Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 2

Explain why

a) the early Modern Period was “transformative for both England and the language.”
b) the 16th to 18th Centuries were known as “a time of revolutionary development,
opening the way for English to become a world language”. What are these
“revolutionary developments” that paved the way for English to become a global
language?

a. The Early Modern Period was “transformative” for both England and the
language. It became transformative for both England and the language since this time
the English Language is influencing other countries. As well as in England, civil authority
was formally elevated above religious authority when Henry VIII was named “Supreme
Head Church of England” by the act of Supremacy. In 1534, as well as along with the
Prayer Book and Shakespeare’s writings, the authorized or King James version of the
Bible was created by a committee of experts in 1611 and had a huge impact on the English
literary style. In 1688's Glorious Revolution, Parliament requested William of Orange and
his wife, Mary (the daughter of the reigning English king), to take the English throne,
establishing Parliament's authority over the monarchy. The power of the press to
distribute information and shape public opinion grew after the publication of the first daily
newspaper in London in 1702. England and the English language are transforming with
the help of each other. They are using each other in order for them to develop.

b. The Act of Supremacy established Henry VIII as "Supreme Head of the Church of
England," and thus officially put civil authority above Church authority in England. Sir
Francis Drake took part in the Spanish Armada's destruction in 1588, removing a barrier
to English expansion abroad. The American Revolution, which lasted from 1775 to 1783,
led to the first Outside of the British Isles The early part of the Modern English period saw
the establishment of the standard written language we know today. A standard language
is spread widely over a large region, is respected because people recognize its
usefulness, and is codified in the sense of having been described so that people know
what it is. The writing of dictionaries and of grammar books for English began and
achieved a high level of competence during the early Modern English period. English
replaced French as the language of government in the late Middle English period. In
addition, English people were discovering their place on the international scene, both
political and cultural. However, the later part of the early Modern period, particularly the
eighteenth century, saw a significant shift of power and importance from the king to
Parliament and from the landed gentry to the mercantile middle class. These are some of
the revolutionary developments that help in becoming English as a global language.

You might also like