Lexical Change In The Works Of Shakespeare And Modern English

Introduction Language is the primary means by which the human species communicate with one another. Within any region of the world, members of the homo sapien species employ language as a communicative and social device, though these may differ according to region. It is often the case that there is linguistic difference across parts of the world, as inhabitants of different regions speak different languages. For example, the main language used in Germany is German, while in France, French is dominant language. Furthermore, even within a language, there are different varieties, such as in the case of English, where a multitude of varieties exist, including British English, American English, Hong Kong English, and Indian English. These branches

2) Explore possible causes for English lexical change.

3) Analyse the major types of English lexical variation.

4) Reflect on how such knowledge can be related to the learning and/or teaching of

Lexical change can also be defined as diachronic change, to refer to the fact that time is the main focus. When speaking about this topic, the most glaring example that comes to mind is the difference between the works of Shakespeare and the modern English of today. Shakespeare’s writing uses Early Modern English, containing words such as ‘thou’, which in today’s English means ‘you’, and ‘art’ which refers to ‘are’ in modern English. While the reason for this shift has not been definitively proven, some researchers have attempted to answer the question. Circa AD 1600, the word ‘you’ played a dual function both as the “polite form used by inferiors to superiors” and as the “neutral, unemotional form of address between social equals” (Barber. 1997). Thou also functioned in two roles, first as the “form of address to social inferiors”, and secondly as a term for “conveying emotional attitudes” (Barber. 1997). Barber’s research implies that ‘you’ is the more formal and polite term, while ‘thou’ is disrespectful, and also used to express familiarity. However, the case is very different today compared to circa AD 1600. ‘You’ is used almost exclusively by all of the English speaking population, while ‘thou’ has faded into obscurity, becoming archaic. Furthermore, ‘you’ is now seen as the common form, used in both formal and informal situations. ‘Thou’ is only found in