ENG3701
Assignment 2 2025
Unique #:
Due Date: August 2025
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
+27 81 278 3372
, QUESTION 1
The introduction of the printing press played a major role in the development and
spread of the English language during the Early Modern English period. Invented by
Gutenberg in Germany in 1453 and brought to England by William Caxton in 1476,
the printing press made it easier and faster to produce books compared to manual
copying by scribes (Bragg 2003: 101–102). This led to an increase in the availability
of written material and helped spread the English language to wider audiences
across the country. Caxton chose to use the dialect spoken in London, which was
influenced by the Central and East Midlands dialects, as the basis for printing (Bragg
2003: 103; Crystal 1995: 54–55). This decision helped standardise English spelling
and grammar. Although not all features of Chancery Standard were kept, it still
influenced the form of English used in print (Crystal 1995: 41). The consistency in
spelling and grammar choices by printers, like those of the Chancery scribes, helped
form what became Standard English (Bragg 2003: 103). As printed English became
widely distributed, it began to replace regional varieties, helping English become
more uniform across England. The printing press, therefore, played a key role in
standardising and spreading English.
QUESTION 2
The Renaissance period played a key role in the development of the English
language. Between the mid-sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, over 10,000
new words were added to English (Bragg, 2003:117). This expansion was partly due
to increased sea travel and trade after 1588, which exposed English speakers to
new cultures and goods. Sailors and merchants brought back not only products but
also foreign terms, leading to borrowings from languages like Spanish, Portuguese,
Malay, Persian, and Turkish (Bragg, 2003:119). Another major influence was the
revival of classical learning. Scholars at Oxford and Cambridge reintroduced Latin
and Greek into academic and intellectual life. As interest in science, medicine, and
the arts grew, English scholars used Latin and Greek terms to name new discoveries
and ideas (Bragg, 2003:121-122). English was no longer limited to religious use but
began to rival Latin as a scholarly language (Crystal, 1995:61). Travelling nobility
and artists also contributed by bringing back European words, especially from Italy
Varsity Cube 2025 +27 81 278 3372
Assignment 2 2025
Unique #:
Due Date: August 2025
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
+27 81 278 3372
, QUESTION 1
The introduction of the printing press played a major role in the development and
spread of the English language during the Early Modern English period. Invented by
Gutenberg in Germany in 1453 and brought to England by William Caxton in 1476,
the printing press made it easier and faster to produce books compared to manual
copying by scribes (Bragg 2003: 101–102). This led to an increase in the availability
of written material and helped spread the English language to wider audiences
across the country. Caxton chose to use the dialect spoken in London, which was
influenced by the Central and East Midlands dialects, as the basis for printing (Bragg
2003: 103; Crystal 1995: 54–55). This decision helped standardise English spelling
and grammar. Although not all features of Chancery Standard were kept, it still
influenced the form of English used in print (Crystal 1995: 41). The consistency in
spelling and grammar choices by printers, like those of the Chancery scribes, helped
form what became Standard English (Bragg 2003: 103). As printed English became
widely distributed, it began to replace regional varieties, helping English become
more uniform across England. The printing press, therefore, played a key role in
standardising and spreading English.
QUESTION 2
The Renaissance period played a key role in the development of the English
language. Between the mid-sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, over 10,000
new words were added to English (Bragg, 2003:117). This expansion was partly due
to increased sea travel and trade after 1588, which exposed English speakers to
new cultures and goods. Sailors and merchants brought back not only products but
also foreign terms, leading to borrowings from languages like Spanish, Portuguese,
Malay, Persian, and Turkish (Bragg, 2003:119). Another major influence was the
revival of classical learning. Scholars at Oxford and Cambridge reintroduced Latin
and Greek into academic and intellectual life. As interest in science, medicine, and
the arts grew, English scholars used Latin and Greek terms to name new discoveries
and ideas (Bragg, 2003:121-122). English was no longer limited to religious use but
began to rival Latin as a scholarly language (Crystal, 1995:61). Travelling nobility
and artists also contributed by bringing back European words, especially from Italy
Varsity Cube 2025 +27 81 278 3372
