Assignment #4/Early Modern English & Modern English-Mauricio Nilo

go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Modern_English

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_English

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Vowel_Shift

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakepeare

answer: the following questions on your

due: Sunday October 19, 2008

1. Define and explain, The Great Vowel Shift.

- The Great Vowel Shift was a major change in the pronunciation of the English Language. It was between 1200 and 1600.

During the Great Vowel Shift, the two highest long vowels became diphthongs, and the other five underwent an increase in tongue height with one of them coming to the front.

2. Name 5 dialects of Modern English.

- American English
- British English
- Caribbean English
- South African English
- Indo-Pakistani 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?

- the two people were, Samuel Johnson (English) and Noah Webster (American).

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

- 53 countries have given modern English official status.

5. The most recent statistics show that approximately how many people speak Modern English as a:

I. First language?

- 380 million.

II. Second Language?

- 600 million.

6. When was Early Modern English spoken?

- It was spoken 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?

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.

- It use in such diverse applications as controlling airplanes, developing software, conducting international diplomacy and 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 Theory.

It wrote the plays and poems attributed toWilliam 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?

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,...

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 and John Heminges.