English = Power

“One language to rule them all, One language to find them, One language to bring them all and in the darkness bind them”

Not exactly in the words of J.R.R Tolkien, this is what English could be thought as. Granted, it did not bind anyone to darkness (or is hat relative?) and did not involve any hobbits. English has had its hand in ruling over different people, it has been shackles to some as well as liberation to others. English has a power: The power to take control.

India was conquered by the English. By using English as a tool, they made everyone in India learn to speak it. Soon enough everyone could communicate through English and there was no longer a language barrier among the Indian people. Little did they know that while it could be wielded to control the people, it could also unite the people to fight back. Gandhi published his pamphlet disagreeing with the government so that everyone could understand it.

English also had its effect with the slave trade. The people in charge of plantations spoke it and therefore created an impact on the African people they brought. Soon enough the languages were intermingling and communication began to flow between the two worlds. This is how Black American English got its roots. From a mix of western African language and the English of those who brought them here.

It is also interesting to see how language can decide a whole classes fate. How just by hearing how someone speaks you can determine what social circle they are a part of. In Australia those that spoke the slang and tried to make the language modern were considered of the low class. Then those who spoke standard English or queens English were from the aristocracy. If you think about it even today in Colombia a person from Rosales does not speak the same way as a person who lives in Ciudad Bolivar.

Missing Those Eighties Transitions

I have good news. We have stopped watching the 1986 documentary, The Story of English. This might just be for the time being so I don't want to get too excited. But to fill that empty void, we are now watching The Adventure of English. Oh yes it is not longer a story, it is an adventure. This documentary is actually from the twenty first century, and though my heart aches at the lack of eighties musical transitions, I am glad we switched it up a bit. There is only so much Robert MacNeil a girl can handle.

Lets talk about Swift. No, I do not mean Taylor I mean Jonathan, her fifth cousin twice removed. Ok not really.Jonathan Swift was a writer that accepted the challenge of trying to harness English. He wanted to take control and take it away from the upper class as it prevent it from changing because of the slang used by them. Even though his plans kind of failed when Queen Anne died, Samuel Johnson was there to back him up. This guy spent seven years locking words into the only prison that was thought to harness them: a dictionary. He soon realized that nothing could stop English from being "decayed". So regarding these two, I have never thought English can be harnessed, it is always changing. Look at me, its not like I talk like these two men.

English crept into Scotland and started to replace Gaelic. Pronunciation was not leveled throughout the United Kingdom as well as the spelling, which had many variations. Then came Thomas Sheridan to teach everyone the proper way to speak English.There was an idea that English was supposed to be spoken as it was written but that was hard to accomplish. But have no fear! Robert Burns wrote poems in Scottish dialect and became a hero. He showed that their tongue was strong enough and to live on and there was no need to completely grip the idea of English. Another person who created this feeling of pride was William Wordsworth. He said there was no need for a deep poetic diction since poetry could be written in the mans common tongue. He was a bit of a rebel since he was showing that simple language could show the same ideas as fancy language.

Now it is the ladies turn. Jane Austen showed the ideas of courtship in her novels. She was as masterful and controlling as the men that had doubted her writing abilities. She wrote in a very proper way that used words such as  "agreeable", "appropriate", "discretion", and "propriety".By writing like this, she affected her readers. Polite terms were favored over simple words and therefore she affected a whole generation. 

With the change of thought cause by the Industrial Revolution, trade terms became very important. The machines themselves changed the meaning of certain words and showed how words like "train" or "steam" affected the English language. The people affected by this Revolution also added their own words into these times. There was a rhyming kind of slang used by the lower class.

The Adventure of English. Dir. Melvyn Bragg. Perf. Melvyn Bragg. ITV, 2003. Documentary.

Movement of the People

The eighteen-forty-niners are an example of a great immigration that occurred in the United States. The gold rush made many people go west and therefore created something known as “gold fever”. This mania had its own in pact in American way of talking. For example, I have heard my mother use the words “panning out” when we wait to see if something happens. This saying is associated with those that went west looking for gold since they use pans to check if there is any gold in the dirt.

The American west also gave rise to the cowboys. The language of cowboys was affected by Spanish. The cowboys that reside in these areas now speak Spanish and English. They make both of these languages and create a frontier of language change. Also in this areas is where the pale face and the Native Americans met for the first time and created saying like “no can do” with the pidgin English they used. This phrase is used by many people I know, as well as myself from time to time.

