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SCRIPT TRANSLATION: FROM STEINBECK TO SHAKESPEARE

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SCRIPT TRANSLATION: FROM STEINBECK TO SHAKESPEARE

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SCRIPT 2: Steinbeck Quote

MODERN DAY/ "STEINBECK" VERSION

I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists.

Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.

SHAKESPEARE VERSION

I has't cometh to believeth that a most wondrous teacher is a most wondrous artist
and that thither art as few as thither art any other most wondrous artists.

Teaching might coequal beest the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.

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- Performance Task Video: Renaissance Remix

- Script Translation: Comparing the language of Shakespeare to that of Steinbeck

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http://www.renfaire.com/Language/vocab.html

http://www.renfair.com/socal/join/languageguide.asp

http://www.museangel.net/speak.html

http://www.studyenglishtoday.net/english-language-history.html

http://www.thehistoryofenglish.com/timeline.html

http://www.shmoop.com/shakespeare-translator/

ALSO (various youtube clips of movies included in the Renaissance Remix)

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SCRIPT TRANSLATION: FROM SHAKESPEARE TO STEINBECK 

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SCRIPT TRANSLATION: FROM SHAKESPEARE TO STEINBECK 

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SCRIPT 1: Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene

SHAKESPEARE VERSION

Juliet: O Romeo. Romeo! Wherefore art tho Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name.

Or, if it wilt not, be but sworn my love

And I'll no longer be a Capulet

MODERN DAY/ "STEINBECK" VERSION

Juliet: Romeo! Where are you?

Who cares about your dad and family name.

Tell me you love me.

I will drop my family for you!

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The history of the English language clearly connects to our daily life in more ways than one. The simplest representation of English in our modern lives is the verbal use of the language. The pronunciation, vocabulary, definitions, grammatical rules, and spellings all apply to way we use the language today. Many of the words and phrases created by Shakespeare are commonly used, and his plays are widely studied. Aside from studying Shakespeare, students and English enthusiasts take interest in the works of popular renaissance authors such as Francis Bacon, Thomas More, James Shirley, John Webster and Thomas Wyatt. Elizabethan English connects to today in the way that renaissance literature is translated, as seen our script translation below. In creative ways, we connected Elizabethan English to our daily lives by creating our very own timeline and a graphic organizer. Timelines and graphic organizers are used by many to comprehend information and details. Today, we use timelines to organize information. Creating a timeline helped us to organize vital events which added to the development of the English language. Aside of timelines, graphic organizers have become a huge part of the way we process and comprehend information in history.

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Based on the Open Letter (SUMMARY)

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Renaissance Remix - Rebecca and Emilie - Period 2

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TIMELINE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT RENAISSANCE

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TIMELINE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT RENAISSANCE

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Our personal timeline! Click to view in larger window!

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OPEN LETTER: ELIZABETHAN ENGLISH SUMMARY 

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OPEN LETTER: ELIZABETHAN ENGLISH SUMMARY 

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Today the Open Letter brings you a summary and history of Elizabethan English during the Renaissance!

The development of the English language stemmed from the violent and devastating Black Death. Although the Plague caused suffering for many Europeans, after the plague, the English-speaking people developed economic and social importance that ended the disparity between nobility and commoners. Since the language barrier was no longer a separation factor, Middle-English became the official language. English was so widely used that in 1362 it became the official language used in courts and parliaments. Edward III, who was king at the time, created a mental shift by speaking to the parliament in English.

Following this impacting moment was another major change. Texts written in Middle English became more and more popular, allowing English literature to flourish. In the early 1380’s a man named Geoffrey Chaucer began writing “Canterbury Tales”. Chaucer’s work reflected the artistic validity of Middle English which is why his work is considered one of the first great pieces of English literature. Chaucer introduced 2,000 new words to the language that were used in 14th century London and stilled used today. English, becoming so popular, replaced Latin as the main language in schools in 1385.

In 1450 the most effective change in the English language took place. The Great Vowel Shift which was a major change in the pronunciation of English words that marked the transition from Middle English to Early Modern English. The Great Vowel Shift is responsible for the change in the sounds of long vowels in words. Vowels in Middle English had values similar to those in the Spanish and Latin. However, after the Great Vowel Shift, the two long vowels became vowel breaking, meaning, the pronunciation of words was affected by other sounds that were pronounced. While short vowels were unaffected by the change, the Great Vowel Shift changed the English language significantly.

After the great vowel shift in 1450, the start of the English Renaissance 50 years later brought a new wave of English vocabulary advancements and changes. This period of time, often referred to as “The Elizabethan Era” and “Age of Shakespeare”, mainly relied on Latin, Greek and French is the education systems. However, as thousands of English words became known and introduced, the other languages became less dependent. Nevertheless, many Latin and Greek words became more popular during this time, and an entire category of words ending in the Greek suffixes “-ize” and “-ism” were introduced. Old English words were resurrected and throughout the English Renaissance, the English language became the language of learning; thus becoming just as, if not more popular than the classical languages prospering during this time. Obviously, English changed for the better, thanks to multiple scholars dedicated to the language during this time.

Following the start of the English Renaissance, Robert Cawdrey contributed to the development of the language in 1604, when he published the first English dictionary, “A Table Alphabeticall”. As a school teacher, Cawdrey was able to provide information on 2,543 new, old, and difficult words. Although the validity of his words and their “correct” spelling was questionable, his small book was still a huge advancement to the development and changing of the English language. “A Table Alphabeticall” was the very first English dictionary, which inspired other writers and scholars after Cawdry to create more dictionaries and grammar guides. Aside from Cawdrey’s dictionary, one of the most influential guides created in the Renaissance was Samuel Johnson’s “Dictionary of the English Language”. Unlike Cawdrey’s book, Johnson’s dictionary was extremely reliable despite it being very opinionated, with jokey or politically motivated definitions. Johnson even went so far as to omit words he simply did not like or considered vulgar. Yet despite it’s inconsistencies, the “Dictionary of the English Language” was an impressive academic achievement with 43,000 words, spellings, and definitions. Samuel’s major contribution to the English language remained the preeminent English dictionary for 150 years until the “Oxford English Dictionary” was published and widely comprehended.

This intense and productive development of the English language led to the beginning of the Golden Age of English Literature. During this age, an estimated 12,000 new words were created and used. Many scientists and scholars began using the native language for writing, further decreasing the use of Latin and Greek. Poets experimented with different poetic forms and playwrights produced numerous plays. The language formed dialects for different classes, and although certain dialects were frowned upon, many dialect words were favored in the rising theatre industry. The English language was clearly influenced by the theatre, but no man changed English more significantly than William Shakespeare. Shakespeare began writing his earliest plays in 1590 and is widely regarded as the greatest writer of the English language. “The Bard”, as he is sometimes referred to, used his impressively large vocabulary and the flexibility of the language’s grammar rules to create up to 2,000 new words for his plays and scripts. Many of his words are popularly used today, just as many of the phrases he created are used in everyday speech. Laughing stock, love is blind, it’s Greek to me, and cold comfort, are all phrases accredited to Shakespeare; and his list of invented words include radiance, majestic, countless, excellent, gloomy, and lonely. Aside from his distinct words, Shakespeare used a distinct pattern of speech known as iambic pentameter. The structure of his sentences is widely known as Elizabethan English, and greatly contrasts pronunciations and word use of today’s time. Enjoy our performance task to hear differences between our language and that of Shakespeare!

Best Wishes, Rebecca and Emilie