When did Modern English begin and end?
Modern English began in the late 14th century and continued until the 17th century. This period of transformation involved changes to vowel sounds that altered how words rhymed compared to earlier centuries.
Questions about Modern English
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who wrote texts that reflected Early Modern English pronunciations by the early 1600s?
William Shakespeare wrote texts by the early 1600s that reflected these new pronunciations. The King James Bible of 1611 also captured the language after the shift was largely complete.
Why did newly created nations choose to use Modern English as their official language?
Newly created nations chose to continue using Modern English as their official language to avoid political difficulties inherent in promoting one indigenous language above another. This decision occurred during the post-colonial period when the British Empire had facilitated the spread of the language through its colonies.
What specific sound changes distinguish Modern English from earlier forms?
Initial cluster reductions turned gn and kn sounds into simple n sounds while the foot-strut split ensured cut and put no longer rhyme with pudding or budding. Non-rhotic accents developed in England, Australasia, and South Africa by dropping r sounds and Yod-dropping elided j sounds from clusters found in chute, rude, blue, chews, and Zeus.
How many speakers use English today and where do most native speakers live?
Today almost one billion speakers use English as a first or second language. Most native speakers live in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland.