Dr. Fee's Introduction to Early Modern English

English 209: Introduction to Early Modern English

What are the most significant cultural, political, and technological influences on the English language during the Early Modern English period?
· Printing
· The Renaissance
· The Reformation
· Nationalism
· The Enclosures
· Exploration and Colonization
· The Industrial Revolution
· The American Revolution

When did printing come to England, and who brought it?
· 1476
· Caxton

What were the major impacts of printing upon the language?
· Began to freeze spelling (just in time for the GVS!)
· Books became much cheaper; literacy became desirable and attainable for the masses
· As a result of this, the demand for books in English rose, and many loanwords from Latin and Greek came into the language through translations of classical texts
· End of patronage; and author could earn a living from publishing
· Printing center was London; the London dialect becomes dominant

How did the Renaissance impact the language?
· Revival of interest in the Classics led to translations into English, and therefore many loanwords and Classical compositional styles to be emulated

How did the Reformation impact the language?
· Protestants believed that every Christian should read the Bible for him/herself; translations of the Bible into vernacular were very influential: KJV 1611
· Broke the Catholic monopoly on education, and English replaced Latin as the primary language of instruction

How did the rise of nationalism impact the language?
· In England, nationalism was closely allied with Protestantism; the move away from Latin to English reflects that to a certain extent
· Nationhood is traditionally related to literature; as a national literature devlops, the perception of and pride in that language grows concurrently

How did the enclosures impact the language?
· Forced urbanization; meltingpots level dialectical differences
· Urbanization also fosters upward mobility of middle class; these are insecure language users who want rulebooks to instruct them, and help them rise still further; these rulebooks tend to be aurthoritative, and these rules calcify over time

How did the age of exploration and colonization impact the language?
· 1000s of new loanwords from non-IE languages
· Spread of English and eventual international importance

How did the Industrial Revolution impact the language?
· Intensive urbanization: dialects continue to level, continued rise of middle class
· Growth of massive technical vocabulary based upon Latin and Greek roots
· Temporarily decreased literacy levels because of child labor

How did the American Revolution impact the language?
· First (of many to come) new national English

Latin was still an important literary language in England during the EME period; Newton, Milton, and Bacon all wrote volumes in Latin. French was the prestige vernacular. What were three arguments against the development of English as a learned/literary language?
· English insular, isolated, and only spoken on a tiny island
· English constantly changing, and so future generations would find such literature inaccessible
· English lacked the necessary vocabulary to express the complex concepts of the Renaissance

Why might EME be termed “The Age of Linguistic Anxiety”?
· Flood of new ideas and complex intellectual constructions during Renaissance
· English vocabulary was not sufficient to cope with these elegantly and economically
· Debates about “purity” of the language, and when, how much, and from where to borrow

What was significant about the flood of loanwords during the EME period?
· Most were from Latin and NOT another vernacular
· The sheer numbers—much greater than ever before
· For the first time this borrowing was conscious, often by specifc individuals with a deliberate desire to improve the language

What are “inkhorn terms”?
· Pretentious, excessive and unintelligible neologisms
· Ususally from Classical roots, and often unintellible
· Inkhorn=writer
· Pistated for “baked”; homogalact for “foster brother”