ASSIGNMENT 3/ SHAKESPEARE/ GOMEZ, CAROL

1. Define and explain, The Great Vowel Shift.
- The Great Vowel Shift was a major change in the pronunciation of the English language that took place in the south of England between 1200 and 1600. The Great Vowel Shift was first studied by Otto Jespersen (1860–1943), a Danish linguist and Anglicist, who coined the term. The values of the long vowels form the main difference between the pronunciation of Middle English and Modern English, and the Great Vowel Shift is one of the historical events marking the separation of Middle and Modern English. Originally, these vowels had "continental" values much like those remaining in Italian and liturgical Latin. However, during the Great Vowel Shift, the two highest long vowels became diphthongs, and the other five underwent an increase in tongue height with one of them coming to the front.


2. Name 5 dialects of Modern English.
-American English.
-Australian English.
-British English.
-Canadian English.
-Caribbean English.

3. One of the problems with Early Modern English was a lack of uniformity in spelling. Which 2 people (1-English, 1-American) helped establish standardized spelling?
- Samuel Johnson(English) and Noah Webster (American)

4. How many countries in the world have given Modern English official status?
- About 12

5. The most recent statistics show that approximately how many people speak Modern English as a:
I. First language? II. Second Language?
- Over 508 million

6. When was Early Modern English spoken?
- From about the end of the Middle English period to 1650.

7. How are the use of Pronouns different between Early Modern & Modern English?
- In Early Modern English, there were two second-person personal pronouns: thou, the informal singular pronoun, and ye, which was both the plural pronoun and the formal singular pronoun. (Thou was already falling out of use in the Early Modern English period, but remained customary for addressing God and certain other solemn occasions, and sometimes for addressing inferiors.) Like other personal pronouns, thou and ye had different forms depending on their grammatical case; specifically, the objective form of thou was thee, its possessive forms were thy and thine, and its reflexive or emphatic form was thyself, while the objective form of ye was you, its possessive forms were your and yours, and its reflexive or emphatic forms were yourself and yourselves.

8. Which language families does Modern English belong in?
-
9. Name 4 worldwide uses for Modern English.
10. In your opinion, what was the greatest influence on the spread of Modern English around the world? Why?
11. There has been a lot of controversy over the true authorship of Shakespeare's writings. Which 3 people are also candidates as the possible authors of Shakespeare's plays?
12. Briefly explain The Oxfordian Theory.
13. Shakespeare wrote 38 plays, which according to the Folio Classification, fall into 3 categories. Name the 3 categories.
14. In which town was Shakespeare born?
15. Which famous London theatre (built by actors, for actors) is connected with Shakespeare's plays?
16. Even though Richard III is the most performed play, Hamlet is Shakespeare's most famous play. In your opinion, what does this portion of Hamlet's famous soliloquy mean:

To be or not to be, that is the question;
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to — 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub,...

17. Name 5 post-Shakespearean artists whose work was heavily influenced by the writings of William Shakespeare.
18. Which of Shakespeare's plays are included in The Wars of the Roses series?
19. Shakespeare wrote most of his works in blank verse composed in iambic pentameter. What is blank verse & iambic pentameter?
20. Name 4 actors from Shakepeare's original company.

21. What were the Wars of the Roses (1377-1485)?
22. Why was this war called the Wars of the Roses?

23. What were the names of the 2 houses which fought in this war?

24. What prompted this civil war to begin?

25. How did the war end?

26. Which Kings of England were participants in the Wars of the Roses?