Modern English is the term used for the contemporary use of the English language. In terms of historical
linguistics, it covers the
English language after the
Middle English period; that is, roughly, after the
Great Vowel Shift. Despite some differences in vocabulary, material from the early
16th century, such as the works of
William Shakespeare and the
King James Bible, is considered to be in Modern English, or more specifically, they are referred to as
Early Modern English[?], and most people who are fluent in the English of the early 21st century can read these books with little difficulty.
- instability of (SAMPA) /E:/ with varying, semi-random results, causing meat, bread, and steak no longer to rhyme.
- (Southern England, after 1700): /æ/ (/{/) -> /a/ before /f, s, th, z, v/ alone or preceded by /n/: bath -> bawth &c.
- (Southern England, after 1800): intervocalic /t/ -> glottal stop; /bo`@l/ for bottle
- (Southern England, after 1850): loss of /o:/, replaced by /@u/; cf. southern English v. North American pronunciation of boat.
- varying degree of prestige of Southern English changes in North America; some are imitated in North America, but most changes fail to penetrate past East Coast.
- (North America, after 1750): loss of distinction between /a/ and /O/; father and bother rhyme;
- (North America, after 1800): intervocalic /t/ -> /d/; ladder and latter sound very similar or identical, distinguished perhaps by degree of aspiration of consonant.
- (Scotland, parts of North America, date uncertain): /ai, au/ -> /@i, @u/ before voiced consonants; house (unvoiced) has a different diphthong from houses (voiced).
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