ENG4820|HistoryoftheEnglishLanguage

Week: EarlyModernEnglish,Continued

I FROMLASTWEEK
I.A TheGreatVowelShift,WhateverThatWas

Around1350,somepeoplestartpronouncingthewordtidewithoutthefinal<e>,so[thid].
Around1450,noonepronouncesthefinal<e>anymore,butpeoplearestartingtopronouncethe
vowelasifit'sadiphthong:[thIjd]

ThinkbacktotheEekspeakGame,onlythistimeyoureachildborninLondonaround1450

Youuseyourgeneticallyendowedabilitytostatisticallymodelthespeechyouheararoundyou,and
younoticethataboutthreequartersofthetime,youhear[thid],otherwisesometimes[thIjd].

o Howdoyouconstructyourabstractmentalrepresentationofthisword?
Isit/tid/or/tIjd/?
o Definitely/tid/,witharulethrownintorealizethevowelas/Ij/everyonceinawhile.

Ifyou'reachildborninthesameplacein1475,youhear[thid]roughlyhalfthetime,[thIjd]theother
half.Whatabstractmentalrepresentationdoyouconstruct?Flipacoin,andthrowinaruletogetyou
theothervariant.

Nowit's1500,andyou'rehearing[thIjd]about75%ofthetime.Yourabstractmentalrepresentation
willbe/tIjd/,witharulethrownintorealizethevowelas/i/everynowandthen.

By1555,onlyoldpeoplesay[thid].TheGreatVowelShifthasbegun.

Overthenexttwocenturies,thefirstpartofthatdiphtong,/I/,getslowerandlowerandthenmore
central,first//then/e/then//then//

ENG4820|Week11|Page1of17
 Inlanguageafterlanguage,vowelinventoriestendto
remainsymmetrical.Ifaphonemeshiftsoutofits
placeintheinventory,aneighboringphonemetends
toshiftintoreplaceit,creatinganothergapwhichis
thenfilledbyathirdshift

Thisviewonlymakessensefromadistanceofthreehundredyearsandwithdecadesofacademicresearch.
Tothepeopleonthegroundatthetime,itwouldsimplyhaveseemedthatthereweremanydifferent
pronunciationsinplay.Themajorshiftsstarthappeningaroundthetimethatpeoplearestartingtothink
andwriteaboutwhatastandardEnglishshouldlookandsoundlike,butthismassivereorganizationofthe
Englishphonemeinventorymostlyescapestheirattention.

Wherewedofindclues:

Booksaboutpronunciation.SeeHarts1569Orthographybelow
Rhymingpatterns.Ifwenoticepoetsandsongwritersconsistentlyrhymingpairsofwordsthatnow
sounddifferenttous,wecanbuildacasethattheyinfactsoundedthesameduringtheperiodin
whichtheyappear.ExamplesfromMillwardsWorkbookp.184f.:

Notthatwethinkusworthysuchaguest []
Butthatyourworthwilldignifyourfeast (BenJonson,1616)

Tocrossthisnarrowsea []
Andfeartolaunchaway (IsaacWatts,1707)

LetnotAmbitionmocktheirusefultoil [j]
NorGrandeurhearwithadisdainfulsmile (ThomasGray,1751)

ENG4820|Week5|Page2of17
 TheirgreatLordsgloriousname;tonone [ ]
Ofthosewhosespaciousbosomsspreadathrone (RichardCranshaw,1652)

Notallthetressesthatfairheadcanboast [ ]
ShalldrawsuchenvyastheLockyoulost (AlexanderPope,1712)

Thesoul,uneasyandconfinedfromhome [ ]
Restsandexpatiatesinalifetocome (AlexanderPope,1733)

HowShakespeareProbablySounded

http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/media/mp3/reasons.html

DoesthissoundIrishtoyou?Orlikeapirate(Arrr!)?IrishdialectsofEnglish,forreasonsnoonereally
understands,havebeenveryconservativeovertime,holdingontovowelandconsonantpronunciations
thathavesincebeenlostinalmosteveryotherdialect.HeresasamplefromapopularBBCsitcomwith
anIrishcast,FatherTed:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iBCp9Oqu4A

Poins:Come,yourreason,Jack,yourreason.
Falstaff:What,uponcompulsion?Zounds,andIwereatthestrappadooralltheracksintheworld,
Iwouldnottellyouuponcompulsion.Giveyouareasononcompulsion?Ifreasonswereas
plentifulasblackberries,Iwouldgivenomanareasonuponcompulsion,I.
(HenryIV,PartOne,2.4.24642)

I.B GrammaticalVerbs

ThementallexiconofaspeakerofEnglish(oranylanguage)hasthreemaincompartmentsinit.

