William Caxton briefly considered using Old English as a printing norm, but quickly rejected the idea, noting that it was "more like _____ than English."
German
200
McWhorter argues that two things in particular have retarded the speed of language change: _______ and the widespread literacy that often followed.
(language) standardization
200
Robert Lowth and Lindley Murray took a ___ approach on language.
prescriptivist
200
McWhorter gives examples from this nation's language, when he argues that "writing sits still while speech moves on."
France
200
What did Old English allow, that grammarians did away with in the standard variety of English, but which is allowed in the standard varieties of modern languages such as Spanish and French?
double negation
300
McWhorter gives textual evidence that, before standardization, texts often sounded more like __.
speech / spoken language
300
McWhorter points to this literary product, passed down orally, as examples of "ritual" or "formal" spoken language.