In 1451, a goldsmith from Mainz, Germany, named Johann Gutenberg, came up with a novel way to print material much more efficiently and quickly than the scribes who were common at the time. His new method, called the printing press, featured movable type and served as the precursor to the mammoth presses used to print millions of newspapers, magazines, and books. His new methods made books more widely available throughout Europe, and they began to be published in the vernacular. This also contributed to the rapid spread of standardized, accurate information, which helped spread new ideas in both religious and secular matters. The printing press invented by Johann Gutenberg is one of the most impactful and influential inventions, an innovation
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This occurred because relatively few people knew how to read Latin, but still were hungry for information. (Printing Press and Its “Impact” on Literacy). Translators even began to work in the workshops of printers, translating works from Latin which would then be printed.(Printing Press and Its “Impact” on Literacy). This, in turn, caused more people to learn to read, because it would be easier to learn to read a language which they already spoke. (Gutenberg and the Printing Revolution in Europe). Over time, the vernaculars became the primary languages of printing, replacing Latin. Spanish became the main language of material printed in Spain, French for material printed in France, English for England, Italian for Italy, and Dutch for the Netherlands. This inspired nationalism as different regions separated and differentiated into different entities based on language. The use of the vernacular also helped to standardize written language. One printer, William Caxton, printed almost exclusively in English. He recognized that English was very inconsistent and he wanted to standardize it: “And certaynly our language now used varyeth ferre [far] from that whyche was used & spoken when I was borne. . . . And that comyn Englysshe that is spoken in one shyre [shire] varyeth from another.”(Gutenberg and the Printing Revolution in Europe). However, this problem was soon remedied: “The printing press led to more consistent spelling, grammar and punctuation.”(Printing Press and Its “impact” on
This occurred because relatively few people knew how to read Latin, but still were hungry for information. (Printing Press and Its “Impact” on Literacy). Translators even began to work in the workshops of printers, translating works from Latin which would then be printed.(Printing Press and Its “Impact” on Literacy). This, in turn, caused more people to learn to read, because it would be easier to learn to read a language which they already spoke. (Gutenberg and the Printing Revolution in Europe). Over time, the vernaculars became the primary languages of printing, replacing Latin. Spanish became the main language of material printed in Spain, French for material printed in France, English for England, Italian for Italy, and Dutch for the Netherlands. This inspired nationalism as different regions separated and differentiated into different entities based on language. The use of the vernacular also helped to standardize written language. One printer, William Caxton, printed almost exclusively in English. He recognized that English was very inconsistent and he wanted to standardize it: “And certaynly our language now used varyeth ferre [far] from that whyche was used & spoken when I was borne. . . . And that comyn Englysshe that is spoken in one shyre [shire] varyeth from another.”(Gutenberg and the Printing Revolution in Europe). However, this problem was soon remedied: “The printing press led to more consistent spelling, grammar and punctuation.”(Printing Press and Its “impact” on