Old English was the language spoken in what is now England from around the 5th – 11th centuries and is the origin of modern English.. Back then it was called Englisc and the people who spoke were the Anglo-Saxons; Old English is also known as Anglo-Saxon.. Old English is essentially the first recorded version of English and it is the forebear of the language we speak today. Many videos will not perfectly match what you learned here. Understand the tone and main idea of the article. This article was co-authored by Michelle Golden, PhD. As the Early Modern period progressed, there was an increased use of double vowels (e.g. This article has been viewed 155,506 times. During the early modern period numerous words were respelt according to their true or (occasionally) false Latin etymologies; this tendency began in late Middle English but gathered strength in our period. During this time, spelling and grammar became more fixed, and written text was much more accessible. During this time, there began to be a standardization of printed language due to the arrival of the printing press in England in 1475. Michelle Golden is an English teacher in Athens, Georgia. Learn more... Old English does not mean "English that they used to speak in old timey days." This article has been viewed 155,506 times. Some academics and other professionals, such as historians or archivists, may need Old English in order to do their work. Purchase an Old English dictionary or glossary in a bookstore. soon) or a silent final "e" (e.g. The language in which Shakespeare wrote is referred to as Early Modern English, a ... English: Middle English, the language written and spoken during the Middle Ages, most famously by Chaucer, and Modern English, the language we write and speak today. prescriptive: the language as people think it should be used (“proper”, “right”) Due to copyright reasons, almost all of these are from the 19th and early 20th century. You also may need to commit to participating regularly as well. Most modern English speaking people can not speak nor understand TRUE old English. It was only near the end of the medieval period that we could really their language to be close to Shakespearean/Elizabethan/Early Modern English. Early Modern English is not called "Early Modern" for nothing. [1] 72 Introduction The history of the English language is long and complicated. Find faculty who specialize in English literature from that period. If you're interested in speaking as Shakespeare did, read the wikiHow guide to Elizabethan English instead. MichelMoermans. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Early Modern rhymes indicate that [əi] was also the vowel that was used at the end of words like happy, melody and busy. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. If not, see if they know of other professors or graduate students who may be able to offer a private course. But with the arrival of COVID-19, the stakes are higher than ever. For example, if you and a friend can both speak some Old English, it can help you have “secret” conversations. While you read, make sure you have a glossary available since there are bound to be words you won’t understand. For example, "Thou … {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/07\/Speak-Old-English-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Speak-Old-English-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/07\/Speak-Old-English-Step-1.jpg\/aid4890668-v4-728px-Speak-Old-English-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":325,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":514,"licensing":"