The innovation of the printing press has influenced many languages and made communication more direct and systematic. With the rise of printing and knowledge in the 15th century through the 18th century, the English Language was set for change and standardization. Up until this time in history, English speakers varied in many dialects even on the small British Isles. Because communication between provinces increased and the advent of printing, people became more literate and more books were available.
Before printing, books were copied by hand. But since the printing press the quantity and variety of books published increased. This new source of knowledge made books more readily available to the upper class and eventually extended to the lower classes, thus increasing literacy throughout the English speaking populace.
William Caxton the First English Printer
William Caxton is the first printer to print in the English language. Although not a literary scholar, Caxton had a passion for books and painstakingly learned the art of printing while living in Cologne, France from 1470-1472. After successfully learning the trade of print master, Caxton opened a press in Brugge, France where the first book in the English language was printed entitled, “The Recuyell of 
the Historyes of Troye.” This work is an original translation from French done by Caxton himself. A few years later, Caxton set up his press in Westminster, England, becoming the first printer in England. Among the first books printed in England were Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Caxton’s, The Golden Legend (translated from Latin), and The Book of the Knight in the Tower (Caxton’s translation from French). Many of Caxton’s works are translations from French or Latin demonstrating the closeness of these languages. Such language contact exemplifies proto-English Renaissance tendencies to study and imitate Classical styles as well as the innovation and borrowing heavily from French that began much earlier during the Normand conquest. (Caxton 1)
Le Morte Darthur
Le Morte Darthur is clearly one of Caxton’s greater successes because of its appeal to the public audience. Printed in 1485, Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur captured the legendary tales that the English and Welsh knew so well (Arthurian Legend 1). Le Morte Darthur also introduced a large variety of new vocabulary to the English lexicon (see Table 1). Among these words many are still used today in Modern English while others are no longer in present day use. So not only the story continues to be widely known amongst English speakers, they also continue to use some of the words that came to be by the publication of Malory’s work. For example, the adjective “communal” is presently fairly common along with “question” as a verb. Other words like “man-handle” have been widely adopted by popular culture while others such as “pike” as a verb are no longer commonly in use or known. A brief list of selected words is provided in Table 1.
Table 1: New words first recorded in Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur. (See Oxford English Dictionary Online)
| Word | Definition | Approximate Date |
| Communal, adj. | Common, unanimous | a 1470 |
| Ladyless, adj | Without a lady or ladies; (also) having no lady-love | a 1470 |
| Malfortune, n | misfortune | a 1470 |
| Manhandle, v | To attack (an enemy). More generally: to handle roughly; to assault, maul, or beat up (a person; spec. a woman). | a 1470 |
| Menkind, n | With pl. concord. The male sex collectively; the men of a particular group | a 1470 |
| Mother’s son, n | A man (with general application). Chiefly in every mother's son: every man, everyone. | a 1470 |
| Multiplier, n | A person who or thing which multiplies or causes something to increase or proliferate. | a 1470 |
| Open-mouthed, adj | Having the mouth open to speak; speaking freely, clamorous, vociferous. | a 1470 |
| Overgarment, n | A garment worn over others; an outer garment. | a 1470 |
| Overlong, prep. | Along, over the length of | a 1470 |
| Pike, v | To make off with oneself; to hasten off, go away | a 1470 |
| Questing, n | The action of QUEST v.1 1 (in various senses); an instance of this. | a 1470 |
| Questing, adj | That quests (in various senses of the verb). | a 1470 |
| Question, v | To ask questions of; to hold a conversation with; (also) to discuss or debate with. | a 1470 |
| Rail, v | To complain persistently or vehemently about, against, at, | a 1470 |
| Railing, adj | Characterized by or given to railing; that rails; abusive, ranting, complaining. | a 1470 |
Arthurian Legend
The history of the Arthurian legend also helps depict the evolving nature of the English language. As with the English language, the Arthurian legend has roots in the Celtic regions. The legend can be traced back to Wales in the 11th century. Later it became known to Europeans when Geoffrey of Monmouth compiled Historia regum Britanniae which professes to be a history of the British Isles although clearly with some exaggeration. This contact with the rest of Europe is much like the contact the English language encountered with the Norman Conquest in the early 11th century and increasing communication with the countries on the Continent. Just as the English language underwent intense French influence, so did the Arthurian legend when Frenchman, Chretien de Troyes took the Celtic traditions and created his Arthurian romances that added t
he characters Lancelot and Merlin plus the mystery of the Holy Grail to the legend. These additions to the legend parallel the addition of new French lexicon and syntactic structure to the English language. Eventually, Sir Thomas Malory compiled the French and English versions of the legend into his English work, Le Morte Darthur in the late 15th century. (Arthurian Legend 1)
The legend of King Arthur and his knights continues into modern literary works and entertainment media. Many screen plays have been based off this legend including a musical by Alan Lerner called Camelot (1960) and Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) a satirical work (Arthurian Legend 1). There is even a pizza restaurant named and themed after the story as “Round Table Pizza.” Also many versions and translations of Malory’s original text have been and continue to be printed. These fun and adventurous tales continue to be appealing to a wide audience (Creswick and Spisak).