Anexclamatorycompartment,usedonlyforstoringwordslikeOuch!Shit!Woah!
Apurelylexicalcompartmentwithwordsforobjects,people,characteristics,ideas,etc:car,brother,
Snoopy,good,love,perplexing.
Theresanothercompartmentwithwordsusedingrammar:the,of,it,a,you,not,thelittlewordswe
indicatewhenweplaycharades.

Weknowofthesecompartmentsbecausesomepeoplewithbraininjuriesloseaccesstoone
compartmentbutnottheothertwo,ortwocompartmentsbutnottheotherone.

Alllanguageshavegrammaticalwordsofonekindoranother,butEnglishisunlikemanylanguages
evenmanyIndoEuropeancousinsinthatithasaspecializedsetofverbsthatfunctionasgrammatical
words:be,can,could,do,have,may,might,must,shall,should,will,wouldandforsomeolderspeakers
dare.Theseareoftencalledhelpingverbsorauxiliaryverbs(fromLatinauxiliahelp).

Weknowtheseverbsbelongtoaseparateclass,distinctfrompurelylexicalverbslikedrive,tell,eat,or
recommend.Weknowthisbecausetheybehaveinverydistinctways.

ThedifferencesarescalaranddevelopedovermorethanathousandyearsfromOldtoEarlyModern
English

ENG4820|Week5|Page3of17
(1)Orderwithrespecttoadverbs:

Grammaticalverbsdontgenerallyappearafteradverbs,thoughthistendencyhasbeenfadingfast
evenwithinmyadultlife.

a.Iusuallytakethebustowork.

b.?Iusuallycantakethebustowork.

c.Icanusuallytakethebustowork.

d.*Itakeusuallythebustowork.

(2)SentenceInitialInversion

a.*Takeyouthebustowork?

b.Canyoutakethebustowork?

(3)Phonologicalreduction:

a.Ican[khn]/*[kn]vegetablesforaliving.

b.Ican*[khn]/[kn]takethebustowork.(Nonemphatic)

(4)Regularaffixesdontappear

a.Tomcantakethebustowork.

b.*Tomcanstakethebustowork.

(5) Lossofindependentmeanings:OEancestorsofMEandModEauxiliaries

OldEnglish Today

beon/wesan'tobe,exist' be

habban'tohave' have

magantobeeffective,toprevail may

onginnan'toattempt,endeavor' (be)gin

sculantoowe shall

willantowant,desire will

ENG4820|Week5|Page4of17
I.C GrammaticalVerbsandModality

Modalityisarelativelyabstractnotionthataddressesaspeakersattitudeaboutwhattheyaresaying
inotherwords,whetherthepropositiontheyaremakingwiththeirwordsisobligatory,necessary,or
permittedbyabilityorrule.

Example Modality

a.Passengersmustremainseatedatalltimes. OBLIGATION

b.Driversshouldexerciseextremecautionwhendrivingatnight. NECESSITY

c.Customerscanchoosefrommanyexcitingoptions. ABILITY

d.Thedefendantmayapproach PERMISSION

Theseareexamplesofwhatwecallrootmodality,inotherwordssomethingbasictotherootmeaningsof
theunderlinedverbs.

WhatdevelopsinthecourseofthelateMiddleEnglishperiodandintothemoderneraisanotherlayerof
modality,calledextrinsicorepistemicmodality.Itencompassesmoreslipperynotionssuchasprobability,
believability,desirability,orreality.

