The changes that have taken place in the English language subsequently to 1250 are by no means as striking as those which took place in the transitional period between 1066 and 1250. Some few inflections which the English of the 13th and 14th centuries still retained have now been dropped, but the chief change which the language has experienced consists in its gradual growth and expansion in obedience to the re quirements of advancing science, more compli cated social relations, and increased subtlety of thought. This growth has been going on at all times, but there are some periods which may be pointed out as more remarkable than others for the rapidity with which it proceeded. Such a period was the end of the 16th and the beg;n ning of the 17th century, the period of the Reformation and following the revival of learn ing, when numerous words of Latin origin were introduced by scholars directly from that lan guage, instead' of through the French, the chan nel through which most of the Latin words previously found in the language had come. Another such period is the present, when the rapid growth of the sciences already existing, and the creation of new sciences, have caused whole groups of words to be introduced, chiefly from the Greek.
It would scarcely be in plane here to discuss the various excellencies and defects of the Eng lish as compared with other languages, but we may mention the following as among the quali ties which the English language is generally allowed to possess. I. Strength and expressive ness,. adapting it admirably for poetical com position. 2. Copiousness, enhanced as shown under assimilation, by the extraordinary recep tivity of the language, that is, its capacity for adopting new words from all sources, and of naturalizing them at once, so that they may be treated without any appearance of strangeness entirely as native English words. 3. Simplicity in form and construction. 4. Great flexibility, or adaptability to all kinds of composition, the grave and gay, the impassioned and calm, forci ble and tender, sublime and ludicrous. 5. Power of assimilation, words being adapted from other languages, Italy, France, Spain, Hol land and distinctive terms originating in the American continent, all contributing to its rich and full expressiveness. The influence of Eng lish colonizing is seen in words borrowed from India, South Africa and other colonies.
In connection with the subject of the English language, we may here further observe, that England and the United States offer the first instance in history of two great, independent and active nations having a common language, but situated at a great distance from each other, and daily developing new and characteristic features. These relations must, sooner or later, exert a powerful influence upon the common language, for no language is so stable as not to undergo continual changes, if spoken by a peo ple in the full vigor of social and political life.
This state of things has already produced some effect on the English language. The most ma terial difference, probably, has been in the pro nunciation of the language, which, however important in our daily conversation, is of sec ondary importance in relation to the literature and written language of the two countries. It has often been observed by English travelers and others that the pronunciation of the United States is far more uniform than that of Eng land • and so nearly alike everywhere, that the people of any one town or district are perfectly understood in every other part of the country, which is not true of the lower ranks of Eng land. When considered more minutely, how ever, there has for a long time existed a marked distinction between the pronunciation of the New England and Southern States. Only in New England States is there what may be termed a distinctive dialect. It is noted by visitors to the United States, especially to New England, that many words and turns of expres sions, familiar to the England of Shakespeare, and which in their country of origin have either become obsolete or degraded into provincialisms, are living a full and vigorous life on this side of the Atlantic. The orthography of the Eng fish language has undergone no material change in America, it being the general inclination to follow that of the best English writers •of the age. Under the inspiration of the Simplified Spelling Board, President Roosevelt in August 1906 authorized the adoption by the public printer of about 300 amended spellings; but so great was the storm of criticism that the order was withdrawn except in so far as related to the correspondence of the White House.
The English language may be divided into five periods: 1. First Period 450-1100 A.D.
2. Second Period 1100-1250 A.D. • 3. Third Period 1250-1350 A.D.
4. Fourth Period 1350-1460 A.D.
5. Fifth Period 1460 A.D.—the present day.
In the first period (called also Anglo-Saxon or Old English, the language was inflectional; in the second it began to show a tendency to become analytic, the tendency increasing till in the fourth period inflections had virtually disap peared. Before the Norman Conquest there were two dialects in English, a southern and a northern, the former of which was the literary language. After the Conquest dialects became much more marked, so that we can distinguish three great varieties, the northern, the midland, and the southern, distinguished from each other by various grammatical differences. The mid land dialect—or rather the subdivision known as the east midland—was that most widely spread, and it ultimately became the standard language, a result principally due to the influence of Chau cer, and in a less degree of Wyclif, Gower and others. See DIALECT ; LANGUAGE, SCIENCE OF.