The Analysis of Early Modern English Features and Modern English Features早期现代英语和现代英语的特点分析

The Analysis of Early Modern English Features and Modern English Features 早期现代英语和现代英语的特点分析

陈陆

黑龙江大学西语学院

Abstract: By analyzing and comparing the characteristics of early modern English and modern English, we can understand the development history of English better and grasp the development trend of English more accurately. Shakespeare, is a pioneer in the early English period, whose classic works have distinctive language features. The literary works in modern English period are abundant and typical. These examples provide the clues of English development.

Key words: analysis，early modern English, modern English

Before taking further steps into comparing early modern English and modern English, we should first know the features of early modern English.

1. Early modern English characteristics

1.1The amount of vocabulary is increasing

First, the word conversion.

Shakespeare's use of words doesn’t stick to one pattern, which makes the language more vivid, such as "which the false man does easy" (Macbeth, ii, III) The adjective "easy" modifies "does", it actually plays the role of the adverb. And the adjective possessive pronoun "its" is often replaced by personal pronouns "it", such as "it hath it the original from much grief." (Henry IV)

Second, extensive use of loanwords.

Shakespeare's much inspiration comes from Latin words, such as "These things, indeed, you have articulated, proclaim 'd at market - crosses, read in churches." (Henry V I, Part1, V, I) in which the word "articulate" is created by Shakespeare according to the Latin word "articulus”. [1]Not just Latin, he also actively absorbs nutrients from other languages, such as “krant” means “wreath” in Danish. "Yet here she is allow 'd her virg in crants, her maiden strew ments, and the bringing home of bell and burial" (Hamlet, v, I), Shakespeare expresses double meaning in "crant": "with a wreath girl" and "pure and beautiful girl".

1.2Many grammatical structures are irregular.

First, "Who would… but that” is irregular but this sentence pattern is commonly found in Shakespeare's works, such as" With a bare bodkin? Who would these fardels bear, to grunt and sweat under a weary life, but that the read of something after death..."(Hamlet, iii, I) [2] in fact, this structure express "Who would do…if not for”.

Second, many abbreviations now don’t appear in English now, such as "answer" d ". At that time modern English was not fixed and the requirement of syntax was relatively loose. What’s more, in Shakespeare's language, the boundary between active adjectives and passive adjectives is not clear.

In "That is deceivable", the "deceivable" actually express the meaning of "deceptive".

1.3 Some pronunciation is changing

The different pronunciation of Early modern English and modern English leads to some of Shakespeare’s rhyme can't be understood by current English learners. Because vowels in this period was under development, there are many changes in vowels’ pronunciation. As a result, modern English has produced many kinds of accents. From the perspective of modern English, there are some rhymes in Shakespeare's poetry and just semivowel, such as "love" and "prove".

It also affects the use of rhetoric in Shakespeare, such as "If reasons were as plentiful as blackberries, I would give no man a reason upon compulsion." (Henry IV, Part 1, ii, IV) [3] Shakespeare used "blackberries" to allude "reason" of pun. But if it is not in accordance with the early modern English pronunciation, the pun is hard to be found here. At that time, "" reason" is similar to the pronunciation of the "raisin", which expresses the meaning both of "ration" and "reason" [2]

2. Modern English features

In this part, it can be viewed that modern English inherits some characteristics in the early period, but there are also differences and development.

2.1 Modern English vocabulary increases a lot of professional terms.

Due to the development of the industrial revolution, the art of progress and economic prosperity in the 19th century, the English vocabulary in the Random House Dictionary (published in 1987) has greatly increased, especially in science and medicine fields, such as science categories: biology, embryology; physical names: electron, bacterium; medical names: aphasia, neuritis, etc. [4]

2.2 Word formation can be tracked.

Modern English not only retains the traditional word formation (overall use and filling method), another new forms of word formation appear like synthesis, reduction, new meanings of old words, and backformation. For example, - ology is generally used as a suffix, such as sociology, but in Hard Times, Dickens used ology as a word—discipline. In addition, modern English borrows from Latin and Greek root and affix to form new words, such as anesthesia, dismal, etc. [4]

2.3The pronunciation is not unified.

Modern people use English dictionary, regardless of primary dictionary or intermediate, senior dictionary contains phonetic explanation. Chinese people’s common English dictionary has two sets of phonetic symbols, one is a set of DJ phonetic symbol, the other is KK phonetic symbol. DJ is a British accent, and KK is the United States phonetic annotations. DJ phonetic symbol including 20 vowel symbols and 28 consonants symbols; And KK phonetic symbol including 20 vowel symbols and 24 consonant symbols.[5]

Besides these two types of transcription, Jones's English pronunciation dictionary represents the "standard English" accepted pronunciation (RP.). [5] Moreover, International phonetic alphabet was created by Paul Passy. It can be used not only in modern English, but the other languages.

Conclusion: Early modern English considerably absorbed foreign words, grammar was incomplete and casual, vowel pronunciation was changing. On the basis, modern English is under development. It still borrows vocabulary from foreign words; grammar is more systematic and complete; and pronunciation can be pided into British English and American English, but different regions own local dialects.

References

[1] Crag. The Oxford Shakespeare [EB/OL]. [2006-04-01]. www.bartleby.com/70.

[2] 王佩兰,马茜,黄际英.英国文学史及作品选读[M ].长春:东北师范大学出版社,2004.

[3] 刘瑶.漫谈莎士比亚作品的语言特色[N]合肥工业大学学报.2007.6

[4] 张勇先.英语发展史[M]北京：外语教学与研究出版社.2014.5