The Early Modern English
Introduction
In this essay, I will be focusing on the Early Modern English. I chose this topic because I am
interested in William Shakespeare and Renaissance era. I will talk about Shakespeare, English
Renaissance, Loanwords from other languages, and Word Formation.
The Early Modern English
Early Modern English or Early New English is the stage of the English language from the
beginning of the Tudor period to the English Interregnum and Restoration, or from the
transition from Middle English, in the late 15th century, to the transition to Modern English,
in the mid-to-late 17th century.1
The English Renaissance
The next wave of innovation in English vocabulary came with the revival of classical
scholarship known as the Renaissance and is often referred to as the “Elizabethan Era” or the
“Age of Shakespeare” after the most important monarch and most famous writer of the
period. The additions to English vocabulary during this period were deliberate borrowings,
and not the result of any invasion or influx of new nationalities or any top-down decrees.2
Latin was still especially thought as the language of education and scholarship at this time,
and the incredible energy for the classical language throughout the English Renaissance
brought a huge number of new words into the language, cresting around 1600. Many classical
works were translated into English during the sixteenth century, and numerous new terms
were presented where an agreeable English identical did not exist.
1
Nevalainen, Terttu (2006). An Introduction to Early Modern English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press
2
The History of English - Early Modern English (c. 1500 - c. 1800),
www.thehistoryofenglish.com/history_early_modern.html.
, Words from Latin or Greek (often via Latin) were imported wholesale during this period,
either intact (e.g. genius, species, militia, radius, specimen, criterion, squalor, apparatus,
focus, tedium, lens, antenna, paralysis, nausea, etc) or, more commonly, slightly altered (e.g.
horrid, pathetic, iilicit, pungent, frugal, anonymous, dislocate, explain, excavate, meditate,
adapt, enthusiasm, absurdity, area, complex, concept, invention, technique, temperature,
capsule, premium, system, expensive, notorious, gradual, habitual, insane, ultimate, agile,
fictitious, physician, anatomy, skeleton, orbit, atmosphere, catastrophe, parasite, manuscript,
lexicon, comedy, tragedy, anthology, fact, biography, mythology, sarcasm, paradox, chaos,
crisis, climax, etc). A whole category of words ending with the Greek-based suffixes “-ize”
and “-ism” were also introduced around this time.2
Some words initially branded as inkhorn terms have stayed in the language and now remain
in common use (e.g. dismiss, disagree, celebrate, encyclopaedia, commit, industrial,
affability, dexterity, superiority, external, exaggerate, extol, necessitate, expectation,
mundane, capacity and ingenious).2
An indication of the arbitrariness of this process is that impede survived while its opposite,
expede, did not; commit and transmit were allowed to continue, while demit was not; and
disabuse and disagree survived, while disaccustom and disacquaint, which were coined
around the same time, did not.2
It is also sobering to realize that some of the greatest writers in the language have suffered
from the same vagaries of fashion and fate. Not all of Shakespeare’s many creations have
stood the test of time, including barky, brisky, conflux, exsufflicate, ungenitured, unhair,
questrist, cadent, perisive, abruption, appertainments, implausive, vastidity and tortive.
Likewise, Ben Jonson’s ventositous and obstufact died a premature death, and John Milton’s
impressive inquisiturient has likewise not lasted.2
The 17th Century penchant for classical language also influenced the spelling of words like
debt and doubt, which had a silent “b” added at this time out of deference to their Latin roots
(debitum and dubitare respectively). For the same reason, island gained its silent “s”, scissors
its “c”, anchor, school and herb their “h”, people its “o” and victuals gained both a “c” and a
“u”. In the same way, Middle English perfet and verdit became perfect and verdict (the added
“c” at least being pronounced in these cases), faute and assaut became fault and assault, and
aventure became adventure.2
2
The History of English - Early Modern English (c. 1500 - c. 1800),
www.thehistoryofenglish.com/history_early_modern.html.