Example

a.Youmustbejoking.

b.Rogershouldbehomeanyminutenow.

c.Tequilacanreallygiveyouarottenhangover.

d.Rogermayhavecoloncancer.

I.D.TheRiseoftheAuxiliaryVerb:DoSupportinQuestionsandNegation

TodaysEnglishmakesuseofthegrammaticalverbdoinsentencesformedaroundnegation,questions,
ornegativecommands.Wecallthisdosupport.TakeallthefollowingvariationsonIspeakFrench.

IdontspeakFrench Negativedeclarative(Neg.decl.)

DontIspeakFrench? Negativequestion(Neg.quest.)

DoIspeakFrench? Affirmativequestion(Aff.quest.)

WhatdoIspeak? Affirmativequestion(Aff.quest.)

DontspeakFrench! Negativeimperative(Neg.imp.)

(Wealsohaveanoptionalstructurewithdothatweusetoexpressemphasisortocontradictanegative:I
dospeakFrench.)

ENG4820|Week5|Page5of17
Theobligatoryuseofdohasonlybeenobligatoryforaboutthelastthreehundredyears.Thatsrecent
enoughforustohaveliveculturalmemoriesofthetimebefore(settingJediMasterYodaasideforthe
moment):Whatsayyou?Howgoesit?Fearnot.Theyknownotwhattheydo.

Theriseofdosupportfromthelatemedievaltotheearlymodernerawasgradualand,fromthepointof
viewofsomeoneonthegroundatthetime,maybeevenmessy.

(9) a.Negativedeclaratives(Neg.decl.)

withdosupport: ChristdydnotprayeforIamesandIohan&fortheother

without: Whatisthat,Ipraieyou,forIknowenotmyneownereligion?

b.Negativequestions(Neg.quest.)

withdosupport: Whydowenotspedevshastelytocomevntothatrest...?

without: Omercyfulllorde...whyshewedthounotvengeaunce...?

c.Affirmativequestions(Aff.quest.)

withdosupport: Howdotheyspendetheafternoone,Iprayyou?

without: WhatmeanethheebywinkynglikeaGooseintheraine...?

d.Negativeimperatives(Neg.Imp.)

withdosupport: Lokeye,donotlye;andthowdolye,Ishalitknowewele

without: Douteyenatyeshallhavealyourewylle

Thedosupportpatternpropagatesthroughthelanguageatadifferentpaceineachofthese
environments,eventuallytakingoverbythe18thcentury,thoughnotcompletelyinthenegative
declarative.

1.000

0.900

0.800

0.700
Aff.decl.
0.600 Neg.decl
Neg.quest.
0.500 Aff.Quest
Neg.Imp.
0.400

0.300

0.200

0.100

0.000
1710
1390-1400

1400-1425

1425-1475

1475-1500

1500-1525

1525-1535

1535-1550

1550-1575

1575-1600

1600-1625

1625-1650

1650-1700

Years

TABLE1|DATAQUOTEDFROMELLEGRD[1953]BYOGURA[1993:54])
ENG4820|Week5|Page6of17


II THISWEEK:GETTINGOURHEADSINTHERIGHTPLACE
II.A Dr.GettyRidesHisLittleHorseintotheModernEra

Wereenteringtheageofspelling,punctuation,andgrammar,inthesensethatwordappliestothinking
principallyabouthowpeopleshouldspeakandwrite,nothowtheyactuallydo.

Thephilosophybehindthismovementisillustratedinthewordytitlesoftheera:

JeremiahWharton1654:TheEnglishgrammar,or,Theinstitutionofletters,syllables,andwordsin
theEnglishtongueconteiningallrulesanddirectionsnecessarytobeeknownforthejudicious
reading,rightspeaking,andwritingthereof:veryusefulforallthatdesiretobeeexpertinthe
foresaidproperties,moreespeciallyprofitableforscholarsimmediatelybeforetheirentranceintothe
rudimentsoftheLatinetongue
JosephAickin,1693:TheEnglishgrammar:or,theEnglishtonguereducedtogrammaticalrules
containingthefourpartsofgrammar:viz.orthographie,etymology,syntax,prosodyorpoetry.Being
theeasiestquickestandmostauthentickmethodofteachingit,byrulesandpictures:adaptedtothe
capacitiesofchildren,youthandthoseofriperyears;inlearningwhereoftheEnglishscholarmay
nowattaintheperfectionofhismothertongue,withouttheassistanceofLatine;composedforthe
useofallEnglishschools.ByJosephAickinM.A.andlatelyoneofthemastersoftheFreeSchoolof
LondonDery.LicensedMaythe24.1692

