The Origins of Vernacular Language and Its Spread

Many social changes emerged following the Protestant Reformation. The printing press and mass production of books were a major source of growth and success to the Reformation (Document 3). Because of the printing press, Martin Luther’s message was simply spread throughout Europe. Now that people could access the Bible on their own, the Europeans were able to study Scripture without a

Latin was the language of scholars. Anyone otherwise did not speak that language or were illiterate and therefore beyond understanding. In 1517 most of the people in Saxony could not write, let alone read. It was not uncommon for the ones who could

The creation of the printing press improved literacy because it reduced the cost of texts. The printing press reduced costs of texts because they could be mass produced (Arthur, 2004). Before the creation of the printing press, papyrus scrolls, codices and wooden blocks were used to produce texts (Quinn, 2017). The papyrus scrolls, codex and wooden blocks all had to be done with intensive labor which increased the prices of texts

In the 1450’s books were only accessible for rich people, as their scarcity and the complicity of creating, making most of the people illiterate. Thanks to the facility the printing press brought for books, they became more accessible and people started to learn how to read and write, to later on read the Bible and realise the Catholic Church was not pure at all. And to support this statement document C that tells us that people started to unfollow the church and streets follow Martin Luther in the new religion of reformation. Clearly showing that for the 1560 Europe was divided, and instead of being mostly catholic they passed to be half Protestant. And because of the points said above, and the evidence of the documents the printing press had more important effects in reformation era, instead of

The most prominent development in the fourteenth century was creation of vernacular literature. Vernacular languages shortly became as used as much, if not more, than Latin.

During the period between 1538 and 1546, there was a lot of religious dispute between Catholics and Protestants. The Catholics wanted to retain their traditional practices and beliefs, whereas the Protestants believed in sola scriptura; that the Bible and other holy texts had supreme authority.

     Changes occurred in various categories throughout the whole council. One of the more dramatic changes that occurred in the church, is the vernacular used during mass. Until Vatican II, the mass had been traditionally spoken in Latin, but afterwards was allowed to be spoken in the

Latin was the primary vernacular of education during this time but most people did not know how to read Latin because it was an upper-class language. Since books could easily translated and printed from the printing press, people did not have to know how to read Latin and could be educated in their own language. The books that were copied also included the Bible. This book was now being printed in numerous vernaculars, which allowed common folk to read and interpret the Holy Book for themselves. Because the Bible was written in Latin, many people could read it but due to the expanded variety of languages, a lot more people could read the Bible without the need of a priest. This resulted in the new knowledge to common people that Jesus was not rich but just a common man (Six Hundred Years). All of this new knowledge allowed lower classed people to be eligible for better paying jobs and let them participate in

First to be discussed are the language barriers of the early Catholic Church. One of the largest causes of the reformation was the inability of most people to understand catholic

Martin Luther was the first person to translate the New Testament, and later the whole bible into German, the local language of the people. Before Luther translated the Bible, it was only meant to be read by the clergy. Luther wrote the bible in the language of the people so that they themselves could determine what Jesus taught and what would lead to salvation. This lead to a development within Christianity where it was no longer the Papacy and clergymen that completely controlled what was truth and what people should believe, but it was now up to the peoples interpretation on what they felt was truth and what they should believe according to the words of the bible. His version was followed by Protestant versions in other languages, especially the French, Dutch, and English. The Bible ceased to be a foreign book in a foreign tongue, and became naturalized, and hence far more clear and dear to the common people. Hereafter the Reformation depended no longer on the works of the Reformers, but on the book of God, which everybody could read for themselves as their daily guide in spiritual life. This inestimable

Language change happens every day. New words are constantly being added and new dialects are forming. People have always argued about the causes of language change and tried to control the changes that occurred but ultimately they accomplished nothing. Languages changes and spread as a result of the people who use it daily. African American English and California English are both examples of the different ways language can change. People try to resist the changes in their language because they do not want to see it change. Language change is a natural process that can be affected by others but never stopped. This course has done an excellent job explaining how language change starts and spreads.

English went on a long and vigorous adventure to have become the vast language that we know, speak and read today. In this essay, the differences and similarities between Old English and Modern English will be discussed by referring to an extract of Matthew 2: 4-10 from The Gospel of Saint Matthew in West Saxon: edited from the manuscripts by James Wilson Bright (1910:5-6). In the discussion there will be referred to the differences and similarities in orthography, spelling, vocabulary and syntax. Conclusions will also be made about the nature of these chances as they occurred in the adventure from Old English to Modern English.

Among the most important concepts to emerge are those relating to dialects and language standards. Sociolinguists have documented the presence of dialects in every language. These dialects, all of which are legitimate, are associated with educational, economic, social and historical conditions. Hence, even if an individual scrupulously studies all the possible dictionaries of a random language, he would still be somewhat of a stranger to that language since he is unaware of all the dialectal changes.

Non-standard dialects are regarded with contempt, mistreated as improper forms of a language. Linguists and researchers reported that speakers of minor varieties seem to form negative attitudes towards their culture, rating their own varieties badly and lacking respect for them (Lambert et al., 1960; Genesee & Holobow, 1989, as cited in Campbell-Kibler, 2011). With the fear of being prejudged, speakers of other dialects begin to feel inferior about their vernacular dialect and start to use the variety with higher status when they are surrounded by outsiders and they would employ their dialect again only if they are with their tribes (Petyt,

Think of things that morph over time. What comes to mind? People may think about a music artist’s change from YouTube videos recorded on iPhones to sold-out concerts. Or, they may think about the changes an athlete makes from childhood to becoming a professional athlete. However, did you think about how much a language changes over a couple of years? Every year words are added to and taken from the dictionary. Words are formed and forgotten. Language changes because of a person’s vocabulary and location, but what happens to a language, like the English language, that is spread across the whole world?