The History of English Podcast Episode 163: An Elementary Education
Nov 9, 2022
Explore the changing perception of English in the Elizabethan period and the advocacy of Richard Mulcaster for standardizing English spelling. Learn about the impact of John Lily on English literature and the evolving attitudes towards the English language. Discover the origins of the word 'hiccup' and delve into Maulcaster's spelling system and reforms.
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English Gains Cultural Confidence
- By the 1580s many scholars began to view English as equal to Latin and Greek rather than a rustic vernacular.
- This shift encouraged formal study, standardization, and new literary styles that expanded English's expressive range.
John Lyly's Yifuism Captures Readers
- John Lyly's novels Yifuis and Yifuis and His England became hugely popular and influenced later writers including Shakespeare.
- They introduced memorable phrases and a prose style called 'Yifuism' that blended poetic devices into ordinary speech.
Poetic Prose Expands English Style
- Lyly's prose fused poetic devices like balanced contrasts and alliteration into ordinary speech, creating a refined literary register.
- This hybrid style demanded a broader vocabulary drawn from multiple registers, stretching English's expressive capacity.