INTRODUCTION
The English language is the most widespread language in the world spanning every continent and extending to almost every nook and corner across the globe. From its humble beginnings as an Anglo-Saxon language it has become a vibrant language embracing and absorbing words and phrases from many foreign languages and this has gained wide popularity. However, greatly influenced by a large number of contributions from poets, playwrights, novelists and writers of various prose forms of the English language.
CHAUCER
One of the earliest people to influence the language was Geoffrey Chaucer born in 1342 who was considered a genius. His influence was considerable as he brought a tremendous variety of words in his work. He borrowed words…
Shakespeare was born on April in 1964. His plays and poems contain such riches and each generation is able to find new meaning in them. Many quotations from his plays have virtually become part of the bedrock of our language such as a ‘Vanish into thin air’, ‘The Queen’s English’ ‘It’s Greek to me’,‘Vanish into thin air and countless others. A vast number of expressions used in modern English came from Shakespeare. William Shakespeare showed a vast mastery of words. He thus influenced the English language in such great depth. Because he could formulate new words, which are popular. He also had to sustain an extensive vocabulary which is why he is often called a “man of word’. For his phrases to remain popular in today society, Shakespeare must have had extreme proficiency for the English language. No single person has ever contributed as much to the English language and in particular English literature as much as Shakespeare has…
But you wouldn’t have expected them to be made by the ladylike Jane Austen. The Oxford English Dictionary cited 321 phrases from her novel ‘ Emma’ written in 1815. It includes phrases such as ‘dinner party’ and ‘brace yourself’. Words of fun, wit and wisdom became popular in usage.
Others
Charles Dickens the greatest and most universally popular Victorian novelist brought into language words that were inventive, comic, and also of sombre power. The Pickwick Papers’ has tremendous humour and realistic language. Modern novelists such as EM Forster, DH Lawrence have also contributed much to the development of English and so have American writers like Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway and Harper Lee.
CONCLUSION
Thus, down the ages people have been inspired to put down in words their innermost feelings, thoughts and emotions in different forms such as verse and prose and in doing so coined new words that have been introduced into everyday language. Countless words, phrases, idioms and proverbs have thus helped to enrich the English language and will continue to do so for generations to…