The train also had an effect on language: “Letting off steam” is something that came from the creation of the railroad and even though today the saying might have changed, it is still around.  Metaphors also came about because of the trains like “ a single track mind” was back then when there was only one track for the train to travel on.

On the East Coast, New York was attracting millions with the promise of freedom and a good life. The Italian immigrants gave new words, mostly involving food and creating a very Italian American accent. The German immigrants, as well as bringing cuisine, gave us new words such as “dumb” or “fresh”. The Jewish immigrants brought a different German dialect called Yiddish. Television helped make Yiddish one of the most influential languages in America.

Charleston, Dyva, and 22poopoo

Ok. The documentary got my attention again in Episode five. Not hating on the Scott Irish but Black American English was really interesting. It really centered around Charleston as the place where it came to be the Black English we know today.

Black American English is said to have come from Charleston. It has a name that sounds like Gollum but sounds more like Gullug but out of fear of spelling it incorrectly and my grade going down, I have opted for mimicking the sound. It is not precise to say that Black American English came from Charleston but it can be said that this is where it originated. Here, the African American community remained undisturbed until one of the World Wars and were able to preserve their very African way of speaking. It is hard to understand but you can see how it has changes since Gollum/Gulug is a dyeing language. It still sounded really interesting and they say rusty when they talk about crab, which is just cool.

Charleston was the main place in America where they were sold into slavery. Here Pidgin English became the creole English used in plantations. Both master and slave spoke the same way and things remained very similar in the plantations until after the First World War.  In part three we see how a woman speaks with a heavy accent similar to that of the plantation era. It is hard to understand and I found it interesting that she used the word “totes” for “carrying”.  The word is from West Africa and she just simply slipped it into her talk. I was not the only one that enjoyed her way of talking as 22poopoo commented: I love that woman’s voice.

Southern dialect for both the white and the black people was influenced by creole English.  As part four shows how the polo player lived, we see how his accent is mixed with gullug and Charleston English. Southern Belles even though they were considered part of the aristocracy, had a very creole English because they were never sent away to learn “good English”. I believe though that not all whites lived the lifestyles shown in the documentary that kind of generalizes the idea that all whites lived this way. There had to be some more down to earth whites who probably had more of a black American accent because they weren’t up there with the aristocracy. They might not be an expert but  cyberdyva agrees with me when she says: They ignore the fact that most whites in the south DID NOT live this lavish lifestyle. LOl!! They lived lives more closely resembling working blacks of the south and they co-mingled pretty closely with blacks in the south. The "aristocracy" of the south created nothing notable.

Scott Irish

Leprachauns. Saint Patrick. Green. Ireland. These are the words I would normally associate with this country but because of the fourth episode of The Story of English, I must add hard to understand. The way of talking in both Ireland and Scotland can be hard to understand. I had never really notced how different their English is from British English. Then again the most scotish speaking I have ever watched was in the movie Leap Year and now I believe it was all fake. Oh Hollywood you trick me again.

The Scots Irish went to the United States, entering through the old colonies. They played an important part in the spread of English within the United States. Especially in Philadelphia. Here, the Scot Irish came into contact with German and English. So here there was a first point of contact. As they went off into the woods and men like Davy Crocker came to be, they introduced different sayings about hunting. One of these phrases is “Dead as a hammer” which still lives on today.

The Scots Irish also played an important part in the dialect used in the Appalachian mountains. Even though the Germans and the English also lived in this area, it is the way of speaking of the Scot Irish that remains today. To explain how the people that live here speak, I can only say like hill billies. These are after all the people that invented moonshine whiskey.  Even the documentary enjoys making the back track someone playing the banjo, but I guess it adds to the feel that this is one of the last Appalachian accents that remain.

As the Scot Irish moved from the East to the west, they left their mark with their accent. Maybe in the west it was not as marked as it was in the Appalachian mountains but could be tied back. The roots of these people could be traced back because of dialect and I think it really shows how language can travel very clearly.

