Modern_English

By:Lexy Pyles and Kristin McDonald**
 * __History of English Language: Modern English__

"Modern English is 309-380 million peoples first langugae. In addition to this, Modern English is 199-600 million peoples second language.Finally,overall about 1.8 billion total people speak Modern English. Plus, Modern English is the official language is 53 countires"(4) http://www.uta.edu/english/tim/courses/4301w00/modhist.html. The history of the English language is divided into three parts.The first Old English, the second Middle English, and the third is __Modern English__. Modern English has been spoken since the great vowel shift in 1550. But, did you know that the early Modern English also did not competely have full spelling. Although Modern English has had many changes, it is still ranked thrid over all in the number of native speakers.


 * "**Modern English began in England during the Elizabethan Era"(2)http://wiz.cath.vt.edu/hel/helmod/intro.html. Some famous examples of Modern English are William Shakespeare and the King James Bible. Modern English is spoken around the world in countries such as the United States, India, and Australia. Also, Modern English has many different dialects for example:American English, Australian English, British English, Canadian English, Caribbean English, Hiberno-English, Indo-Pakistani English, New Zealand English, Philippine English, Singaporean English, and South African English. In the map below, countries where English is a primary language are dark blue,while countries where it is an official but not a primary language are light blue.

There has also been many different influences on the Modern English Language. Early Modern English lacked uniformity in spelling. Samuel Johnson's accomplished this by publishing a dictionary in 1755 in England which was influential in establishing a standard form of Modern English spelling. Noah Webster did the same in America and published his dictionary in 1828"(3)http://www.mun.ca/Ansaxdat/vocab/wordlist.html. Many words entered the English language from other languages.This migration issue truly changed this language. Beacuse of contact with other cultures through trade and settlement.Also, the migration of people to the United States from other countries. The development of radio broadcasting in the early 20th century also helped people to become more common with other cultures accents and vocabulary. This also continued with videos and television which helped Americas become more familar with other languages.

The English language came to the continent by Germanic tribes. They could not write or keep records. "Philologists know that they have to have spoken a dialect of a language that can be called West Germanic and that other dialects of this unknown language must have included the ancestors of such languages as German, Dutch, Low German, and Frisian"(1)http://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq/history.htm. They know this because these languages have certain similarities about each other. "However, they have had somehow to reconstruct what that language was like in its lexicon, phonology, grammar, and semantics as best they can through sophisticated techniques of comparison developed chiefly during the last century"(1)http://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq/history.htm.

In conclusion, Modern English has changed in many ways over the years. Even though it began aroudn the Elizabethan era it is still ranked thrid in over all number of the native speakers.Although modern english did not start out with a correct method of spelling, it has come along way witht he help of many people. For example Samuel Johnson and Noah Webster are to thank for the correct spelling of out Modern English language. The Modern English language has coem a long way. It is still spoken today and new words are still being added everyday.

= = =__Reference section__=

1.http://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq/history.htm 2.http://wiz.cath.vt.edu/hel/helmod/intro.html = = 3.http://www.mun.ca/Ansaxdat/vocab/wordlist.html = = 4.http://www.uta.edu/english/tim/courses/4301w00/modhist.html = = == = = = = = = = =