ThesetextsareatthebeginningofwhatIamgoingtorefertoastheEnglishGrammarIndustry.Because
itreallyisanindustryanorganizedhumanactivityfromwhichmanythousandsofpeopleinthe
Englishspeakingworldearntheirlivingacademicresearchers,authors,editors,publishers,
booksellers,and(intheclosestanalogytoanassemblylineworker)teachers.

Ifyouhadto,youcouldattachadollarfiguretotheresourcesusedinanygivenyeartocodify,publicize,
enforceandreinforceuniformityinEnglishusageaswellastherevenuefromtheseactivitiesintheform
ofbooksales,salaries,consultantfees,andtuition.

HeresWhereIStand

Thisindustryearnsitsplacetotheextentitservesanumberofstrictlypractical,utilitarianaims:

Allowingpeoplefromdifferentpointsinthethevastgeolinguisticpoliticoeconomiccultural
universethatistheEnglishspeakingworldtocommunicatewitheachotheraseasilyaspossible.
ProvidingacommonlanguageforcommerceanddiplomacybetweenEnglishspeaking
populationsandeveryoneelseontheplanet.
ProvidingacommonandevenneutrallanguageforcommerceanddiplomacyamongnonEnglish
speakinggroups.Somehotexamples:Globaltourism,DiplomacybetweenIsraelandArabic
speakingcountries,betweenIndiaandPakistan,withinIndia(whichhashundredsoflanguages,
fourteenofthemwithofficialstatus).
Counteractingtheforcesoflinguisticchangeinwrittenlanguage,therebykeepinghistoricaltexts
writteninEnglishmoreaccessibletopresentdayEnglishspeakersthantheymightotherwisebe.
Providingimportantcognitivestimulationforschoolagedchildren.Sinceitisdifferentfromwhat
prettymucheveryoneactuallyspeaks,learninghowtoread,write,andspeakastandardizedform
ofEnglishdevelopscrucialskillsrelatedtoabstractionandanalyticalthinkingaswellas
awarenessofandproficiencyinformfunctionmapping.Thisisespeciallytrueforstudentswho
speaksociallyconfineddialectsorlanguagesotherthanEnglish.
ENG4820|Week5|Page7of17
Theindustryoverstepsitsboundswhenitgetsintothefollowingareasorstandsbysilentlyasothersdo,
usuallyasawaytomasksocialbias:

Elitism:Assertingorattemptingtoproveanyinherentsuperiority(aesthetic,philosophical,racial)
ofastandardizedformofEnglishoverandaboveitsstrictlypractical,utilitarianadvantages
DeliberateArchaism:Promotingorattemptingtoenforceusageofhistoricalnormslongafterthey
havedroppedoutofcommonusage.Examples:IshallasafuturetensemarkerinAmerican
English,archaicLatinatepluralformslikecactivs.cactuses
Artificiality:Promotingorattemptingtoenforcetheuseofpatternsmadeupbygrammarians
fromthesixteenthtothetwentiethcenturieswhotriedtomakeEnglishmorelikeLatin:
penalizingsentencesendingwithapreposition,Itsme,toboldlygo(thecounterpartoftogoin
Latinwouldhavebeenitur,whichcouldntbesplitbecauseitwasasingleword)
PurismforitsownSake:LynnTruss,Eats,ShootsandLeaves:AZeroToleranceApproachto
Punctuationvs.DavidCrystal,TheFightforEnglish:HowLanguagePunditsAte,Shot,andLeft.

