Renaissance and the English Language,

             The Renaissance was a great cultural and intellectual movement that began in Europe in the fourteenth century and reached England mainly during the sixteenth century. The word Renaissance means “rebirth.” It refers to the revival of interest in the learning, literature, art, philosophy and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. The Renaissance brought a new spirit to England. People began to move away from the narrow medieval outlook and developed greater interest in human life, knowledge, science, exploration, art and individual freedom. These changes had a deep influence on the English language. The English language became richer, more flexible and more suitable for expressing new ideas.

            One of the most important features of the Renaissance was the revival of Greek and Latin learning. Scholars studied the works of ancient writers such as Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Cicero and Ovid. As English writers and scholars became familiar with classical literature, they needed new words to express new ideas. Consequently, a large number of Latin and Greek words entered English. Words such as education, demonstrate, illustrate, existence, philosophy, democracy, temperature, encyclopedia, etc., became part of English vocabulary. Thus, the Renaissance greatly enlarged the vocabulary of English.

            The large-scale borrowing of words from Latin and Greek led to a debate known as the Inkhorn Controversy. Some writers believed that English should freely borrow words from classical languages because it would make English richer and more capable of expressing difficult ideas. Others thought that writers were using too many foreign words and making English unnecessarily complicated. Despite the controversy, many Renaissance borrowings became permanent parts of the English language.

            The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in Europe and its introduction into England by William Caxton in 1476 had a revolutionary effect on English. Before printing, books had to be copied by hand. They were expensive and available to relatively few people. Printing made books cheaper and allowed them to be produced in large numbers. The printing press helped spread knowledge, increase literacy, popularise literature, establish more regular spelling, and spread particular forms of English. It therefore played an important role in the development of Standard English.

            The Renaissance was an age of curiosity and discovery. People became interested in science, medicine, geography, astronomy, philosophy, politics, art and literature. New ideas required new words. English therefore borrowed words from many languages, especially Latin, Greek, Italian and French. Many words connected with art, science, education and intellectual life entered English during this period; for example, architecture, artistic, encyclopedia, experiment, anatomy, emphasis, critic, literary.  The vocabulary of English became much broader than before.

            The Renaissance was an international movement. England had close contact with other European countries, and English borrowed words from several languages. Italian contributed words connected with art, music and culture, such as opera, balcony, piano, solo, and sonnet.  French continued to contribute words related to society, politics and culture. Spanish and other European languages also contributed some vocabulary. Thus, Renaissance English became a cosmopolitan language.

            The Renaissance produced some of the greatest writers in English literature. William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser, Sir Philip Sidney and Ben Jonson helped develop English as a powerful literary language. Shakespeare especially demonstrated the enormous flexibility of English. He used ordinary words, borrowed words, old expressions and newly formed words to express a wide range of emotions and ideas. The language of Renaissance literature became rich, expressive, imaginative, flexible and powerful.

            Shakespeare occupies a very important place in the history of English. His plays and poems show how flexible English had become during the Renaissance. He created and popularised many expressions and used language creatively. He made extensive use of metaphors, similes, wordplay, puns, contrasts, new expressions and dramatic dialogue. His works helped demonstrate that English could express complex philosophical ideas as well as ordinary human emotions.            

            Another important feature of the Renaissance was the translation of Greek and Latin works into English. Scholars translated important works of philosophy, history, poetry, science and religion. Translation introduced many new concepts and expressions into English. It also helped English develop the vocabulary necessary for serious intellectual writing.

            During the medieval period, Latin had a very important position in education and scholarship. During the Renaissance, however, English gradually became more important as a language of literature and intellectual expression. Writers began to believe that English could be used for serious subjects.  English was therefore no longer considered merely a language for ordinary conversation.

            The Renaissance was strongly influenced by Humanism. Humanists placed greater emphasis on human beings, their abilities, education and experience. This new way of thinking produced new subjects and new forms of expression. Writers became interested in: individual personality, human emotions, ambition, love, beauty, power, knowledge and human nature. The English language became an important instrument for exploring these subjects.

            The Renaissance encouraged people to express their individual thoughts and experiences. This can be clearly seen in poetry. Poets such as Sir Thomas Wyatt, Henry Howard, Edmund Spenser and Sir Philip Sidney experimented with new poetic forms. The sonnet, for example, became extremely popular in England. This encouraged English writers to experiment with rhythm, rhyme, vocabulary and poetic expression.      

            The Renaissance also contributed to the gradual development of Standard English. The printing press played an important role in this process. When books were printed for large numbers of readers, certain forms of spelling and grammar became more widely accepted. The London dialect became particularly influential because London was the political, economic and cultural centre of England. However, standardisation was a gradual process and was not completed during the Renaissance itself.

            The Renaissance period also witnessed important changes in the pronunciation of English. The most significant was the Great Vowel Shift, a major series of changes in the pronunciation of long vowels. These changes gradually transformed the sound of English and helped create the pronunciation system of Modern English. Thus, Renaissance English was not only different from Old English in vocabulary; its sound system was also changing.

            The Renaissance was a turning point in the history of the English language. The revival of classical learning, the invention of printing, the growth of education, the expansion of literature and contact with other European languages greatly changed English. Thousands of new words entered the language, English literature reached new heights, and writers such as Shakespeare, Marlowe, Spenser and Sidney showed the expressive power of English. The printing press helped spread books and encouraged the gradual development of standard forms of English. In simple words, the Renaissance transformed English from a mainly medieval language into a rich, powerful and flexible language capable of expressing the new ideas of the modern world.