed to the spread and standardization of English. At the same time, the first studies on the use of English arose, thus originating the beginning of English grammar. In the year 1604 the first English dictionary was published and in the year 1660 the Royal Society of London was created , a scientific association dedicated to supporting and disseminating knowledge. In 1664, this association focused on the study of language and the importance of its correct use.
Until the 18th century, the morphology of English was simplified and acquired some forms and syntax that are used today, such as verbs, adjectives and nouns in modern English. The number of prepositions and their use also increased, and phrasal verbs arose, in addition to other changes.
Modern English and traditional grammar
From the 17th century to the first half of the 19th century, no changes were made to English grammar books or their teaching. But from the 19th century, what is now called the traditional method of teaching grammar began to be implemented.
Traditional English grammar , or school grammar, determines what is correct in the English language, without updating or taking cultural changes into account. Due to its rigidity, traditional grammar is currently considered an obsolete and ineffective method, although it is still used in some schools.
English today
The most recent stage of the English language is commonly called Modern English. Due to the great globalization of English, some linguists call it “World English” or “Global English”.
English is also associated with capitalism and technology, because it is the most widely used language in economic, commercial, technological, and scientific fields.
Currently, English is the most widely spoken language in the world and the third language with the most number of native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. In addition, it is one of the languages with the largest number of people who study it, as there are millions of English students around the world.
Sources
- Will. (2014, July 24). Origin and history of the English language . Englishlive.com. Available here .
- OpenEnglish. (2016, March 10). Where does English come from? openenglish.com. Available here .
- TEC Languages. On a journey through history: what is the origin of the English language ? Available here .
