Final Prezi Presentation for Shakespearean Language
                    By: Yolanda Pena and Brianna Harris


https://prezi.com/tkjrpe_3vuqo/shakespearean-language/#

Final Project Source Summary 3:  Shakespeare

The Necessary Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington.  3^rd ed.  New York:  Pearson/Longman, 2009.

In the Introduction under “Shakespeare’s Language”, Bevington states that when 

Shakespeare wrote his plays and poems the language of English was transitioning from Middle English to modern English and that is why Shakespeare’s English is referred to Early Modern English since it is closer to modern English.  Shakespeare used words that we have lost like:  “he hath” was replaced with “he has”, “thou art” with “you are”, “I would thou wert” with “I wish you would”, “How camest thou” with “How did you come”, they are still familiar to us but no longer used.  There are also linguistic signals he used to express respect, for example parents addressed their children as “thee” and “thou” while children showed respect by using the more formal “you”.  Shakespeare also used colloquial expressions that have changed over time.  The phrase “Marry, come up, I trow” in Romeo and Juliet means something like “Goodness gracious, what’s all this fuss about?”.  “Marry” is also a mild oath, originally meaning “By the Virgin Mary”.  He also used “by the rood” which meant “by Christ’s cross”, “by my halidom” which meant “by all things holy”, “now by my maidenhead at twelve year old” meant “now by the virginity I still had when I was twelve years old”.  It’s important to be familiar with these colloquial expressions and linguistic signals when reading Shakespeare’s plays so that we can understand them better.

Final Project Source Summary 1 and 2:  Shakespeare

 

Savino, Jennifer Ann. "The Shakespeare In All Of Us: A Monumental, Multitudinous, Premeditated Approach To Vocabulary Instruction." Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 54.6 (2011): 445-453. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

 

In her article Savino tells us that words empower and enable us to speak, read, and write effectively.  She states that like Shakespeare we can all take apart and reunite words to invent our own words.  We can all become wordsmiths!  Shakespeare coined together words like: monumental, multitudinous, and premediated.  Savino’s article is excellent for teachers since she gives us different activities for teacher of K-12 to put together for their students in order to enhance their vocabulary and their passion for words.  Students acquire about 3,000 words per year and by 8^th grade they have learned about 25,000 words.  Activities like:  Word Log, to keep a journal of all words that have some kind of impact on them; Vocabulary Theater, a game like charades using words; Picture It!, where students represent words with pictures; Word Inventions, where students combine words to invent their own word and many other games/activities to help students.  Savino states that the “[d]evelopment of thinking skills through appropriate vocabulary instruction can make students scrupulous word analysts, wordsmiths, and language aficionado.” (446)

 

Interesting Facts:  17 Words Shakespeare Invented

https://youtu.be/tcZp30snb5A

 

This YouTube video gives us 17 words Shakespeare invented and it also gives us the name of the comedy, tragedy, etc., it comes from along with the Part, Act, and Scene number.  The words circumstantial, puke, and bedazzled come from As You Like It.  The words champion and assassination come from Macbeth.  The words swagger and eyeball come from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  The word laughable comes from The Merchant of Venice.  The word accused comes from The Tragedy of King Richard the Second.  The word bloodstain comes from Titus Andronicus.  The word cold-blooded comes from King John.  The words torture, Olympian, and worthless come from Henry VI.  The word fashionable comes from Troilus and Cressida.  The word arch-villain comes from Timon of Athens.  And the word frugal comes from The Merry Wives of Windsor.

                                    Project Proposal: Shakespearean Language
    

For the final project, Brianna Harris and I are going to explore the words and phrases invented by Shakespeare. Shakespeare invented nearly 2,000 words that we still use regularly today such as eyeball, assassination, bedroom, etc. Brianna and I hope to explore the evolution of these words and how Shakespeare used them throughout his plays. Moreover, we plan to discuss some interesting facts about Shakespearean language, such as why exactly we give him credibility for these words.

We plan to present this material through either a Power Point or Prezi presentation with the use of images and videos to reinforce our ideas. 

