Power

            Language is not just a means of communication. Language is the means by which we humans can engage in political, social, and economic life. Ergo, language in itself is political. Take the British Empire and the fact that English is currently the standard language in more than fifty countries. This blanket that English creates among so many countries is a clear demonstration of history, of the power of the British Empire. Language is power. Language, sadly, helps people in their judgement of others, those who spoke slang in Australia were considered low class, and back in the 19^th century, people in England who didn’t speak PBS (Public School English) weren’t considered as sophisticated. And so language can be used politically and to create social divisions. Language “can enslave people.”

            The British Empire is the key example of the power of English. While in India, they enforced English on the people, using it as a kind of tool. But little did they know that creating a common language for the people would make it easier for them to unite and rebel against the Empire. In Human Geography, a centripetal force that brings a country together is language. It helps create a common identity and nationalism. In that same way, India used English to unite and fight back against the British.

            The effect of English is also seen in the slaves as the traders spoke English and it mixed with theirs until both languages synthesised and formed a gateway between the two. From here comes the present day African American Vernacular English comes from, the roots of the Black American language.

            Language. “One language to rule them all, One language to find them, One language to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.” That’s language for you, an entity that can bring together a whole nation of people and bind them. It is the means by which people feel more political and national identity. Language can kill and destroy and maybe that’s what we have to take into account as communities and use that knowledge from now on.

Embrace It

            I adore the idea of basking in Barnes&Nobles and immersing myself in a book while a take slow sips of a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato. But that’s when I’m feeling open to all sorts of genres that are willing to taint my mind. If I’m steadfast on reading one particular novel that happens to grasp me completely, though, I go to a quaint little Starbucks instead. Coffeehouses are the way to go. And not just in the present modern world, oh no. Back in the 17^th century, coffeehouses were the places where people read and talked about the news. I feel so close to them right now.

            In that epoch, there was a “deep anxiety about the English language.” The greatest worry was that the English language was changing. Jonathan Swift, the writer known for Gulliver’s Travels, was one of these individuals that were keen on keeping the language unnchanging. “How then shall any man be able to undertake his work with spirit and cheerfulness when he considers that in an age or two, he shall hardly be understood without an interpreter?” He questioned. And so he proposed the establishment of an academy set to fix the English language, he even took his case to court to Queen Anne, saying that only classical English would endure to glory. Sadly, the latter died and was replaced by a German king who barely knew any English himself. Poor Swift. I understand his argument when he voices his concerns about writing when in two centuries no one will be able to understand, but I think he exaggerates. Writing is not only for your audience but for yourself. You can’t expect your writing to endure so many years in the public eye unless you’re Shakespeare (and fine, Swift), but that thought shouldn’t impact the happiness you feel while writing. And Swift, you’re still read and understood by those born in the 21^st century. You’re doing okay.

           

            Samuel Johnson was another individual set on the stableness of the English language. He did this by writing his very own dictionary. It took Frenchmen fourty years and he managed to do it in seven. 43,000 words, Six assistants. But his success went only so far as to the actual accomplishment of what he did and not so much the content of his work. He “confessed to omitting words he could explain because he didn’t understand them.” I couldn’t help but crack up when I heard this. But I was unprepared for the bouts of laughter that would wrap my body when the narrator said that the dictionary “served a purpose of pride,” but mostly “becomes entertaining,” and proceeded to read off some of Johnson’s definitions. According to the former, Johnson describes wheat as “a grain, which in England is given to horses in England, but in Scotland, supports the people.”  A tarantula is then “an insect whose bite can only be cured by music.” I definitely would like to meet this guy if only to swather me in his ridiculous and yet humorous definitions. He wrote that “The idea was to make a dictionary by which the pronunciation of our language may be fixed, its used ascertained, and its duration lengthened,” but in the preface his pragmatism and his honesty saw a rueful but radical change of mind. That last part was commentary from the narrator.

