Standardisation of the english language
- 2. • Process by which conventional forms of language are established and maintained • May occur through natural development of a language in a speech community • May occur as an effort by members of a community to impose one dialect or variety as a standard • Re-standardisation refers to the way a language may be re- shaped by its speakers and writers
- 3. • The standardisation of the English language happened as a natural means, over centuries, out of a consensus, due to a number of social factors • The following slides take us through the process and factors of English standardisation
- 4. • Old English originated in 500AD when West Germanic invaders settled in the British Isles • Celtic speakers were pushed out to surrounding areas, leaving behind only a few Celtic words • Also influencing English at this time were Vikings, which introduced new north Germanic words • Old English survived until 1100AD when the most important event in the development and history of the English language occurred; The Norman Conquest
- 5. • Modern English now is generally derived from foreign words • Only one sixth of Old English words have descendants in today’s language • However, one half of the most commonly used words in our language today have old English roots • For example • Water • Be • Strong
- 6. • Middle English originated in 1066AD when the Duke of Normandy invaded and conquered England • This had a huge impact as the new overlords spoke a dialect of Old French with considerable Germanic roots in addition to basic Latin roots • In 1204 AD, King John lost the province of Normandy to the king of France, estranging Norman nobles of England even further from their French cousins • England became the chief concern of the nobility, as opposed to their estates in France • Consequently, the nobility adopted a modified English as their native tongue
- 7. • In 1349, the Black Death swept through England, killing about one third of its population • As a result, the labouring and merchant classes became more important to the economy and society and thus English grew in importance too • By 1362, the linguistic division between the nobility and commoners was largely over • The statue of pleading was adopted, making English the language of the courts and began to be used in Parliament • The most famous example of Middle English is Chaucer’s Canterbury tales • While still difficult to read, it can be read by modern English speakers
- 8. • Originated in 1500 through the revival of classical scholarship • Brought many classical Latin and Greek words into the vocabulary • Early modern English came to prominence due to two main factors • The Great Vowel Shift • Introduction of the printing press
- 9. • Change in pronunciation • Began 1400 • Vowel sounds began to be made further to the front of the mouth • The letter ‘e’ at the end of words became silent • Linguistically, the shift was relatively sudden, the major changes occurring within a century • Cannot say the shift is over yet, vowel sounds are still shortening – the change has slowed to a more gradual pace • For example; • Life was pronounced “leef” • Name was pronounced “nam-a” • Five was pronounced “feef” • Down was pronounced “doon”
- 10. • William Caxton brought the printing press to England in 1476 • As a result books became more affordable and thus literacy became more common • Publishing for the masses became a profitable enterprise, and works in English, as opposed to Latin, became more popular • The printing press brought standardisation to the English language • The dialect of London, where most publishing houses were located • Spelling and grammar became fixed • The first dictionary was published in 1604
- 11. • Shakespeare wrote during early modern English times • Many familiar words and phrases were first recorded by him • Clichés that were ‘invented’ by Shakespeare include; • Vanish into thin air • Flesh and blood • Words he bequeathed include • Critical • Majestic • Dwindle
- 12. • Originated in 1800 and the principal distinction between early and late modern English is vocabulary • Pronunciation, spelling and grammar are relatively the same, but late modern English has a significantly larger vocabulary • This phenomenon has occurred due to two reasons • Industrial revolution and rise of technological society • The British empire
- 13. • The industrial revolution (1760) and the rise of technological society necessitated a number of new words to suit ‘things’ and ideas that not previously existed • Neologisms were needed for new creations and discoveries • English relied heavily on Latin and Greek for words such as ‘oxygen’, ‘protein’, ‘nuclear’ and ‘vaccine’ for their base meanings • This still continues today – ‘cyber’, ‘microchip’, ‘hard-drive’, etc.
- 14. • At its height, Britain occupied a quarter of the world and as a result, English adopted many foreign words and made them its own • The British Empire adopted the following words • Shampoo, pyjamas, juggernaut (Hindi) • Sauna (Finnish) • Tycoon (Japanese) • Bon voyage, vis-à-vis (French)