ForOurPurposes:

Theindustryfocussesonwhatpeoplehaveconsciousaccesstowhich,asIveshownyouoverandover,
isaninfinitessimallysmallpieceofwhatactuallygoesonbetweenapersonsearswhentheyengagein
language.Alongthatline,puristsandprescriptiviststendtofocusmostlyonwhattheydontlike,which
saysmoreaboutthemthanitdoesaboutanythingthatsreallygoingon.

ThegreatestupheavalsinthehistoryofEnglishfromtheGreatVowelshiftandthelossofovertcase
markingtotheshiftsinvowelinventoriesandlevelingofirregularverbformsunderwaytodayalmost
nevergetwrittenabout.Thisisbecausetheytendtounfoldoverdecadesorcenturies,butalsobecause
peoplearetoobusydisapprovingofotherthingstotakenotice.

Withoutabroadview,thestudyoflanguagedegeneratesintoobsessivearcaneryandtriviahounding.
Justmoreinformationinaworldalreadydrowninginit.Butknowledge,understanding,insight,and
perspectiveareincriticallyshortsupply.

Grammar,spelling,andpunctuationjustarentthatinteresting:

Moreinterestingthanthespellingandgrammarrulesthatariseduringthisperiodarethe
workingsofthemindsthatcreatedthem.
Moreinterestingthantherarified,refinedlanguageoftheperiodarethefleetingglimpsesof
marginalized,nonstandardspeechweseerecordedfromtimetotime.
Moreinterestingthanwhatpeoplethoughtabouttheirlanguageiswhatwecanobserveinitusing
computationalandstatisticalmethodstheydidnothave.

ButattheBegnningoftheStory,theEquationisaLittleDifferent:

WhattheGrammarIndustrygavepeople:

Certaintyinatimeofchaos
Culturallegitimacyfroma(mostlyimagined)connectiontoRomeandGreece
Practicalmeansofsocialadvancement
Concretesymbolsofnationalunityandcommonality

ENG4820|Week5|Page8of17
II.B.EVENTSONTHEGROUND

II.B.1 TheRenaissance:

RediscoveryofthehumanisticculturesofRomeandGreecefromca.700BCEtoca.300CE
NeglectedandsupressedintheMiddleAgesbutreintroducedandrekindledinnosmallpartby
theMuslimandJewishpresenceinEuropefromca.750toca.1450
Rekindledideasoflogic,rationalorder,andcriticalinquiry
Classicallanguagestudy:GreekandRomanthoughtonrhetoricanddiscourse
AreasofknowledgeinwhichneitherEnglishnorFrenchhadathoroughlydevelopedvocabulary.
EnglishspeakersoftheRenaissancerevivedoldGreekandLatinwordsandcobbledtogethernew
onesfromGreekandLatinroots.ThesewordstookupresidencenexttothemoregenericLatin
andGreekloansbroughtoverbytheNormansinthe11ththrough13thcenturies.

Area Word Origin

Astronomy telescope Greektelsfarskopeinlook
orbit Latinorbssphereiturgo
lunar Latinlunamoon
Medicine physical Greekphysikhavingtodowithnature
infect Latininin+factusdone
biceps Latinbitwo+cepsheaded
Mathematics formula Latinformulalittleform
theorem Greektheoreintolookat
calculate Latincalculuslittlepebble
Physics react Latinrebackactusdone
tangent Latintangenstouching
accelerate Latinadtocelerswift

II.B.2 WhattheRenaissanceDid

ThiswasthethirdmajorwaveofimportedwordstowashoverEnglishsincethesettlementofEnglandin
the5thcentury,andeventhoughthelanguageanditsspeakerswere,onthewhole,veryreceptive.

