Modern english period

Late english period: The industrial revolution

• Until the early 18th century, people lived off the land and most people worked in agriculture. However, large developments in technology between c. 1760 and 1830 took Britain into an industrial revolution.
• The industrial revolution had a strong impact on the English language with many new words coined from these technological advancements. New words were invented to name new industrial techniques, machinery, products and technology.

Late modern english: The industrial revolution

• Some words that entered the language around this time include: electricity, camera, telegraph, pulley, train, engine, reservoir and combustion.
• New words also came about by using old words together in new ways to create a new meaning. For example: typewriter, horsepower, aeroplane and railway all arrived in Late Modern English.

Late modern english: The Advancement of Science

• In the 17th and 18th centuries, new scientific discoveries meant that more new words had to be invented to describe the new findings; many of the words of this industrial age were borrowed from Latin and Greek.
• Words borrowed from French, Latin or Spanish may have been already borrowed at a previous time in English language history, causing a new meaning and/or pronunciation to develop.
• For example, the word ‘chef’ and the word ‘chief’ are both borrowed from French. ‘Chef’ was borrowed by Late Modern English, whereas ‘chief’ came into the language during the time of Middle English. This is why the same root has resulted in two distinct words with different meanings in English today.

Late modern english: Greek and LatIn Roots

• Many of the new words that came into the English language during the scientific revolution have a Latin or Greek root. For example: ‘oxygen’, ‘nuclear’ and ‘vaccine’.
• New words also came from the field of medicine, such as ‘ambulance’, which has a French root but was originally derived from Latin.
• We can see the influence of classical languages on new vocabulary today used in the world of science and computers, including ‘byte’, ‘micro’ and ‘cyber’.