Shakespeare’s Influence On Language

1. Shakespeare’s Influence On Language

2. Shakespeare's Influence on Early Modern English • Shakespeare is one of the most famous Englishmen because of his development on early modern English • His development on English was huge because he was able to incorporate it into everyone’s everyday normal speech with a lot of phases and words Shakespeare invented

3. Shakespeare's Influence on Grammar • Grammar was changing because inflectional endings had largely disappeared. • Modern English was becoming flexible and that was the forerunner to the Renaissance explosion which created the inventible language. • Shakespeare was a leader in this movement.

4. Shakespeare's Modification of English • Writers for years have been able to invent new uses for words to fit their writings needs • English was being set free for writers to take it where they wanted • Shakespeare took it to many places through his texts showing the way to how we use it today • For example Ceaser made the noun antic which is a fool and then Shakespeare made it into a verb to make a foul of

5. Early Modern English Compared to Modern English • Early Modern and strictly Modern English are almost identical which makes both easier to understand. • Some differences are the use of “thees” and “thous”. • Shakespeare exploited (to his advantage) the fact that the usage of words was in transition

6. Shakespeare’s use of plural and singular forms of “you” • “You” in Modern English is used in both singular and plural and as a noun but in Old English it’s used as differently • In Old English you was around, but used as the object of a sentence, but when you’re talking to or about people you use thou for one person and ye for more than one person • By Early Modern English time ye and thou had become out dated and virtually disappeared and you had become the norm

7. Shakespeare’s use of plural and singular forms of “you” Continued • In Early Modern English you was now used for singular and plural but had a role as an alternative to thou and thee • “You” was used by lower class to speak to or address higher class • Thou and thee were used by higher class to speak to lower class and others such as witches and when addressing God

8. Words Shakespeare Invented • The following is a list of words that William Shakespeare invented: • Accommodation • Amazement • Assasination • Bloody • Bump • Critic • Gloomy • Hurry • Impartial • Majestic • Obscene • Road

9. Phrases Shakespeare Invented • The following is a list of phrases that William Shakespeare invented: • Catch a Cold • Heart of Gold • Hot-Blooded • Lackluster • Method to his madness. • Too much of a good thing. • Wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve.

10. Shakespeare Insults • The following is a list of insults that William Shakespeare invented: • Thou art like a toad; ugly and venemous. • A most notable coward, an infinite and endless liar, an hourly promise breaker, the owner of no good quality. • Thou art as loathsome as a toad. • Thine face is not worth sunburning. • Your brain is as dry as the remainder biscuit after voyage.