In Scottie

Leprachauns. saint patrick. green. irelain. these ur th' words Ah woods normally associate wi' thes coontry but coz ay th' foorth episode ay th' story ay sassenach, Ah main add stoaner tae kin. th' way ay talkin' in baith irelain an' scootlund can be stoaner tae kin. Ah hud ne'er pure notced hoo different their sassenach is frae british sassenach. 'en again th' most scotish 'spikin Ah hae ever watched was in th' movie leap year an' noo Ah believe it was aw fake. och hollywuid ye trick me again. the scots irish went tae th' united states, enterin' ben th' auld colonies. they played an important part in th' spreid ay sassenach within th' united states. especially in philadelphia. haur, th' scot irish cam intae contact wi' german an' sassenach. sae haur thaur was a first point ay contact. as they went aff intae th' woods an' men loch davy crocker cam tae be, they introduced different sayings abit huntin'. a body ay these phrases is “deid as a hammer” which still li'es oan the-day. the scots irish also played an important part in th' dialect used in th' appalachian moontains. e'en thocht th' germans an' th' sassenach also lived in thes area, it is th' way ay 'spikin ay th' scot irish 'at remains the-day. tae explain hoo th' fowk 'at bide haur spick, Ah can only say loch brae billies. these ur efter aw th' fowk 'at invented moonshine whiskey. e'en th' documentary enjoys makin' th' back track someain playin' th' banjo, but Ah guess it adds tae th' feel 'at thes is a body ay th' lest appalachian accents 'at remain. as th' scot irish moved frae th' eest tae th' west, they left their mark wi' their accent. mebbe in th' west it wisnae as marked as it was in th' appalachian moontains but coods be tied back. th' roots ay these fowk coods be traced back coz ay dialect an' Ah hink it pure shows hoo leid can travel huir uv a clearly.

The Influence

English might be the most used language in the world but it had to come from somewhere. In this episode of The Story of English: The Mother Tongue they bring up the origins of the standard English we use today. There is not even once starting point to which we can attribute the English we speak today because it has been influenced by many other languages.

This episode made me feel like I was back in my AP World class from last year. The narrator travels to the distant lands interviewing locals on their way of speaking. As the video explains the origins of certain words from languages that include Welsh and Old English, the history of what was going on at the time is being explained.

The part that really got my attention was the one about the Normans and the French. While official business was handled in French, the rest of the population would speak Norman English. French was considered a snobby language that was even used in churches, while the actual language used outside the confines of the castle was not that.  Still both contributed to the language. For example the French gave words with snob value and the Normans gave more than 10000 new words to the vocabulary. The French also added new words to the vocabulary which are commonly used terms of today. The mix of both these languages created prepositions and made the order matter when speaking.

English is a language that has been changing from the beginning and will probably continue changing until the end of time. New words might appear or maybe another languages vocabulary will be added to it. I think the fact that the language adapts is a big reason as to why so many people can speak it.

English Makes You... (Fill In The Blank)

Back in the eighties, or maybe the early nineties, a documentary was made. Thus into the world came The Story of English: An English Speaking World with its magical eighties fashion and most importantly, analysis of English. As the viewer is taken back in time to a world where English is the most popular language , it is clear that this has not changed. So why did colonized countries keep English after independence  Why does English boost you as a person?

A person speaks English depending on the background they come from. For example, our fateful narrator in the film explains how his accent was created by the influence of him being raise en Novascotia but having  Scottish ancestors. Each person is affected din how they relate to English based on where you are. People can be influenced by American English or British English. For a while, British English was the most popular and even after they left some countries, English remained.

In the documentary, a group of girls are questioned about English. They talk about how a man wants his woman to speak English and how English gives them class. They associate English with a higher status that will bring them a happy marriage to a good man and as a tool to stand up to the world. Even though they put this language in a pedestal, they seem bicker about the fact that it is this way. That they have been brainwashed into thinking that English is so important just because they were once a British colony.

Then the examples moves to Africa. Africa has more than 1000 dialects and in sixteen countries, English is thought of as the link language. Here English, as in most places in the world, is associated with job opportunity. Children are taught English so that they have a better chance at accessing certain fields. Even the president of Sierra Leon, says that it is not about erasing the culture but adding it so that the person can grow more. In a sense English shows here that it is thought of as something that makes you more developed.

California is highlighted for being one of the biggest influences in the English reaching other places. Popular slang from the Valley Girls and surfers traveled across the globe. The slang was made popular by different media such as music and movies. People strive to be the ideals presented to them and by speaking English like a Californian, you were good. This slang taints what was being explained by the British but becomes associated with popularity and what is right.

It is interesting to learn about Japans twist on English since we have our own here. Our Spanglish is a mix and ties into the popular slang more than anything. The one that comes to mind right now is when we say "man" and how that will be the only english word in the sentence. English is a language that is everywhere but it should not define cultures. It can and should be used as a tool but not to create false ideals that a language is better than another.

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