| Modern English | |
|---|---|
| New English present-day English | |
| English | |
| Region | English-speaking world |
| Era | 17th century – present[1] |
Early forms | |
| Latin script (English alphabet) English Braille,Unified English Braille | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | en |
| ISO 639-2 | eng |
| ISO 639-3 | eng |
| Glottolog | stan1293 |
| Linguasphere | 52-ABA |
Modern English, sometimes calledNew English (NE)[2] orpresent-day English (PDE) as opposed toMiddle andOld English, is the form of theEnglish language that has been spoken since theGreat Vowel Shift inEngland, which began in the late 14th century and was completed by the 17th century.
With some differences in vocabulary, texts that date from the early 17th century, such as the works ofWilliam Shakespeare and theKing James Bible, are considered Modern English, or more specifically,Early Modern English orElizabethan English. Through colonization, theBritish Empire spread English to many regions of the world, such asAnglo-America, theIndian subcontinent,Africa,Australia andNew Zealand.
Modern English has manydialects spoken in many countries throughout the world, sometimes collectively referred to as theEnglish-speaking world. These dialects includeAmerican,Australian,British (containingAnglo-English,Scottish English andWelsh English),Canadian,New Zealand,Caribbean,Hiberno-English (includingUlster English),Indian,Sri Lankan,Pakistani,Nigerian,Philippine,Singaporean, andSouth African English.
According to theEthnologue, there are almost one billion speakers of English as a first or second language.[3] English is spoken as a first or a second language in many countries, with most native speakers being in theUnited States, theUnited Kingdom,Australia,Canada,New Zealand andIreland. It "has more non-native speakers than any other language, is more widely dispersed around the world and is used for more purposes than any other language". Its large number of speakers, plus its worldwide presence, have made English acommon language (lingua franca) "of the airlines, of the sea and shipping, of computer technology, of science and indeed of (global) communication generally".[4]
Modern English evolved fromEarly Modern English which was used from the beginning of theTudor period until theInterregnum andStuart Restoration in England.[5] By the late 18th century, theBritish Empire had facilitated the spread of Modern English through its colonies and geopolitical dominance. Commerce, science and technology, diplomacy, art, and formal education all contributed to English becoming the first truly global language. Modern English also facilitated worldwide international communication. English was adopted in North America, India, parts of Africa, Australia, and many other regions. In the post-colonial period, some newly created nations that had multipleindigenous languages opted to continue using Modern English as the official language to avoid the political difficulties inherent in promoting one indigenous language above another.[6][7]
The following is an outline of the major changes in Modern English compared to its previous form (Middle English), and also some major changes in English over the course of the 20th century. Note, however, that these are generalizations, and some of these may not be true for specific dialects:
Up until the American–British split (1600–1725), some major phonological changes in English included:
After theAmerican-British split, further changes to English phonology included:
Changes in alphabet and spelling were heavily influenced by the advent of printing and continental printing practices.
Consequently, Modern English came to use a purelyLatin alphabet of 26 letters.
Total users in all countries: 942,533,930 (as L1: 339,370,920; as L2: 603,163,010)
