Question

Thousands of words were introduced to the English language during the Elizabeth age. How were the new words developed

Answer 1

The English language expanded during the Elizabethan era with the help of playwrights like William Shakespeare, who created new words using various linguistic techniques. Dictionaries evolved to document these changes, ensuring effective communication and the adaptability of English as a global language.

Step-by-step explanation:

Development of New Words in the English Language During the Elizabethan Era

During the Elizabethan era, particularly in the 16th and 17th centuries, the English language saw a significant expansion. Playwrights like William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe were instrumental in this linguistic growth, introducing upwards of 1,700 new words. These words were crafted through various methods such as borrowing from other languages, compounding existing words, changing nouns into verbs, and even inventing entirely new words.

The introduction of new concepts and the influence of other languages, coupled with the creativity of writers, fueled the evolution of the English dictionary. Dictionaries are necessary to document these changes and provide a reference for the correct usage of words. Over time, as societies evolve, language keeps pace, reflecting new realities like the development of technology in the modern era, leading to terms such as “e-mail” and “Internet”.

The English dictionary has evolved through its editions to include new words and exclude obsolete ones, offering users an up-to-date vocabulary. This process ensures that effective communication is maintained, allowing English to adapt and thrive as a global language, especially following the rise of the United States as a cultural and technological superpower after World War II.

Answer 2

New words were presumably developed ( and this may not be so due to lack of documentation) by noticing that there was not a word for an adjective, action, or noun, and this remedied that. There were also new inventions and scientific discoveries in the Elizabethan era, ( though not as much as in the Renaissance) and therefore these discoveries required more words to be added to the dictionaries, once proven.