Sample Notes: The Chronology And Essential Features of The Development of The English Language From Early Modern English to Contemporary English

A2 Level English Language

Topic: Development of the English Language (Early Modern English to Contemporary English)

Chronology and Periodisation of English Language Development

1. Early Modern English (c. 1500–1700)

• Historical context:
  • Marked by the Renaissance, printing press invention (1476, William Caxton), and Great Vowel Shift.
• Graphology/Orthography:
  • Inconsistent spelling due to lack of standardisation.
  • Long ‘s’ (ſ) used in writing; variable spelling even within the same text.
• Phonology:
  • Great Vowel Shift altered pronunciation: long vowels became higher and closer (e.g., /e:/ → /i:/).
• Morphology/Syntax:
  • Decline of inflectional endings (e.g., loss of “-eth” in verbs).
  • Word order begins to fix: SVO structure starts to dominate.
• Lexis:
  • Inflow of Latin, Greek, and Romance vocabulary due to Renaissance learning.
• Semantics:
  • Expansion of meanings due to trade, exploration, and intellectual growth.
• Pragmatics:
  • Politeness often reflected in elaborate rhetorical styles and indirect requests.

2. Late Modern English (c. 1700–1900)

• Historical context:
  • Rise of prescriptivism, Industrial Revolution, and the British Empire.
• Orthography:
  • Standardisation through dictionaries (Samuel Johnson’s in 1755).
  • Spelling reforms introduced but inconsistently adopted (e.g., -our to -or).
• Phonology:
  • Emergence of Received Pronunciation (RP) as a prestige accent.
• Morphology/Syntax:
  • More rigid grammar structures due to prescriptive rules.
  • Auxiliary verbs and modal forms more widely used (e.g., must, shall).
• Lexis:
  • Massive vocabulary growth from colonial contact (e.g., bungalow, shampoo, khaki).
• Semantics:
  • Polysemy and euphemism increase; technical terms for science and medicine emerge.
• Pragmatics:
  • Formality in written discourse; hierarchy reinforced through language use.

3. Contemporary English (1900–Present)

• Historical context:
  • Globalisation, technological advancement, internet, and mass media.
• Orthography/Graphology:
  • Increase in non-standard forms (text-speak, emojis, initialisms: e.g., LOL, BTW).
  • Visual multimodality becomes key (e.g., layout, image-text relationship).
• Phonology:
  • Rise of regional accents and World Englishes (e.g., Singlish, Hinglish).
  • RP declines as the global prestige accent; Estuary English rises.
• Morphology/Syntax:
  • Shorter sentence structures dominate online communication.
  • More syntactic innovation: fronting, ellipsis, minor sentences.
• Lexis:
  • Lexical borrowing and neologisms increase due to tech and pop culture (e.g., google as a verb).
• Semantics:
  • Widening of word meanings; semantic bleaching in frequent usage (e.g., literally).
  • Taboo language more prevalent in some media.
• Pragmatics:
  • Greater interactivity in digital spaces.
  • Use of discourse markers (like, you know) and face-saving strategies in online dialogue.

Key Concepts in Language Change

1. Standardisation

• Described by Haugen’s model: selection, codification, elaboration, implementation.
• Aimed at reducing variation and creating a ‘correct’ version of the language.

2. Prescriptivism vs Descriptivism

• Prescriptivists: advocate rules; resist change (e.g., dislike split infinitives).
• Descriptivists: observe and record change without judging it.

3. Causes of Change

• Internal: sound shifts, grammatical simplification.
• External: migration, invasion, colonisation, technology, media, youth culture.

Linguistic Features Summary