            As for the dilemma between the Scots and the ‘classy’ Londoners, Thomas Sheridan went out of his way to teach the ‘Scots to speak English correctly.” But then Robert Burns, the “plyboy who loved women to excess, loved scotch, and loved Scots” wrote poetry in the Scot dialect and “became a hero.” He even purposelyleft out phrases that used more standard English, in a very “shrewd move”.  Scotts had someone that made them proud for their own language. I actually look up to this guy and admire him for having the courage to do such a thing. As for Wordsworth, he said there was “no need for a deep poetic diction” since poetry could be written in the mans common tongue. And Jane Austen was “every bit as masterful and controlling as the men that had doubted her writing abilities”.  She used euphemisms, using politer terms for rather controversial or hurtful words. Whatever they did or didn’t do, I’m rather a fan of those who realize that there is no ‘standard’ English, that language, like politics, slowly changes with time, and there is nothing we can do about it so we might as well embrace it.

Black and White

            If you look up Mariah Carey on allmusic.com you will find that she is a follower of ---in other words, her music is influenced by--Aretha Franklin. Yes, the very blonde and very milky-toned singer’s music is a hodgepodge of African American influence. Soul and jazz are both musical genres that owe their prominence and existence to the African Americans in the mid-1900s who created that in the course of keeping their culture. But that, of course, is nothing new, seeing as those genres and their origins are a very well-known fact in current society. But whites don’t just owe the blacks for their contribution to music, “ the same goes for white American language and culture.”

            African American English was thought as “lazy and ungrammatical” once upon a time, and come to think of it, even nowadays some people are pretty un-fond of the style some use nowadays. But their ways of speaking are “not corruptions, but different varieties.” And I agree completely. There is no right way to speak English. It’s like the public-school English thought to be the pillar of sophistication in early Britain, while other dialects were seen as low class. They are just different versions and interpretations of the language, none of which are ‘wrong.’ If the whites used to think such negative thoughts of said manner of speech, they’d be truly aghast at the knowledge that “even the upper class Charleston accent has an unmistakable creole flavour.” The roots of black American English are seen in various places, especially in churches with the “reverence for the magic of speech” where they celebrate “Negro spirituals” of the slavery days. I just thought of the typical church in those movies like “Sister Act” where they all stand up and dance and sing with such powerful voices and say the all-too-common “praise the Lord!” I thought those were mere Hollywood exaggerations but I guess I was mistaken.

            See, the black American English traces back to the main rivers of Africa like in Sierra Leone, were English was passed to the middlemen as well as to the slaves. They depended on a more simplified language called Pidgin (which comes from the Chinese’s mispronunciation of ‘business’) which later on became plantation creole. This type of English is known for its syntax seen in phrases like “they gone” and “she fat,” and for the jargon such as “joint, beat, groovey, hip, hype, jam, mellow, rift,” and “too much.” I actually see the remains of the syntax today, what with lil’Wayne’s “we be chillin” and “I don’t see nobody else.” I was not biased in my selection of example. At all. But the truth of the matter is that black American English is still seen today and has had a huge influence on American society. According to the documentary, one would normally see Irish and British influences in their [the American people] talk, later Southern musicians were the big influence.

            But even though it is a common variety of speech and accepted for the most part, blacks that climb high in society make an effort to “sound more white” and when this documentary was made most of the middle class had no accent at all. A man currently (in the documentary) the mayor of a town came from a poor black family and he took language classes to standardize his speech before he ran for mayor. I find that so sad, to think that people even do that, to feel ashamed of the way they talk even if it’s a part of their culture. But that just goes to show society’s unwritten rules and screwed-up standards that manage to grasp most of the population in their unfair claws.

            But I digress. They were the ones that managed to contribute to break dancing, something of which I am so incapable of and so I was mesmerized when it was displayed on the documentary. That got to me. If I were to ever make a wish, it would to be to be an amazing breakdancer, flying into the air with casual flips and very coordinated body thrusts. Nah, that comes after my wish to obtain blue eyes (weird obsession of mine, don’t judge me). But it comes quite close. Also, the words “fresh” and “chill out” make a great part of my everyday aggravated vocabulary so I have them to thank. If you want to hear a guy say these words while telling a story about a Friday night fight in the minute 7:49, be my guest. Just do try to understand it without reading the subtitles. If you’re not up to the challenge then you be deeply unwelcome, hommie. Peace.

The Story of English: An English Speaking World. William Cran. 1986.Documentary. PBS.1986.

