Changes in Old English to Modern English

Changes in Old English to Modern English

Introduction

The English language spoken today is a blend of several languages. The language began in the year 400 AD when it was known as Anglo-Saxon and is now completely different from what it was at the time of its inception. Every element including the inflection system, grammar, sounds, and vocabulary has changed over the years. This change has been very slow and is still underway as time passes (Boeree, n.d.).

The original Anglo-Saxon language was a mixture of several dialects of invaders including Franks, Frisians, and Germanic tribes living along the coast of the North Sea. The main dialects were from the Angels, the Jutes, and Saxons from eastern Holland and Germany. All these dialects were close and thus easy to understand.

Change in Vowels

The vowels used in English have changed from what they used to be in old English and they way they are currently being used. The vowels were one of the main differences between their Dutch and Frisian counterparts. Even though the spellings of words have changed significantly, the pronunciations still reflect that of old English. Out of all the changes that took place in English language, the major change was during the transition of Middle English and modern English. This happened during the year 1600 A.D. This period is also known as the Great English Vowel Shift (Boeree, n.d.).

In the beginning, long vowels that are known today were generally longer versions of the short vowels. Such vowels are still being used by the Dutch. These long vowels were being pronounced in a higher tone and thus vowels such as the long 'e' became 'ee' in modern English, and long 'o' became 'oo'. Long 'i' became 'ee' while long 'ou' had different variations. Similarly, short vowels moved slightly ...