Late Modern English

Chronology

  1. What time period does Late Modern English cover?
    XVIII-XIX centuries AD up to the present.

Historical Background

  1. What major intellectual movement characterized the start of Late Modern English?
    The Enlightenment.

  2. What major economic transformation took place during Late Modern English?
    The Industrial Revolution.

  3. How did the British Empire affect the English language during Late Modern English?
    The expansion spread English and introduced new vocabulary from colonies.

  4. What American historical event contributed to the evolution of English?
    The American Revolution.

  5. How did the Slave Trade influence English?
    It contributed to the Afro-American population in the USA and influenced dialects and accents.

  6. What were other significant events during Late Modern English?
    Rebellions, colonial wars, world wars, and the Cold War.

Enlightenment

  1. When did the Age of Enlightenment or Age of Reason occur?
    End of the XVII century to the XVIII century.

  2. Name three British or American representatives of the Enlightenment.
    Samuel Johnson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson.

  3. Name three notable European Enlightenment philosophers outside Britain and America.
    Voltaire, Immanuel Kant, Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

  4. What was the moderate idea of the Enlightenment?
    Reform within traditional power structures, deism, and dualism.

  5. Who were prominent thinkers associated with moderate Enlightenment ideas?
    Rene Descartes, John Locke, Immanuel Kant.

  6. What were the radical Enlightenment ideas?
    Democracy, individual liberty, freedom of expression, and rejection of religious authority.

  7. Which philosopher is associated with radical Enlightenment ideas?
    Baruch (Benedict) Spinoza.

Industrial Revolution

  1. When did the first Industrial Revolution take place?
    XVIII to mid-XIX centuries.

  2. What were the main causes of the Industrial Revolution?
    Scientific revolution, inventions, and changes in legal and economic systems.

  3. List three major industries that developed during the Industrial Revolution.
    Textile, mining, and agriculture.

  4. What were the social effects of the Industrial Revolution?
    Higher standards of living, urbanization, and increased literacy.

  5. How did the Industrial Revolution affect population patterns?
    Population growth and urbanization.

British Empire

  1. What was the time frame of the British Empire’s expansion?
    XVI-XX centuries.

  2. At its peak, what percentage of the world’s land and population did the British Empire control?
    24% of the land (35.5 million sq. km) and 23% of the population (~450 million).

  3. What types of territories were part of the British Empire’s structure?
    Dominions, colonies, protectorates, and mandates.

American Revolution

  1. When did the American Revolution occur?
    1765-1783.

  2. What were the primary causes of the American Revolution?
    British taxation and intolerable policies.

  3. What was a major effect of the American Revolution on the United States?
    Independence from the British Crown and the development of a unique legal and economic system.

Slave Trade

  1. When did the Slave Trade occur?
    XVI-XIX centuries.

  2. Which countries were involved in the Slave Trade?
    Portugal, Britain, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the USA.

  3. What regions in Africa were most affected by the Slave Trade?
    Central and Western Africa.

  4. What were two long-term effects of the Slave Trade on the USA?
    The Afro-American population and the Civil War.

Other Events

  1. What types of rebellions and revolts occurred during Late Modern English?
    Jacobite rebellions, Robert Emmet's revolt, and others.

  2. Name two colonial wars that influenced the British Empire.
    The Opium Wars and the Boer Wars.

  3. What global conflicts occurred in Late Modern English that affected the English language?
    World Wars I and II and the Cold War.

Language Variants and Accents

  1. What are the main regional variants of English?
    British, American, Asian, African, and Austronesian varieties.

  2. What are the main American-based English accents?
    American and Canadian.

  3. What are the main English-based accents?
    British, Irish, Australian, and New Zealand.

  4. What are the primary British English dialects?
    Northern and Southern English, Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Ireland.

  5. What are the three main American English dialects?
    General American, Eastern type, and Southern type.

Grammar Changes

  1. What are the primary approaches to grammar during Late Modern English?
    Prescriptive, classical scientific, structural, transformational, and cognitive.

  2. What is prescriptive grammar?
    Grammar that enforces strict rules, discouraging double negatives, split infinitives, and prepositions at the end of sentences.

  3. List three prescriptive grammar rules in Late Modern English.
    Avoiding double negatives, avoiding split infinitives, and avoiding prepositions at sentence ends.

Nouns and Adjectives

  1. Did grammar for nouns and adjectives change significantly after the XVII century?
    No, there were no major changes.

Pronouns

  1. What happened to earlier forms of pronouns in Late Modern English?
    They became dialectal.

  2. What unique pronoun usage is found in Scottish English?
    Use of “this,” “that,” and “yonder.”

  3. Where is zero subject use in relative clauses found?
    In Cockney English.

Verbs

  1. What happened to subjunctive endings in Late Modern English?
    They were generally dropped.

  2. How is "do" used in affirmative sentences during Late Modern English?
    For emphasis and in dialects.

  3. Which tenses became more common in Late Modern English?
    Perfect, continuous, and perfect continuous tenses.

  4. How did phrasal verbs evolve during Late Modern English?
    They became more common.

  5. What trend emerged in using particles and prepositions?
    They increasingly replaced verbs.

Morphology

  1. What new types of word-building emerged in Late Modern English?
    Contraction, reversion, and blending.

Vocabulary Expansion

  1. What factors contributed to vocabulary expansion during Late Modern English?
    Influence of other languages, colonialism, and industrial development.

  2. What types of borrowings were common in Late Modern English?
    Borrowings from Latin, Greek, and colonized countries’ languages.

  3. What new methods of word formation developed in Late Modern English?
    Contraction, reversion, and blending.

Records and Publications

  1. What types of records and publications preserved Late Modern English?
    Grammar books, dictionaries, belles-lettres, scientific literature, and publicist sources.

Grammar Books

  1. Who wrote A Short Introduction to English Grammar in 1762?
    Robert Lowth.

  2. What significant grammar book did Lindley Murray publish in 1794?
    English Grammar.

  3. Who published The Rudiments of English Grammar in 1761?
    Joseph Priestley.

  4. What grammar book did William Cobbett publish in 1829?
    English Grammar.

Critical Books

  1. What was Thomas Sheridan’s notable work on English language criticism?
    A Rhetorical Grammar of the English Language (1781/1783).

  2. What significant work did John Walker publish in 1785?
    A Rhetorical Grammar of the English Language (with Critical Notes).

American English

  1. When was Blue-Back(ed) Speller published, and why is it significant?
    1783-1786, as an influential American language textbook.

  2. Who published An American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828?
    Noah Webster.