ButtherateandscopeofimportationintheRenaissancewenttoofarforsomepeople;theissuebecame
apointofheatedpublicdisagreement(knownastheInkhornControversy)fromabout1550toabout
1650:

ThomasElyot,1531(authorofTheBokeNamedtheGovernorfromWeek10):

IamconstraindtovsurvealatinewordcallingitMaturitie:whichwordthoughitbestrangeand
darke/yetbydeclaringthevertueinafewmowordes/thenameonesbroughtincustome/shall
beasfaciletovndersandeasotherwordeslatecommenoutofItalyandFrance/andmade
denizinsamongevsAndthisIdonowremembreforthenecessaryaugmentationofourlangage
(Source:Crystalp.61)

ThomasWilson,1553

Amongallotherlessonsthisshouldfirstbelearned,thatweeneveraffectanystraungeynkehorne
termes,buttospeakeasiscommonlyreceived:neitherseekingtobeoverfine,noryetliving
overcarelesse,usingourspeecheasmostmendoe,andorderingourwittesasthefewesthave
done.SomeseeksofaroutlandishEnglish,theytheyforgetaltogethertheirmotherslanguage.And

ENG4820|Week5|Page9of17
 Idareswearethis,ifsomeoftheirmotherswerealive,theiwerenotabletotellwhattheysay
(Source:Crystalp.61)

AlexanderGil,LogonomicaAnglica,1621(TranslatedfromLatin)

Suchisthestupidityoftheuneducatedmassesthattheyadmiremostwhattheyleastcomprehend
forsinceeveryonewishestoappearasasmattereroftonguesandtovaunthisproficiencyin
Latin,French(oranyotherlanguage),sodailywildbeastsofwordsaretamed,andhorridevil
soundingmagpiesandowlsofunpropitiousbirtharetaughttohazardourwords.Thustodaywe
are,forthemostpart,EnglishmennotspeakingEnglihsandnotunderstoodbyearswehave
exiledthatwhichwaslegitimateourbirthrightpleasantinexpression,andackowledgedbyour
forefathers.Ocruelcountry!
(Source:Lererp.148)

Wordsthatsurvived Wordsthatdidnt
dismiss,disagree,disabuse disadorn,disaccustom
commit,transmit,admit demit
impede expede
dullard,drunkard stinkard/
conclusion endsay
condition ifsay
schoolfellows condisciples
(Source:Crystalp.61)

Shakespeare(15641616)wasaplayerintheInkhorndebatesandcontributedtobothsides

Wordsthatsurvived Wordsthatdidnt
accommodation,assassination, abruption,appertainments,persistive,
dislocate,eventful,premeditated, protractive,soilure,vastidity
submerged
Barefaced,countless,laughable,lack
lustre,fancyfree
(Source:Crystalp.61)

CrashingintoEnglishatjustthesametimearetwoforcesthatopenthegatesevenwider:

WordsenteringEnglishfromEuropeancoloniesaswellasexpandedcontinentaltrade

bazaar,caravan(Persian,viaIndia)
coffee,kiosk,yoghurt,horde(Turkish)
curry,pariah,pajamas(Tamil)
guru,thug(Hindi)
anchovy,aprioct,armada,cannibal,canoe,mosquito,negro,potato,tobacco
(SpanishandPortugese)
balcony,ballot,carnival,design,fuse,lottery,opera,sonnet,stanza,violin,volcano(Italian)

II.B.3TheProtestantReformation

LongfesteringreactionconcentratedinNorthernEuropetoconspicuouscorruptionandabuseof
powerbytheChurch
AtfirstviolentlysuppressedinEnglandbyHenryVIII,thenembracedwhenitgavehimawayto
defythePopeanddivorcehiswife,CatherineofAragon,inordertomarryhisloverAnneBoleyn,
whomhelaterhadbeheaded.
ENG4820|Week5|Page10of17
 Protestanttheologyvaluesprivate,individualreligiousdevotionandBiblestudy,whichfueledan
entireindustryoftranslation,authoring,andpublishingforEnglishreadingaudiences.

II.B.4WhattheProtestantReformationDid:BibleTranslation

PriortotheReformation,mostBiblesinEuropewereinLatinandwereguardedratherjealouslybythe
clergy.Soonafterthecommercializationoftheprintingpress,consumerdemandandgatheringanti
clericalsentimentledtoablossomingofBibletranslationsandprintededitionsinGerman,French,
English,andotherlocallanguages.