Introduction
In this essay, I will be focusing on the Early Modern English. I chose this topic because I am
interested in William Shakespeare and Renaissance era. I will talk about Shakespeare, English
Renaissance, Loanwords from other languages, and Word Formation.
The Early Modern English
Early Modern English or Early New English is the stage of the English language from the
beginning of the Tudor period to the English Interregnum and Restoration, or from the
transition from Middle English, in the late 15th century, to the transition to Modern English,
in the mid-to-late 17th century.1
The English Renaissance
The next wave of innovation in English vocabulary came with the revival of classical
scholarship known as the Renaissance and is often referred to as the “Elizabethan Era” or the
“Age of Shakespeare” after the most important monarch and most famous writer of the
period. The additions to English vocabulary during this period were deliberate borrowings,
and not the result of any invasion or influx of new nationalities or any top-down decrees.2
Latin was still especially thought as the language of education and scholarship at this time,
and the incredible energy for the classical language throughout the English Renaissance
brought a huge number of new words into the language, cresting around 1600. Many classical
works were translated into English during the sixteenth century, and numerous new terms
were presented where an agreeable English identical did not exist.
1
Nevalainen, Terttu (2006). An Introduction to Early Modern English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press
2
The History of English - Early Modern English (c. 1500 - c. 1800),
www.thehistoryofenglish.com/history_early_modern.html.
, Words from Latin or Greek (often via Latin) were imported wholesale during this period,
either intact (e.g. genius, species, militia, radius, specimen, criterion, squalor, apparatus,
focus, tedium, lens, antenna, paralysis, nausea, etc) or, more commonly, slightly altered (e.g.
horrid, pathetic, iilicit, pungent, frugal, anonymous, dislocate, explain, excavate, meditate,
adapt, enthusiasm, absurdity, area, complex, concept, invention, technique, temperature,
capsule, premium, system, expensive, notorious, gradual, habitual, insane, ultimate, agile,
fictitious, physician, anatomy, skeleton, orbit, atmosphere, catastrophe, parasite, manuscript,
lexicon, comedy, tragedy, anthology, fact, biography, mythology, sarcasm, paradox, chaos,
crisis, climax, etc). A whole category of words ending with the Greek-based suffixes “-ize”
and “-ism” were also introduced around this time.2
Some words initially branded as inkhorn terms have stayed in the language and now remain
in common use (e.g. dismiss, disagree, celebrate, encyclopaedia, commit, industrial,
affability, dexterity, superiority, external, exaggerate, extol, necessitate, expectation,
mundane, capacity and ingenious).2
An indication of the arbitrariness of this process is that impede survived while its opposite,
expede, did not; commit and transmit were allowed to continue, while demit was not; and
disabuse and disagree survived, while disaccustom and disacquaint, which were coined
around the same time, did not.2
It is also sobering to realize that some of the greatest writers in the language have suffered
from the same vagaries of fashion and fate. Not all of Shakespeare’s many creations have
stood the test of time, including barky, brisky, conflux, exsufflicate, ungenitured, unhair,
questrist, cadent, perisive, abruption, appertainments, implausive, vastidity and tortive.
Likewise, Ben Jonson’s ventositous and obstufact died a premature death, and John Milton’s
impressive inquisiturient has likewise not lasted.2
The 17th Century penchant for classical language also influenced the spelling of words like
debt and doubt, which had a silent “b” added at this time out of deference to their Latin roots
(debitum and dubitare respectively). For the same reason, island gained its silent “s”, scissors
its “c”, anchor, school and herb their “h”, people its “o” and victuals gained both a “c” and a
“u”. In the same way, Middle English perfet and verdit became perfect and verdict (the added
“c” at least being pronounced in these cases), faute and assaut became fault and assault, and
aventure became adventure.2
2
The History of English - Early Modern English (c. 1500 - c. 1800),
www.thehistoryofenglish.com/history_early_modern.html.
