Early Modern English
Early Modern English refers to the stage of the
English language used from about the end of the
Middle English period (the later half of the 1400s) to
1650. Thus, the first edition of the
King James Bible and the works of
William Shakespeare both belong to the late phase of Early Modern English, although the King James Bible intentionally keeps some
archaisms that were not common even when it was published. Current readers of English are generally able to understand Early Modern English, though occasionally with difficulties arising from grammar changes, changes in the meanings of some words, and
spelling differences. The standardization of English spelling falls within the Early Modern English period, and is influenced by conventions predating the
Great Vowel Shift, explaining the archaic non-phonetic spelling of contemporary
Modern English.
Early Modern English, as with most
European languages, had
T-V distinction. That is, there were two versions of the second person pronoun: "ye" (plural and formal singular, superseded by the accusative "you") and "
thou" (accusative or
casus generalis "thee", from
Proto-Indo-European "*te"), (informal singular). The "thou" form remained customary in solemn occasions, especially for addressing God, as well as in situations addressing an inferior. "Thine" is the Early Modern English form of "your" with "thy" being used before words starting with consonants. "Mine" was often used in place of "my" where Modern English would use "my" (cf. "mine eyes").
Verb conjugations in the "thou" form (second person informal singular) end in -(e)st (e.g. "thou takest"). In Early Modern English, third person singular conjugations end in -(e)th instead of -s (e.g. "he taketh"). Both the second person informal singular and third person singular lost their endings in the
subjunctive, which utilizes the bare stem of the verb.
The change from
Middle English to Early Modern English was not just a matter of vocabulary or pronunciation changing — it was the beginning of a new era in the history of English.
The introduction of printing meant that more books were produced, and more people would have had access to books. People who already read books would have read a greater number of
different books, and the average literate person's vocabulary would have been enlarged. Greater political stability and prosperity led to a flowering of lasting literature, which would have helped to stabilise the language and broaden its vocabulary. Greater prosperity would also have led to more trade, with people from different parts of England coming into contact with each other. English was used in church services, making the general population more familiar with a standard version of the language, rather than the liturgy being in
Latin, which was totally incomprehensible to most people. The great differences between the Middle English dialects would have started to be ironed out to some extent.
An era of linguistic change in a language with large variations in dialect was replaced by a new era of a more standardised language with a richer lexicon and an established (and lasting) literature.
Shakespeare's plays are familiar and comprehensible today, 400 years after they were written, but the works of
Geoffrey Chaucer and
William Langland, written only 200 years earlier, are considerably more difficult for the average reader.
*1476 —
William Caxton starts printing in Westminster, but the language he uses reflects the variety of styles and dialects used by the authors whose work he prints.
*1485 — Tudor dynasty established — start of period of (relative) political and social stability.
*1491 or 1492 —
Richard Pynson starts printing in London — his style tends to prefer
Chancery Standard, the form of English used by government.
*c1509 — Pynson becomes the king's official printer.
*From 1525 — Publication of
William Tyndale's Bible translation (which was initially banned).
*1539 — Publication of the
Great Bible, the first officially authorised Bible in English, edited by
Myles Coverdale, largely from the work of Tyndale. This Bible is read to congregations regularly in churches, familiarising much of the population of England with a standard form of the language.
*1549 — Publication of the first
Book of Common Prayer in English, under the supervision of
Thomas Cranmer. This book standardises much of the wording of church services.
*1557 — Publication of
Tottel's Miscellany.
*c1590 to c1612 —
Shakespeare's plays written — they are still widely read and familiar in the
21st century.
*1611 — The
King James Bible is published, largely based on Tyndale's translation. It remains the standard Bible in the
Church of England for many years.
*c1640–1660 — Period of social upheaval in England (the
English Civil War and the era of
Oliver Cromwell).
*1662 — New edition of the Book of Common Prayer, largely based on the 1549 and subsequent editions. This also long remains a standard work in English.
*1667 — Publication of
Paradise Lost by
John Milton.
The 17th century was a time of political and social upheaval in England, particularly the period from about 1640 to 1660. Certain forms of pronunciation or vocabulary may have lost or gained prestige, as parts of the upper echelons of society were replaced by people from lower classes. The increase in trade around the world meant that the English port towns (and their forms of speech) would have gained in influence over the old county towns. England experienced a new period of internal peace and relative stability, encouraging the arts including literature, from around the 1690s onwards. Another important episode in the development of the English language started around 1600 — the British settlement of
America.
*
Early Modern Britain*
History of the English language*
Middle English*
Modern English
