What kind of english does shakespeare use

We are using email more than ever to keep you up-to-date. William Shakespeare played a major role in the transformation of the English language. Many words and phrases were first written down in his plays. The early modern English language was less than years old in when Shakespeare was writing. No dictionaries had yet been written and most documents were still written in Latin.

He contributed 1, words to the English language because he was the first author to write them down. This is the rhythm that Shakespeare uses in his plays. The rhythm of iambic pentameter is like a heartbeat, with one soft beat and one strong beat repeated five times.

Listen to Michael Pennington, an actor who has played some of Shakespeare's most linguistically demanding roles, talking to Jonathan Bate about how the 'nuts and bolts' of Shakespeare's poetic language work from the actor's point of view. Resources on this famous text that was lovingly assembled by Shakespeare's fellow actors after his death in How did the U. What is Ronald Reagan's Tear down this wall" speech about?

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The phonology, or sound system, was changing very rapidly during the Early Modern English time. The remaining diphthongs were lost, e. But how do we know what the pronunciation of this time was like? Sometimes, writers of that period commented on the pronunciation of their words. Writers also used different spellings during that time, e. Lastly, there are many rhymes and puns that do not work with a Modern English pronunciation. William Shakespeare is without a doubt one of the greatest writers of the English language.

He has written some great poems and over 39 surviving plays over a period of only twenty years. Middle English is easier but still looks like a foreign language much of the time. Here is an example from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales , the most famous work in Middle English: Ye seken lond and see for your wynnynges, As wise folk ye knowen all th'estaat Of regnes; ye been fadres of tydynges And tales, bothe of pees and of debaat. The Man of Law's Tale Translation You seek land and sea for your winnings, As wise folk you know all the estate Of kingdoms; you be fathers of tidings, And tales, both of peace and of debate.

By about , Middle English was replaced with Early Modern English, the language of Shakespeare, which is almost identical to contemporary English.