 

                                                 William Shakespeare

Yolanda Pena

Linguistics
Dr. Walts
24 April 2015

Episode 55:  To Be or Not To Be

Old Eng. grammar has survived into modern Eng., can be found in Shakespeare & King James Bible.  Eg.:  THOU ART & HE DOTH

Old Eng. Verbs (died out) still familiar to modern Eng. Speakers.  TO BE & NOT (negative)

 Shakespeare (verb forms):  lady doth (does)  /  He hath (has) / that doth (does)

King James Bible (verb forms):  charity suffereth (suffers)  / charity envieth (envies) not

Verb forms have changed due to Viking influence.

THOU= Old Eng. pronoun inherited from Anglo-Saxons. The 2^nd person YOU & 3^rd person HE, SHE, IT forms of Old Eng. survived all the way to Modern Eng.

THOU = singular form / YOU = Plural form. Shakespeare used THOU/YOU Both Ways.

3^rd person ending of (TH) was replaced with (S) ending:  he leadeth = he leads / hath = has.

The (S) ending may have come from Vikings around 900.   (TH) ending & THOU ended after Shakespeare.  YOU (replaced THOU) it was socially neutral & easy to use.

Modern verb (TO BE) = Viking influence.  TO BE when conjugated is AM, IS, ARE, WAS, WERE, BEEN, & BEING.

Singular = WAS / Plural = WERE same as Old Eng., but (YOU WAS) was common usage for (one person) until 1800’s then it became nonstandard speech.

I BE / HE BE / SHE BE / WE BE /THEY BE was used by Anglo-Saxons & is still used in African-American Vernacular Eng. in U.S.

I BE = (I AM), YOU BE = (YOU ARE), etc.  (AM/IS) have Endo European Roots.

(AM/IS/ARE) are now used same as in Old & Middle Eng.

ARE = Viking  /  ART = Anglo-Saxon.  THOU ART = disappeared / YOU ARE took over.

THEY ARE = Viking influence which has survived in our modern Eng.

Very Irregular Verb:  TO BE & TO GO since they change forms too much.

NOT turns verbs Negative.  Old Eng. (NAY).  NAY EVER = NEVER / NAY ONE = NONE / NOT ONE THING = NOTHING.

AIN’T = AM NOT was common in 1700’s & in 1800’s AIN’T was gone & not coming back.

Double Negatives = Improper Sentences (2 Negatives cancel each other out)

Eg.:  I did not get nothing.  Beowulf, Chaucer, Shakespeare used double/triple/quadruple negatives in a sentence BUT in the Renaissance w/rise of logic & mathematical equations, double negatives were to be avoided.

Double Negatives are still used for (emphasis) since language is not always logical but a form of emotion & emotional speakers keep bringing it back.    

http://historyofenglishpodcast.com/2014/12/30/episode-55-to-be-or-not-to-be/

 

Yolanda Pena

Linguistics

Dr. Walts

16 March 2015

Biography of the Word “Hallelujah”

            I decided to do my biography of a word project on the Hebrew word “hallelujah”.  As a Christian we often use the word not just in church but in everyday life as a means to praise God for something good that has happened to us.  I also have noticed that this word although is mainly used by people of the faith of Judaism and Christianity, it is also commonly used by many others from different religions as well as those without any religious background. 

In researching my word I noticed that in the majority of my sources the meaning and definition of the word did not vary, much.  For example, according to the Oxford English Dictionary the word “hallelujah” comes from:  “Etymology:  < Hebrew hallĕlū-yāh ‘praise (ye) Jah (= Jehovah)’; the verb is the imperative plural of hallēl.”  In searching the word in the Webster’s dictionary the meaning was also very similar.  According to the Webster’s dictionary the etymology is “Hebrew hallĕlūyāh praise (ye) the Lord, Date: 14^th century, used to express praise, joy, or thanks.  Main Entry:  hallelujah, Function:  noun, Date:  13th century,  

