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History of language

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  • Give an example of an old-style question without do.
    Saw you my lord today?
  • What are the two ways to make negatives in Shakespeare’s English?
    I know not him and I do not know him.
  • Give an example of a new-style question with do.
    Do you see my lord today?
  • What was the Great Vowel Shift?
    It was a big change in how long vowels were pronounced, for example time used to sound like teem.
  • Which form became standard in Modern English: I know not or I do not know?
    The form with do — I do not know — became the standard
  • What are the two ways to ask a question in Shakespeare’s English?
    Either with inversion, like Know you the man?, or with do, like Do you know the man?
  • Why did writers sometimes prefer to use do in questions?
    To give emphasis, to make rhythm smoother, or simply because it was becoming popular.
  • When did Shakespeare live
    late 16th and early 17th century
  • How was “wh” pronounced during the Renaissance?
    It was pronounced as /hw/, so what sounded like hwat
  • Why do some rhymes in Shakespeare not work in Modern English?
    Because vowels were different then, so words that used to rhyme no longer do
  • Was the sound /r/ still pronounced in Shakespeare’s time?
    Yes, /r/ was still pronounced, unlike in modern British English.
  • What period of English does Shakespeare’s language belong to?
    It belongs to Early Modern English, also called the Renaissance period.
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