Modern English (1800 - Present)
Modern english was directly derived from Middle English. Modern English is the form of the English language spoken since the Great Vowel Shift in England, which was completed in roughly 1550. The Great Vowel Shift is responsible for many of the strange English spellings, and this became standardised in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries. There is no real explanation as to why this Great Vowel Shift occurred, but we certainly know that it did happen. Many linguists and historians of the English Language have tried to understand why this major change happened, but no one has succeeded in understanding it as yet.
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Modern English alphabet
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Click on Link, shows that English is an ever changing language, even though this refers to American English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iMQkAXRWaw Early Modern English wasn't always 100% accurate in spelling, but Samuel Johnson's dictionary published in 1755, was influential in establishing a standard form of spelling using the Modern English alphabet which consists of 26 characters which are derived directly from the Latin alphabet. There is a standardised way of spelling, except small changes through the different dialects like American English. The standardisation of English spelling was helped by hierarchy mediums, in the form such as Newspapers, Magazines, Textbooks, Scientific reports etc. |