Scott's Contribution

       Ah saw th' movie gart ay honoor a while ago an' sae Ah thooght Ah hud th' scottish accent an' aw th' traditional culture figured it. Ah e'en hae th' kilts huir uv a appropriately termed (those plaid skirts they wear) an' th' harps, fiddles, th' lang socks 'at come reit up afair their calves an' th' tap-dancin' leprechauns as they joorney athwart th' rainbaw tae reach their pots ay gauld. braw, th' former micht jist be maur stereotypes based oan th' mainstream ideals th' media imprints intae uir minds, but th' accent was somethin' Ah was truly sure was legit. Ah e'en started tryin' tae imitate patrick dempsey’s best friend’s fiancée talkin' in th' beginnin' ay thes clip, jist tae add anither accent intae mah lang an' not-at-all-weird list ay sassenach accents. these include but arenae limited tae french, indian, brooklyn, british, chonga. (note: jist coz they’re oan mah list disnae necessarily pure techt Ah dae them well). these ur yit tae be perfected but they dae demonstrate mah idealistic goals. th' fact ay th' matter is, Ah was huir uv a horribly tricked. ye see, somethin' is definitely wrang when someain is 'spikin sassenach an' ye ur huir uv a sure they ur 'spikin a completely different leid. Ah pure techt, th' pronunciation ay th' written leid is only sae wide in its breadth ay possibilities 'at it shoods harboor dialects 'at, mm, Ah don’t ken, don’t make ye question whit is comin' it ay their mooths an' in whit leid. see, Ah didn’t ken thaur was a way tae make th' phrases “ain she lived in a wee cottage” an' “once upon a time” soond undistinguishably different in sassenach. fin fact: thaur is. sassenach in scootlund, dearies, sassenach in scootlund. while hearin' thes cheil in th' documentary teel th' story “jack an' th' devil’s castle” (cool title by th' way) Ah serioosly thooght he was 'spikin finnish ur danish. i’ve bin tae finlain an' tae denmark an' th' way 'at cheil spoke was sae similar tae those languages it was uncanny. but 'en Ah guess, if sassenach can be spoken in sic' a way 'at it soonds similar tae those languages, therein lies some interestin' verification intae th' fact 'at sassenach, german, an' th' scandinavian languages come frae th' sam leid branch, they’re aw germanic languages. we ur aw united intae a body big fowk. hoo sweit. nae, pure. Ah jist want tae clear up 'at if it soonded loch Ah was in onie way hating/deeply-annoyed by th' lack ay clarity ay th' scottish sassenach, i’m nae. if anythin' Ah loch it a lot (but Ah loch aw th' languages Ah don’t know—ur in thes case, don’t understand—so Ah wooldn’t feel tay special). an' th' scottish actually play a pure important role as tae th' spreid ay sassenach back in th' early 17th century, seein' as th' scot irish cam tae america an' mit wi' german an' sassenach, an' proceeded tae spreid aroond th' coontry. an' sae, it is uir duty tae thenk them, e'en if it is in th' manner ay nae judgin' their kilts, fur their contribution tae uir leid. especially since most ay th' scot irish cultures frae back in th' day hae disappeared only tae be printed intae uir memories by folk culture left behin'. indeed.


     I saw the movie Made of Honour a while ago and so I thought I had the Scottish accent and all the traditional culture figured out. I even have the kilts very appropriately termed (those plaid skirts they wear) and the harps, fiddles, the long socks that come right up before their calves and the tap-dancing leprechauns as they journey across the rainbow to reach their pots of gold. Fine, the former might just be mere stereotypes based on the mainstream ideals the media imprints into our minds, but the accent was something I was truly sure was legit. I even started trying to imitate Patrick Dempsey’s best friend’s fiancée talking in the beginning of this clip, just to add another accent into my long and not-at-all-weird list of English accents. These include but are not limited to French, Indian, Brooklyn, British, Chonga. (Note: just because they’re on my list does not necessarily mean I do them well). These are yet to be perfected but they do demonstrate my idealistic goals. The fact of the matter is, I was very horribly tricked.