Printing’s Influence on Standardization of the English Language
Early printing faced many problems when printing books for English speakers. First, the many dialects made it difficult to know which spellings would be most acceptable and widely known. Eventually, with the large efforts of printing, in one form or another, the English language became more standardized. Although many might think that the authors themselves promoted the changes to spellings and syntax, “It is crucial to understand that early modern printers […] did not follow the spellings of their copies” (Howard-Hill 16). Instead, printers implemented their own spellings and did not copy the author’s text. In this way, it was the printers’ decisions of spellings that brought about such standardization not the authors. These printers led a movement that “had begun to influence the development of spellings towards the modern standard” and Le Morte Darthur was at the very beginnings of this movement (Howard-Hill 17). Because of all the many dialects such standardization was necessary as commerce and education began to spread and intermix between Northern and Southern England.
As the printing industry grew more and more literary books were printed as well as dictionaries, grammars, and commentaries on English as a language. Although, Caxton did not live to see much of this influence, by being the first English printer, he started the whole process. While it might be argued that these dictionaries and grammars were the cause of English standardization, these materials were nonetheless printed and distributed by the printing industry. Without the support of printers who would periodically revise old works, adopt more modern spellings, and then put these spellings into the school books, teachers would not be able to use them and other authors would not consult them for the latest acceptable spelling trends (Howard-Hill 27). It was the printing and proliferation of these text that enabled writers and the general public access to an increasingly standardized English language. It is important to note that while this process enabled the standardization of the English language graphemically, speakers remained varied phonetically (Howard-Hill 29). This explains the standard spellings and usages of words throughout the English language, despite location while phonetic differences remain. With standardization also brought an increase in literacy among the populace. Before the advent of printing, the majority of English speakers only occasionally encountered their written language. Now students were able to consult textbooks and teachers had a guide to correct spellings and usage. Clearly the printing industry largely influenced the English language as far as standardization and literacy.
Researcher’s Personal Note
Personally, I have always heard of the legend of King Arthur in the media and through the allusions of many great literary works. But I had never read the whole story before this project. The legend is fascinating and very intriguing to see what will happen next to the valiant Knights of the Round Table. In order for thorough research I consulted two different texts of Le Morte Darthur: First the original text with all the earlier English spellings and a present day adaptation in Present Day English. Consulting these two texts allows for complete comprehension and appreciation of the author and printer. I chose this text because I wanted to study the influence of printing on the English language. I was curious to see how printing affected the English Language and how it helped modernize and standardize spelling, usage, and grammar. Overall, this project has been rewarding and engaging. I got to learn something that I was personally interested in without having to curtail it to a rubric or curriculum.
Works Cited:
“Arthurian legend." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2009 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9009704>.
“Caxton, William.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2009 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-257596>.
Creswick, Paul. King Arthur: The Story of the Round Table. American Book Co. New York: 1925.
Howard-Hill, T. H. "Early Modern Printers and the Standardization of English Spelling.” Modern Language Review 101.1 (2006): 16-29. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 1 Dec. 2009.
Spisak, James W. Caxton’s Malory: Le Morte Darthur. U of California P. Berkeley, California: 1983
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