Modern English

Modern English

1. Define and explain, The Great Vowel Shift

The Great Vowel Shift was a massive sound change affecting the long vowels of English during the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries. Basically, the long vowels shifted upwards; that is, a vowel that used to be pronounced in one place in the mouth would be pronounced in a different place, higher up in the mouth. The Great Vowel Shift has had long-term implications for, among other things, orthography, the teaching of reading, and the understanding of any English-language text written before or during the Shift

2. Name 5 dialects of Modern English

American english, Australian english,British english,Canadian english,Caribbean english...

3. One of the problems with Early Modern English was a lack of uniformity in spelling. Which 2 people (1-English, 1-American) helped establish standardized spelling?

Samuel Johnson (England)
Nora webster (American)

4. How many countries in the world have given Modern English official status?

53 countries

5. The most recent statistics show that approximately how many people speak Modern English as a:
I. First language? II. Second Language?

First language 380 mill

second language 600 mill

6. When was Early Modern English spoken?

used from about the end of the Middle English period (the latter half of the 15th century) to 1650

7. How are the use of Pronouns different between Early Modern & Modern English?

In Early Modern English, there were two second-person personal pronouns: thou, the informal singular pronoun, and ye, which was both the plural pronoun and the formal singular pronoun (like modern French tu and vous or the German du and Sie). (Thou was already falling out of use in the Early Modern English period, but remained customary for addressing God and certain other solemn occasions, and sometimes for addressing inferiors.) Like other personal pronouns, thou and ye had different forms depending on their grammatical case; specifically, the objective form of thou was thee, its possessive forms were thy and thine, and its reflexive or emphatic form was thyself, while ye's objective form was you, its possessive forms were your and yours, and its reflexive or emphatic forms were yourself and yourselves

8. Which language families does Modern English belong in?

Indo-European
Germanic
West Germanic
Anglo–Frisian
Anglic

9. Name 4 worldwide uses for Modern English.

controlling airplanes
developing software
conducting international diplomacy
business relations

10. In your opinion, what was the greatest influence on the spread of Modern English around the world? Why?

The greatest influence of the Moder English is that te most of the people can use it; they can read and write in English; and the most important they understand. This is important becouse allows the communication around the world

11. There has been a lot of controversy over the true authorship of Shakespeare's writings. Which 3 people are also candidates as the possible authors of Shakespeare's plays?

Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, and Edward de Vere

12. Briefly explain The Oxfordian Theory.

It wrote the plays and poems attributed to William Shakespeare of Srratford-upon-Avon

13. Shakespeare wrote 38 plays, which according to the Folio Classification, fall into 3 categories. Name the 3 categories.

Comedies
Histories
Tragedies

14. In which town was Shakespeare born?

Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon- Avon

15. Which famous London theatre (built by actors, for actors) is connected with Shakespeare's plays?

The Globe Theatre

16. Even though Richard III is the most performed play, Hamlet is Shakespeare's most famous play. In you opinion, what does this portion of Hamlet's famous soliloquy mean:

To be or not to be, that is the question;
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to — 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub,...

I love this philosophical thoughts, This es the most beautiful I've seen... I don't know, I like it.

17. Name 5 post-Shakespearean artists whose work was heavily influenced by the writings of William Shakespeare.

Shakespeare influenced novelists such as Thomas Hardy, William Faulkner, Charles Dickens; the American novelist Herman Melville, the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud

18. Which of Shakespeare's plays are included in The Wars of the Roses series?

Henry VI part 1

19. Shakespeare wrote most of his works in blank verse composed in iambic pentameter. What is blank verse & iambic pentameter?

a) Blank verse: is a type of poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no rhyme. In English, the meter most commonly used with blank verse has been iambic pentamer.
b) Iambic pentameter: is a type of meter that is used in poetry and drama. It describes a particular rhythm that the words establish in each line. That rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables; these small groups of syllables are called "feet". The word "iambic" describes the type of foot that is used. The word 'pentameter' indicates that a line has five of these 'feet'

20. Name 4 actors from Shakepeare's original company.

Richard Burbage
William Kempe
Henry Condell
John Heminges