SHAKESPEARE'S LANGUAGE

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to Shakespeare's language, focusing on Early Modern English features, differences from Present-day English, and grammatical structures.

EModE

Early Modern English, the form of English spoken during Shakespeare's time.

PDE

Present-day English, the form of English used today.

Thou

Second-person singular pronoun used in Early Modern English.

You

Second-person plural pronoun or polite singular form in Early Modern English.

Subject-case

The form of a pronoun that acts as the subject of a verb.

Object-case

The form of a pronoun that acts as the object of a verb.

Personal ending -(e)st

A verb ending used in Early Modern English for the second-person singular.

Possessive-case

The form of a pronoun that indicates ownership or possession.

Dummy-do

The auxiliary verb 'do' used in certain grammatical contexts.

N.I.C.E.

Contexts where the usage of an auxiliary is obligatory in Present-day English.

Contractions

The process of shortening words by omitting syllables or sounds, common in Early Modern English.

Renaissance English

Another term for the type of English spoken during the Renaissance period, including Shakespeare's time.

Thy/Thine

Possessive forms for 'you' in the second-person singular in Early Modern English.

Hath

Third-person singular present form of 'have' in Early Modern English.

Doth

Third-person singular present form of 'do' in Early Modern English.

Whither

An Early Modern English term meaning 'to what place' used in the context of motion towards.

Whence

An Early Modern English term meaning 'from what place' used in the context of motion from.

Variability of Word Order

The practice of altering word order for emphasis, style, or poetic meter in Shakespeare's writing.

Absence of Progressive Aspect

A grammatical situation in Early Modern English where ongoing action was expressed without a progressive form.

Possibly Ambiguous Forms

Forms in Early Modern English that could convey multiple meanings due to differences in grammatical structure compared to Present-day English.

Verb Inflection

The modification of verbs to express tense, mood, voice, aspect, person, and number in Early Modern English.