            You see, something is definitely wrong when someone is speaking English and you are very sure they are speaking a completely different language. I mean, the pronunciation of the written language is only so wide in its breadth of possibilities that it should harbour dialects that, mm, I don’t know, don’t make you question what is coming out of their mouths and in what language. See, I didn’t know there was a way to make the phrases “and she lived in a small cottage” and “once upon a time” sound undistinguishably different in English. Fun fact: there is. English in Scotland, dearies, English in Scotland. While hearing this man in the documentary tell the story “Jack and the Devil’s Castle” (cool title by the way) I seriously thought he was speaking Finnish or Danish. I’ve been to Finland and to Denmark and the way that man spoke was so similar to those languages it was uncanny. But then I guess, if English can be spoken in such a way that it sounds similar to those languages, therein lies some interesting verification into the fact that English, German, and the Scandinavian languages come from the same language branch, they’re all Germanic languages.

            We are all united into one big family. How sweet. No, really. I just want to clear up that if it sounded like I was in any way hating/deeply-annoyed by the lack of clarity of the Scottish English, I’m not. If anything I like it a lot (but I like all the languages I don’t know—or in this case, don’t understand—so I wouldn’t feel too special). And the Scottish actually play a really important role as to the spread of English back in the early 17^th century, seeing as the Scot Irish came to America and met with German and English, and proceeded to spread around the country. And so, it is our duty to thank them, even if it is in the manner of not judging their kilts, for their contribution to our language. Especially since most of the Scot Irish cultures from back in the day have disappeared only to be printed into our memories by folk culture left behind. Indeed.

The Story of English: An English Speaking World. William Cran. 1986.Documentary. PBS.1986.

Accomplishing Complete Boredom

            My eyelids were drooping and I could feel the weight of exhaustion burning through my skull. The sad reality is that while the second episode of  The Story of English might be very enlightening in all its historious (word?) glory, it just doesn’t do much for my attention span. If anything, it makes me rather contemplate the positive aspects of going comatose. Fine, that is but a mere exaggeration but I think my point has been otherwise made.

            It turns out that 2000 years ago, savage people spoke what is now the most spoken language in the world. And by that I mean they spoke various vowels and consonants through the air that would later develop into English. Oh, the beauty of knowing the origins of the English language, the peace that one feels when one is awakened to the fact that their language originated from one of seven tribes who sacrificed people to the mother earth by drowning them in rivers. Beautiful.

            I happened to study a unit in Human Geography based on language and so I knew before I saw this that English was an Anglo-Saxon language. (Points for Isa). What I didn’t know was that the connection between English and Sanskrit was found by a Sir William Jones in the 18^th century, which I guess was a very poignant discovery in the course of history seeing as it marked the change of how we view our culture today (I sincerely hope my sarcasm was noted as well as the fact that, had the narrator not pointed out that piece of information, I would have thought it useless to the argument). That sounds ignorant. I noticed. I thought, and then I came to the realization that, duh, that fact contributes to the puzzle pieces that make up the big picture of English’s origins. God, Isa, how can you be so dense? I shall now proceed to drown myself in the heat and horrific blush of embarrassment for playing the part of an ignorant bonehead. Let me reflect in peace.

            English arrived in 449 AD to Britain. Yep. Fun fact, ladies and gentlemen. Before that, the big and powerful British Empire didn’t speak English (or anything at all, I’m guessing--- my deducing skills are truly amazing, I know). This was interesting, I shall admit. But the effort to persevere in the task of not gashing my eyeballs out to escape the monotony of this episode was exhausting. Reading Italo Calvino’s The Uses of Literature gave me a more interesting outlook into the beginnings of language in two pages than this documentary did in a whole thirty minutes (if more). Yes, Calvino focuses more on the origins of language itself and general communication in his first chapter, which might not compare to the analysis of one language in particular, but still. The writers of this documentary should seriously work on their execution. They should make some artistic cartoons act out the scenes like in The History Channel, have the narrator have a cool Australian accent, make sarcastic remarks, change the tone a little bit to insinuate the drama and suspense of history, I do not know. But they should do something to make sure the viewer is not bored to the saltiest and most unwanted of tears. Make use of the ever-changing English language that will continue to change for years to come, maybe add new vocabulary, but do realize that they’re succeeding in turning a very interesting language into anything but.

The Story of English. Dir. Robert MacNeil, Robert McCrum, and William Cran. BBC, 1986. 27 Aug. 2009. Web. 13 Jan. 2013.