What Shakespeare's English Sounded Like - and how we know

Summary

This video explores how Shakespeare's original pronunciation (OP) differed from modern interpretations. The narrator shares a personal confession of not initially connecting with Shakespeare, but later discovering linguistic clues about how his works sounded in the early 1600s. From spelling quirks to vowel shifts, the video uncovers how dialects and rhymes evolved over time. It highlights the playful complexity of Shakespeare's syntax and how OP productions reveal unexpected dialects. Ultimately, the narrator encourages viewers to appreciate the historical richness of Shakespeare's language in its authentic form.

Takeaways

• 🎭 Shakespeare's original pronunciation (OP) didn't sound like modern British or American accents.
• 📜 The speaker admits to not enjoying Shakespeare initially and avoided it for years.
• 🔍 A stray remark about Shakespeare's accent led the speaker to explore the linguistic history of English.
• 📝 Shakespeare's poor spelling is evident in old versions of his work, like the 'Bad Quartos' and the First Folio.
• 📚 The Great Vowel Shift in English during Shakespeare's time dramatically altered pronunciation.
• 🗣️ Shakespeare's spelling often reflected Early Modern English, with examples like 'heare' instead of 'here'.
• 🎶 Many rhymes in Shakespeare's work no longer sound like rhymes due to language evolution.
• 🗣️ Shakespeare's name may have been pronounced differently, like 'shɛːkspiːr' or 'shɛːkspɛːr'.
• 🕵️‍♂️ Dialects today contain traces of older English pronunciation, closer to Shakespeare's time.
• 📜 Modern performances in Original Pronunciation (OP) reveal similarities to regional dialects.

Q & A

What is the script's main focus?

The script focuses on the differences between how Shakespeare's English sounded in his time (Original Pronunciation) and modern English, highlighting the linguistic shifts and how Shakespeare’s works were originally pronounced.

Why does the speaker mention 'theatre geeks' and 'British accents'?

The speaker mentions 'theatre geeks' and 'British accents' to contrast how Shakespeare's plays are often performed today with the historical reality that Shakespeare's English did not sound like modern British accents.

What was the speaker's initial attitude toward Shakespeare?

The speaker initially didn’t enjoy Shakespeare and found the language confusing, even preferring to study Greek literature like Homer instead.

How did spelling in Shakespeare's time differ from today?

Spelling in Shakespeare's time was less standardized. Words like 'frend' (friend) and 'digg' (dig) appeared, and older characters like the thorn (þ) were still in use. The spelling was inconsistent, even within the same text.

What is the Great Vowel Shift and how did it affect Shakespeare's English?

The Great Vowel Shift was a major change in English pronunciation that occurred from the 1400s to 1600s. It altered the way vowels were pronounced, shifting 'iː' to 'əi', 'eː' to 'iː', and 'oː' to 'uː', which impacted the way words rhymed and sounded in Shakespeare's plays.

What is meant by 'Original Pronunciation' (OP)?

Original Pronunciation (OP) refers to the way Shakespeare's plays were pronounced during his lifetime, around the early 1600s. It differs significantly from modern English and reflects the linguistic changes and vowel shifts of the time.

How do rhymes in Shakespeare's plays provide clues to pronunciation?

Many rhymes in Shakespeare's works no longer rhyme in modern English, but they did in his time. For example, 'pleadeth' rhymed with 'dreadeth', and 'her' rhymed with 'err'. These rhymes help linguists reconstruct how words were pronounced in the past.

What role do dialects play in understanding Shakespeare’s pronunciation?

Dialects from regions where English has retained older forms of pronunciation, such as undropped 'r's or unmerged 'meat' and 'meet', provide clues to how English sounded in Shakespeare's era.

What linguistic features were still present in Shakespeare's English that are not common today?

Shakespeare's English still used 'thou' and 'you' as distinct forms of address, with 'thou' being more informal. Verbs often ended in '-eth', such as 'hath' instead of 'has'. These features have largely disappeared in modern English.

What experiment did linguist David Crystal conduct with Shakespeare's plays?

David Crystal conducted an experiment by performing Shakespeare’s plays in Original Pronunciation (OP) at a reconstructed Globe Theatre. Audiences noticed that the pronunciation sounded familiar, often resembling modern dialects that retain older pronunciations.