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MODERN ENGLISH
Modern English is usually defined as the English used after the Great Vowel Shift, which
took place roughly between the late 15th century and the 18th century. The emergence of
Modern English coincided with the invention of the printing press, which enabled the mass
production of books and newspapers and required a standardized language (i.e., an
agreed set of spelling, grammar, etc.), and with the spread and adoption of English
around the world due to British colonization. Today there are thousands of dialects of
modern English spoken around the world, such as American English, British English,
Australian English, Indian English and others.
The birth of modern English began in the late 15th century (i.e. late 14th century). We
know it seems like a long time ago, but believe it or not, English hasn't changed that much
since the late 16th century. In fact, modern English is as old as Shakespeare, and many of
his plays and poems were written in what we now call "early modern English," which is
why we can still read them today without too much of a headache!
Modern English is usually divided into two sections: early modern English (1500-1700)
and late modern or contemporary English (1700-present).
English as we know it today evolved from early modern English. We usually consider "late"
or "contemporary" English usage from the 19th century onward. The main change from
early to late English was vocabulary, as spelling, pronunciation and grammar remained
largely the same.
Differences in vocabulary included the introduction of more Latin and Greek words and
Shakespearean words, such as majestic, obscene, fun, suspicious and many more.
Syntactic features of modern English
Modern English has several syntactic features that distinguish it from other languages.
Some of these features are:
1. Word order: Modern English primarily follows a subject-verb-object (SVO) word order.
For example, in the sentence "She eats an apple", the subject "She" is followed by the
verb "eats" and then the object "an apple". However, other word orders can also be
found in cases such as questions or imperative sentences.
2. Use of auxiliaries: Modern English uses a variety of auxiliary verbs to form tenses,
questions and negations. Some examples of common auxiliaries are "be", "have" and
"do". For example, in the affirmative sentence "She is studying," the auxiliary verb "is"
is used to form the present continuous tense.
3. Use of prepositions: Modern English uses a wide range of prepositions to indicate
spatial, temporal, and other relationships. Some common prepositions include "in",
"on", "at", "from" and "to". For example, in the sentence "I live in New York," the
preposition "in" indicates location.
4. Use of pronouns: Modern English uses pronouns to replace nouns and avoid
repetition. Some common pronouns are "he", "she", "it", "they" and "we". For example,
in the sentence "John is my friend. He is very kind", the pronoun "he" is used to refer to
John and avoid repeating his name.
Phonology
Modern English underwent consonant cluster reduction, meaning that clusters
of two or more consonant sounds were reduced to singular sounds. This resulted
in many "silent" letters, e.g., knight, gnat.
The occurrence of rhotic and non-rhotic accents. The American accent is
considered typically rhotic (i.e. it pronounces the /r/ sound), while the British
accent is considered non-rhotic (it does not pronounce the /r/ sound).
Various changes in vowel sounds, which resulted in the approximately 20 distinct
vowel sounds used in English today.
Morphology
Reduction of the use of the article "the".
I switch from the use of "whom" to "who".
Simplified inflection, e.g., adding "s" or "es" to plural nouns pluralsed" to past
tense verbs and "ing" to progressive verbs.
The introduction of more compound nouns, e.g., sunflower, landmark, airplane,
etc., is a good example.
An increase in phrasal verbs, e.g., pick up, put down, put out.
Syntax
The use of auxiliary (helping) verbs in interrogatives (questions) becomes
mandatory, e.g., Are you happy?
Increases the use of " s" to indicate possession, e.g. Hannah's laptop.
Increased standardization in the use of the "subject-verb-object" structure.
Increased use of modal verbs to show modality, e.g., could, may, might, might,
etc.
Sentences classified as simple, compound, complex and compound-complex.
Adjectives always precede a noun, e.g., A black cat.
Vocabulary
Modern English contains vocabulary from three main origins, approximately one-fourth
Germanic (e.g., Old English, Dutch, and German), and two-thirds Romance (e.g., Latin,
French, and Italian) and Greek. It also contains a significant and growing number of
borrowings from languages around the world. Let's look at some examples from each
category;
Germanic Words -Abseil, Bagel, Angst, Waltz, Noodle
Palabrasromances - Ambiguous, Ambiguous, Plausible, Flux, Sport
Keywords -Galaxy, Democracy, Acrobat, Dinosaur, Dinosaur
Loanwords - Karaoke (Japanese), Ketchup (Malay), Caravan (Arabic), Bungalow
(Hindi)
Spelling
Orthography refers to the alphabet and spelling system of a language. Modern English is
based on the Latin alphabet, which originally had 20 letters (the current English alphabet
minus J, K, V, W, Y and Z). The Romans then added K, Y and Z to help them transcribe
Greek words, and the English later added W, J and V, resulting in the 26-letter alphabet we
use today.
The spelling of modern English words has remained virtually unchanged since the late
15th century; however, the pronunciation differs greatly.
Speech Acts in Modern English
Titles
Titles are forms of address that indicate respect or status. In modern English, their use
is common in formal and professional contexts.
Examples:
-Mr. / Mrs. / Miss / Ms. / Ms..:
-Mr. Smith (Mr. Smith)
-Mrs. Johnson (Mrs. Johnson)
-Miss Taylor (Miss Taylor)
-Ms. Brown (Mrs. Brown, no marital status specified)
-Dr. / Prof.
-Dr. Wilson (Dr. Wilson)
-Prof. Green (Professor Green)
-Titles in Professional Settings:
-CEO Johnson
-Manager Smith
2. Polite Phrases
Polite phrases are expressions that soften interactions and show respect or
consideration for others.
Examples:
-Greetings and Introductions: -Hello, how are you? Nice to meet you! (Nice to meet
you!)
-Ask for Favor: -Could you please help me? -Would you mind closing the door
?
-Acknowledgments: -Thank you very much!
-I really appreciate your help.
3. Manners and Euphemisms
Modals and euphemisms are linguistic tools that allow you to express desires,
possibilities or make requests in a softer way.
Examples of Modals:
-Can / Could:-Can you pass me the salt? -Could you open the window? -May / Might.
May I leave early today? -It might rain later. Examples of Euphemisms:
-Describing Difficult Situations:
-He passed away instead of He died. -She is between jobs instead of She is
unemployed.
-Making Requests:
-I would appreciate it if you could.... (
I would appreciate
it if you could... -It would be great if you could... (It would be great if you could...)
