Modern English

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/modern-english

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the linguistic classification?West Germanic language, a descendant of Middle English
2. What is the global dissemination mechanism?Spread primarily through British colonization and subsequent global influence

Modern English: The stage of the English language that began with the Great Vowel Shift and continues to the present day.
Great Vowel Shift: A series of systematic changes in the pronunciation of English long vowels occurring between the 15th and 18th centuries.
Dialect: A regional or social variety of a language, characterized by distinct pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar.
Lingua Franca: A language adopted as a common medium of communication between speakers whose native languages are different.