:  a shout or song of praise or thanksgiving.”  The word is derived from another Hebrew word “hallel” and when I searched the word “hellel” in the The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, “Hallel (Heb. “praise”).  A name given by the Jews to Pss. 113-18, and less frequently to other groups of Pss.  Between 104 and 150.  Pss. 113-18 were also sometimes called the ‘Egyptian Hallel’, from the tradition that they were sung during the killing of the *Passover lambs.  They were recited at all the principal Jewish festivals, and may have been the hymn sung by Christ and the Apostles after the *Last Supper (Mt. 26.30).  The title, the ‘Great Hallel”, was used esp. of Ps. 136.”  Therefore the word “hallel” dates back to the Bible’s Old Testament Psalms which date back to the reign of King David the King of Israel.  Many of the Psalms have been credited to King David who lived c.1040- c. 970 BCE.  There is also reference that the “hallel” dates back to the time of Moses from the first five books of the Bible, dating back to the first Passover when the children of Israel were liberated from slavery out of Egypt.

            The word “hallelujah” also has many variations of how it is written and/or pronounced.  Some of the spellings are:  halleluiah, hallelujah, alleluia, halleluyah, and hallelujah.  These alternative forms of the word “hallelujah” have to do mainly with how different people pronounce the word.  They write the word according to the pronunciation.  The only word which is the Greek form of the Hebrew work “hallelujah” is the word “alleluia”.  According to the Compact Bible Dictionary “alleluia [al e LOO yuh] (praise the Lord).  A Greek form of the Hebrew word Hallelujah used to express joy, praise, and thanksgiving.  The words “Praise the Lord,” found often in the Psalms, is a translation of the Hebrew Hallelujah.”  Therefore the Hebrew word “hallelujah” is found twenty-four times in the book of Psalms 111-117 and also 145-150 in the Hebrew Bible.  These Psalms either start or end the Psalm with the word “hallelujah”.  The Greek word “alleluia” is found four times in the Book of Revelation in the Greek translation of the Bible. 

            In modern English we use the word “hallelujah” as a way to express joy and excitement when something good happens to us.  For example, if someone has been looking for a job for a long time and finally gets their dream job, it is common to respond with “hallelujah!”  This for many people of faith can be a way to express thanksgiving to God for the new job, but a non-religious person can also respond with “hallelujah” as a way to express joy and happiness for the dream job they have been hoping for, and not necessarily as a thanksgiving to God but just as a common expression.  The word has also been used in many songs throughout the centuries.  The most common oratorio which has been performed by many orchestras and choirs is George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” commonly referred to as “Handel – Messiah” and/or “Hallelujah Chorus”.  Handel wrote this oratorio in 1741.  It is performed every year on Christmas by many church choirs since it is considered one of the best-known choral works.  My husband and I are members of our church choir and our choir and orchestra performs this piece every year for our Christmas Concert as an expression of praise and adoration to God. 

            Therefore, the word “hallelujah” is an expression of thanksgiving and praise to God and although it is sometimes used as a way to express joy and thanksgiving for something expected, it is usually used as a form of adoration to God.  Even in slang and swearing dictionaries the word appears as an expression of praise to God.  It is no wonder the word “hallelujah” is a word that is derived from the Bible especially the Book of Psalms which is an expression of praise and thanksgiving to Yahweh/Jehovah/God/Lord, the different names given to the God of the Bible.

                                                                  Bibliography

Cross, F. L., and Elizabeth A. Livingstone. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.

            London: Oxford UP, 1974. Print.

Home:  Oxford English Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2015.

https://books.google.com

https:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallelujah

http://www.etymoline.com/index.php?term=hallelujah

The Encyclopaedia Britannica. A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General

            Information. 11th Edition.. Eleventh ed. Vol. 12. Cambridge: UP, 1910. Print.

Youngblood, Ronald F., F. F. Bruce, and R. K. Harrison. Compact Bible Dictionary. Nashville,

 TN: Nelson Reference & Electronic, 2004. Print.

"Webster's Third New International Dictionary." TheFreeDictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 01

            Mar. 2015.