MODERN ENGLISH

1. Define and explain, The Great Vowel Shift.

The Great Vowel Shift was a major change in the pronunciation of the English language that took place in the south of England between 1200 and 1600. The Great Vowel Shift was first studied by Otto Jespersen (1860–1943), a Danish linguist and Anglicist, who coined the term.

The values of the long vowels form the main difference between the pronunciation of Middle English and Modern English, and the Great Vowel Shift is one of the historical events marking the separation of Middle and Modern English. Originally, these vowels had "continental" values much like those remaining in Italian and liturgical Latin. However, 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.
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 and Noah Webster.

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

53 countries in the world have given Modern English official status


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

Over 508 million speakers.

I. First language?
309 – 380 million.
II. Second Language?
199 – 600 million.

6. When was Early Modern English spoken?

It was spoken since the Great Vowel Shift, completed in roughly 1550.

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?

I think that’s obvious. The increase of literacy and more people had access to books, because it’s important as nowadays as in the past that people can read and can learn through the literature.

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?

Nicholas Rowe
John Aubrey
Alexander Hoghton

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?

He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon.

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

Global.


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,...

Sincerely, I don't know. I’m not good at to analyze this kind of things.

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?

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.
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.