14世紀後半,Chaucer の時代辺りに書き言葉標準の芽生えがみられた.15世紀に標準化の流れが緩やかに進んだが,世紀後半の印刷術の導入は,必ずしも一般に信じられているほど劇的に綴字の標準化を推進したわけではない.続く16世紀にかけても,標準化への潮流は緩やかにみられたが,それほど著しい「もがき」は感じられない.しかし,17世紀に入ると,印刷業者というよりはむしろ正音学者や教師の働きにより,標準的綴字が広範囲に展開することになった.1650年頃には事実上の標準化が達せられていたが,より意識的な「理性化」の段階に進んだのは理性の時代たる18世紀のことである.そして,Johnson の Dictionary (1755) が,これにだめ押しを加えた.(#2321)
And certaynly our langage now vsed varyeth ferre from that which was vsed and spoken whan I was borne / For we englysshe men / ben borne vnder the domynacyon of the mone, whiche is neuer stedfaste / but euer wauerynge / wexynge one season / and waneth & dyscreaseth another season / And that comyn englysshe that is spoken in one shyre varyeth from a nother. In so moche that in my dayes happened that certayn marchauntes were in a shippe in tamyse , for to haue sayled ouer the see into zelande / and for lacke of wynde, thei taryed atte forlond, and wente to lande for to refreshe them; And one of theym, named sheffelde, a mercer, cam in-to an hows and axed for mete; and specyally he axyd after eggys; And the goode wyf answerde, that she coude speke no frenshe. And the marchaunt was angry, for he also coude speke no frenshe, but wolde haue hadde egges / and she vnderstode hym not / And thenne at laste a nother sayd that he wolde haue eyren / then the good wyf sayd that she vnderstod hym wel / Loo, what sholde a man in thyse dayes now wryte, egges or eyren / certaynly it is harde to playse euery man / by cause of dyuersite & chaunge of langage.