How To Read Early Modern English

Wednesday, December 30, 2020 Add Comment Edit

There s a growing list of commentaries on english in time charting historical lexicography from old english to the modern day. Between 1475 and about 1630 english spelling gradually became regularized.

Magical Transformations On The Early Modern English Stage Ebook

Early modern english or early new english sometimes abbreviated emode emne or eme is the stage of the english language from the beginning of the tudor period to the english interregnum and restoration or from the transition from middle english in the late 15th century to the transition to modern english in the mid to late 17th century.

How to read early modern english. The use of to be the present participle of the verb is rare in the early modern english period and the modern use indicating immediate present action is absent. As well as this introduction to early modern english 1500 1700 you can read an overview of old english by philip durkin of the oed. This period of time saw the effects of the renaissance in art and literature with its strong influence on language growth.

1500 1800 many exciting things happened to the english language from around 1500 until 1800. Beowulf is well known and easy to find so this will be the best text to start with as you attempt to teach yourself old english. Find a copy that includes both the old english text and the modern english translation.

Language changes also resulted from social changes brought about by the great plague. Such uses as are found appear to intensify the action. There are noticeable differences in the look of printed english before the mid seventeenth century but after that date it is largely the same as modern english the major difference being the use of the long s in all positions except finally.

The english of william shakespeare and his contemporaries in the late 16th and early 17th century on the other hand would be accented but quite understandable and it has much more in common with our language today than it does with the language of chaucer. By reading the practical tips and working through the documents in the tutorial in order of difficulty you will find that it becomes much easier to read old handwriting. Let your plough therfore be going and not cease hugh latimer 1549.

Early modern english c. At first glance many documents written at this time look illegible to the modern reader. You may find it helpful to go line by line.

So while modern english speakers can read chaucer s middle english with some difficulty admittedly chaucer s pronunciation would have been almost completely unintelligible to the modern ear.

Shakespeare And The Soliloquy In Early Modern English Drama A D