Middle English And Modern English: The Transformation Of The English Language

The English language has experienced several shifts and transformations ever since its earliest history in the medieval England to the current. English has been historically said to have evolved through three major stages that include Old English, Middle English and Modern English. Each of the three stages may be also sub-divided into early and late stages in order to give a comprehensive picture of the language’s history. English language, According to Algeo (2010), originated from the various dialects used by the Anglo-Frisian communities of the 5th to 7th century AD Britain. This form of English is classified as Old English and was popular among Germanic invaders who occupied the surrounding geographical areas at the time. Old English did,

One of the most phenomenal landmarks in regards to technology and the development of the English language was the establishment of a printing service by William Caxton in 1476 (Horobin and Smith, 2002). This provided an opportunity for intellectuals to induce structure and value to the Middle English language such that it could be applied for intellectual use. Through his printing press, Caxton made books available to most of the people who were willing to read. A major achievement at this time was the printing of numerous English version bibles. The use of Latin in the religious sphere took on a diminishing trend to give room for the dominion of English in Britain and its colonies. The typing culture that emerged with these printing machines inspired the activities of influential English writers including William Shakespeare. Moreover, English language could now be printed in a standardized alphabet. The industrial revolution, on the other hand, contributed to the nomenclature of tools, process, devices and products associated with the industrial sphere. Words such as electricity, motors, trains, camera and telephone, among others, found their way into the English dictionary largely as a result of the industrial revolution (Moore, 1925). Needless to say, technological advancements and industrial inventions continue to add to the number of vocabularies and words