TheLatinBiblesoftheMiddleAgesweretranslationsoftranslationsandcopiesofcopies:

Hebrewscriptures:Hebrew>KoinGreek>Latin
Christianscriptures:Greek>Latin

TheProtestanttranslatorswentbacktotheoriginalHebrewandGreektexts,thoughtoalargeextent
theycribbedfromtheavailableLatintextsandfromeachother.

TheKingJamesBiblewastheresultofapetitiontoKingJamesin1603by750progressiveclergymenin
theChurchofEnglandforanewtranslation;Jamesagreed,andthetranslationwasauthoredbymore
thanfiftyclergymenandscholarsworkinginadeliberativecommitteestructure.

TheKingJamesversion(betterknownastheAuthorizedVersioninitstime)wasacarefulbalancingact
betweenearthy,folksystyleanddeliberatelyarchaic,decorouslanguage.

Distinguishesbetweenthesubjectpronounyeandthecorrespondingobjectpronounyou:Ye
cannotserveGodandMammon.ThereforeIsayuntoyou
Possessivehisinsteadofits:Ifthesalthaslotshisflavor
Consistentthirdpersonsingulareth,asouthernformwhichwasbeingdisplacedbyanorthern
import,s.
Oldernounandverbformswhichwerealreadyontheirwayout:holpeninsteadofhelped,
spakeinsteadofspoke,kineinsteadofcows,brethreninsteadofbrothers

Nonetheless,theKingJames/Authorizedversionismorerecognizeablymoderninitsuseofspellingand
punctuation,havingfallenmostlyinlinewiththeevolvingnormsofitstime.

