Origin, history and characteristics of English

Middle English (1100-1500)

In 1066, the Duke William the Conqueror, not only invaded but also conquered England. The new rules brought with them some French language. It became the Royal Court's language. The language was also used in business classes.

In the 14th century, English yet again became dominant in Britain. It was the language that the great poet Chaucer used. Today, native English speakers would still have a challenging time understanding this kind of English.

Modern English (1500-1800)

Towards the tail end of Middle English, a distinct and sudden change in pronunciation began. At the time, vowels were being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century, the British have contact with countless folks from all over the world.

This coupled with the Renaissance of Classical learning only meant that various new phrases and words entered the language. What's more is that the invention of printing also meant that now there was a common language in print.

As books became cheaper, more and more people could now afford them, which meant that more folks were reading. Additionally, printing resulted in standardization to English. Grammar and spelling became fixed. The London dialect was most of the publishing houses were became the standard.

The premier English dictionary was published in 1604.

Late Modern English

This kind of English is the one being practiced today. It started in 1800. The significant difference between Late Modern English and Early Modern English is vocabulary.

The former features many more words that arise from two main factors;

Technology and the Industrial Revolution created a need for brand new words.At its height, the British Empire covered almost a quarter of the world's surface which meant that the English language adopted foreign words from a host of countries.

Characteristics of Modern English

Phonology

British RP (Received Pronunciation) conventionally defined as standard speech utilized in southeastern England and London stands out as one of the many accents or forms of standard speech across the entire English-speaking world.

Although not standard, other pronunciations are usually heard in public. Quite a small percentage of England's population is approximated to utilize ''pure'' Received Pronunciation. However, the actual percentage is unknown.

It's considered a prestigious accent is institutions such as the BBC and the civil service. As such, it boasts fraught associations with privilege and wealth in Britain.

Morphology (Inflection)

Contemporary English nouns, verbs, adjectives, and pronouns are inflected. Interjections, conjunctions, prepositions, and adverbs are interjected. A good number of English nouns feature plural inflection in (-e)s. Nonetheless, it's important to note the particular form shows variations in pronunciation in words such as horses, dogs, and cats.

Affixation

Affixes are word elements, which are attached to words. They might either precede or follow as prefixes and suffixes respectively. They may be Latin, Greek, or native. Modern technologists hugely favor neo-Hellenic prefixes.

Blends, Back-Formations and Other Kinds of Word-Formation

Blends and back-formations are widespread. Of great importance to note is that back-formation is simply the reverse of affixation. It's the analogical creation of new words from existing words that are falsely assumed to be the derivative. For instance, the verb ''to edit'' originates from the noun ''editor'' precisely on reverse analogy.

Blends normally fall into two main groups. They are:

Telescoped forms and Coalescences Simple shortenings like ad which instead of advertisement are today commonly used. These words are listed in many dictionaries side by side together with their full forms. Amongst such abbreviations are a vet, veg, sub, tech, spec, op, lib, lab, gym, and exam.

There is no doubt that English boasts such a rich history. Many students face difficulties explaining the history of this fantastic subject either in their exams or homework. Are you one of them? If yes, there are countless resources tailored to offer help with English homework.