ENG4820|Week5|Page11of17
ExodusChapter10
John Wycliffe 1384
1: And the Lord seide to Moises,
Entre thou to Farao, for Y haue
maad hard the herte of hym, and of
hise seruauntis, that Y do these
signes of me in hym;
2: and that thou telle in the eeris
of thi sone and of `thi sones
sones, how ofte Y al to-brak
Egipcians, and dide signes in hem;
and that ye wyte that Y am the
Lord.
3: Therfore Moises and Aaron
entriden to Farao, and seiden to
hym, The Lord God of Ebrews seith
these thingis, How long `nylt thou
be maad suget to me? Delyuere thou
my puple, that it make sacrifice to
me; ellis sotheli if thou
ayenstondist,
4: and nylt delyuere it, lo! Y
schal brynge in to morewe a locuste
in to thi coostis,
5: which schal hile the hiyere part
of erthe, nether ony thing therof
schal appere, but that, that was
`residue to the hail schal be etun;
for it schal gnawe alle the trees
that buriounnen in feeldis;
MatthewChapter5
John Wycliffe 1384
11 Ye schulen be blessid, whanne
men schulen curse you, and
schulen pursue you, and shulen
William Tyndale 1534
1:The Lorde sayde vnto Moses: goo vnto
Pharao, neuerthelesse I haue hardened
his harte and the hertes of his
servauntes, that I mighte shewe these
my sygnes amongest the
2: and that thou tell in the
audience of thy sonne and of thy
sonnes sonne, the pagiantes which I
haue played in Egipte ad the
miracles which I haue done amonge
them: that ye may knowe how that I
am the Lorde.
3: Than Moses ad Aaron went in vnto
Pharao and sayde vnto him: thus
sayth the Lorde God of the Hebrues:
how longe shall it be, or thou wilt
submyt thy selfe vnto me? Let my
people goo that they maye serue me.
4: Yf thou wilt not let my people
goo: beholde, tomorow will I brynge
greshoppers in to thy lande,
5: and they shall couer the face of
the erth that it can not be sene,
ad they shall eate the residue
which remayneth vnto you and
escaped the hayle and they shall
eate all youre grene trees vpon the
felde,
William Tyndale 1534
11 Blessed are ye when men reuyle
you and persecute you and shall
falsly say all manner of yvell
Authorized Version 1611
1: And the LORD said unto Moses, Go
in unto Pharaoh: for I have
hardened his heart, and the heart
of his servants, that I might shew
these my signs before him:
2: And that thou mayest tell in the
ears of thy son, and of thy son's
son, what things I have wrought in
Egypt, and my signs which I have
done among them; that ye may know
how that I am the LORD.
3: And Moses and Aaron came in unto
Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus
saith the LORD God of the Hebrews,
How long wilt thou refuse to humble
thyself before me? let my people
go, that they may serve me.
4: Else, if thou refuse to let my
people go, behold, to morrow will I
bring the locusts into thy coast:
5: And they shall cover the face of
the earth, that one cannot be able
to see the earth: and they shall
eat the residue of that which is
escaped, which remaineth unto you
from the hail, and shall eat every
tree which groweth for you out of
the field:
Authorized Version 1611
11: Blessed are ye, when men shall
revile you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against
ENG4820|Week5|Page12of17
seie al yuel ayens you liynge,
for me.
12 Ioie ye, and be ye glad, for
youre meede is plenteuouse in
heuenes; for so thei han pursued
also profetis that weren bifor you.
13 Ye ben salt of the erthe; that
if the salt vanysche awey,
whereynne schal it be saltid? To
no thing it is worth ouere, no
but that it be cast out, and be
defoulid of men.
14 Ye ben liyt of the world; a
citee set on an hil may not be
hid;
15 ne me teendith not a lanterne,
and puttith it vndur a busschel, but
on a candilstike, that it yyue liyt
to alle that ben in the hous.
16 So schyne youre liyt befor
men, that thei se youre goode
werkis, and glorifie youre fadir
that is in heuenes.
17 Nil ye deme, that Y cam to
vndo the lawe, or the profetis; Y
cam not to vndo the lawe, but to
fulfille.
Sources:
Wycliffe:http://wesley.nnu.edu/biblical_studies/wycliffe/Exo.txt
Tyndale:http://wesley.nnu.edu/biblical_studies/tyndale/exo.txt
AuthorizedVersion:http://etext.virginia.edu/kjv.browse.html
saynges agaynst you for my sake.
12 Reioyce and be glad for greate is
youre rewarde in heven. + For so
persecuted they ye Prophetes which
were before youre dayes.
13 ye are ye salt of the erthe: but
and yf ye salt have lost hir saltnes
what can be salted ther with? It is
thence forthe good for nothynge but
to be cast oute and to be troade
vnder fote of men.
14 Ye are ye light of the worlde. A
cite yt is set on an hill cannot be
hid
15 nether do men lyght a cadell and
put it vnder a busshell but on a
candelstick and it lighteth all that
are in the house.
16 Let youre light so shyne before
men yt they maye se youre good
workes and glorify youre father
which is in heven.
17 Thinke not yt I am come to destroye
the lawe or the Prophets: no I am nott
come to destroye them but to fulfyll
them.
you falsely, for my sake.
12: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:
for great is your reward in heaven:
for so persecuted they the prophets
which were before you.
13: Ye are the salt of the earth:
but if the salt have lost his
savour, wherewith shall it be
salted? it is thenceforth good for
nothing, but to be cast out, and to
be trodden under foot of men.
14: Ye are the light of the world. A
city that is set on an hill cannot
be hid.
15: Neither do men light a candle,
and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light
unto all that are in the house.
16: Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which
is in heaven.
17: Think not that I am come to
destroy the law, or the prophets: I
am not come to destroy, but to
fulfill.
ENG4820|Week5|Page13of17
III TheNittyGritty

Oneofthefirstattemptsataphonemicalphabet

JohnHart,1569
(Source:Lererp.155)

MorePhonologicalandMorphologicalChange
ENG4820|Week5|Page14of17


Oneofthefirstattemptsatanauthoritativedictionaryofnewloanwords(Cawdrey):

(Source:Crystalp.72)

ENG4820|Week5|Page15of17


Variousotherinterestingbits(Millwardworkbookp.193):

1540:Dothanyofboththeseexamplesprovethat?
1581:Ifearmesomewillblushethatreadeththis,ifhebebitten
1617:Theyaresoproud,socensorious,thatitisnolivingwiththem.
1659:PresumingontheQueenherprivatepractice?
1726:Wemustnotletthishourpass,withoutpresentingustohim.

ENG4820|Week5|Page16of17
(Source:Crystalp.70)

ENG4820|Week5|Page17of17