CHANGING CONTEXTS

Language Change

Link to BBC English timeline

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/launch_tl_ages_english.shtml

Timeline of the English Language

Old English (5th-11th centuries): the development of English from the linguistic influence of Germanic and Viking invaders.Middle English (11th-14th centuries): the mixing of French with English after the Norman Conquest.

Early Modern English (15th-17th centuries): the continual process of change, as English discarded older forms of word order and word endings and added Latin words for new concepts and ideas.Late Modern English (18th century-present): the age of standardised English.

Changing attitudes and changing contexts

Attitudes change with regard to key social contexts of power, gender and technology.

E.g. Gender: Issues of political correctness might be evident in contemporary texts discussing gender by using ‘birth name’ instead of ‘maiden name’.

E.g. Power: Different formality levels might be used by writers and speakers to suggest a changed relationship with their audience e.g. Compare political speeches from 1700 to present/ look at changing language of advertising.

E.g. Technology: texting and instant messaging have polarised views lately, reviving prescriptivist and descriptivist debates (link to homework).

Why does Language Change over Time?

To do with people as they:Invent things and need words to describe

themChange attitudes because of changes in

society, or are influenced by others such as politicians or the media

Travel to, move to, trade with or invade other countries

Migration, Travel & the British Empire

People move to different parts of the world taking their language and culture with them

Introduced language is absorbed into the local one or

Introduced language becomes dominant in colonised countries e.g. British Empire (lang of power & govt)

English lang has borrowed extensively to accommodate new foods and cultural experiences e.g. ‘curry’, ‘tea’ (own versions); ‘tapas’, ‘cappuccino’ (original)

Globalisation

Definition: This is the integration of economies, industries, markets, cultures and policy-

making around the world... a process by which national and regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through the global network of trade, communication, immigration and transportation. (Financial Times Lexicon)

Developed English into a world language (impact of technology and American English)

Wars or Invasions

Impact of Norman Conquest and Germanic tribes over 1000 years ago

Affects language grammatically, phonologically and lexically

Many synonyms because of invaders e.g. Old English ‘ask’/ French ‘question’

Language of warfare still affects words e.g. ‘Collateral damage’, ‘surgical strikes’

The language of Science & Technology

Many scientific advances in C18th and C19th so neologisms (new words) were needed to name these

Due to academic prestige of Latin and Greek, many neologisms were formed using these languages

chloroformSometimes we recycle words or use words

with higher status (Latin and Greek) for scientific and medical inventions today

biology

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

Trade, Working Practices and New Inventions

New words needed to name inventions and describe what you can do with them

dishwasher

Macintosh coat

typewriter

Computer

Trade, Working Practices and New Inventions

Even our surnames have links to occupations and past working practices:

MillerButcherBaker

Social, ideological and cultural changes

Changes in attitudes result in language alterations

People’s views about social groups changeToday we discriminate less against certain

groups and are more politically correct e.g. When talking about ethnicity, gender or

sexualityInteresting to trace how fashion influences

our lexicon (‘winklepickers’, ‘thongs’, ‘pantaloons’)

The Media

Arguably a more casual, colloquial and speech-like register has evolved as media styles become less formal

Lexis often introduced via the media e.g. WAG

Media reaches us in many different ways (print, tv, internet, mobile phones)

A very brief guide to …

The history of the English language

Before 100 BC, Britain was populated by a mixture of tribes, including the Celts, Picts, Irish and Cornish.

They all spoke a variety of Celtic languages.

Early beginnings

In the 5th century AD, settlers from west Germany crossed over to Britain.

These tribes were called Saxons, Jutes and Angles, and set up kingdoms called ‘East Anglia’, ‘West Saxon’, ‘East Saxon’ etc.

They spoke a dialect of the Germanic language and this slowly evolved into the English we speak today.

The origins of English

The language spoken by the Germanic settlers developed differently to the forms found in what is now known as Germany.

This early form of English is known as ‘Old English’.

Old English (c. 400–1100 AD)

Viking invaders started arriving in north east England in the 8th century.

Parts of their Scandinavian language (which is closely related to Germanic languages too) , including words describing family and animals, spread through northern England.

These words were integrated into Old English.

Influences during the

Old English period

When the Normans invaded in 1066, French became the dominant language (of court, the church, and the nobility) while the rest of the country spoke versions of English.

Gradually, English became more widely used by the educated upper classes and by 1425 English was used universally again in speech and writing.

However, it had changed completely since the Old English period and became known as Middle English.

Middle English (c. 1100–1450 AD)

In 1476, William Caxton introduced the printing press to Britain.

Many texts could now be mass-produced, which meant that there was a move towards standardisation in how they were printed, in terms of spelling and punctuation.

Many Greek and Latin texts were translated into English.

Caxton chose the East Midlands (London, Oxford, Cambridge) dialect to print works in. This soon became the most prestigious form of English.

Early Modern English c.1470–1700

In 1476, William Caxton introduced the printing press to Britain.

Many texts could now be mass-produced, which meant that there was a move towards standardisation in how they were printed, in terms of spelling and punctuation.

Many Greek and Latin texts were translated into English.

Caxton chose the East Midlands (London, Oxford, Cambridge) dialect to print works in. This soon became the most prestigious form of English.

Early Modern English c.1470–1700

More than half of our modern English vocabulary is Latinate (of Latin origin), e.g. colossal, dignified, emotion, and history.

Most of our prefixes and suffixes come from Latin, e.g. anti-, post-, pre-, -al, -ate, -ic.

Influences of Latin

From 1700 onwards, English became more standardised and similar to the language we recognise today.

In 1755, Samuel Johnson finished the first ‘Dictionary of English’. Many writers had attempted this before but his version was more comprehensive than ever before.

In 1762, Robert Lowth published the first English grammar book, which laid out some of the fundamental rules for ‘correct’ usage.

Late Modern English c. 1700 – modern day

During this time, many writers made attempts to define the lexicon and grammar of English (Johnson, Lowth etc).

This led to a view that some non-standard varieties of English were inferior – this is called Prescriptivism.

Latin was upheld as the ideal language and used a model for English grammar, even though it had a very different structure.

Standardisation and presctiptivism

Rail travel, colonial expansion, the spread of literacy and mass production of the printed word extended everyone’s access to a standard written form of English.

The Industrial Revolution changed the way people worked and lived their lives, so new words were needed.

English borrowed huge numbers of words from all over the world.

American English was becoming a language in its own right, with its own rules and spelling.

19th century English

English is now a world language of communication.

Electronic media like mobile phones and the internet have radically changed the way we communicate with each other.

A more colloquial and casual style of language reflects major social changes.

Estuary English (a south-eastern dialect) has become widespread in UK.

American English increasingly influences British English and English worldwide.

Modern developments

Links

As well as the BBC timeline (on ilearn) the British Library interactive timeline is excellent:

http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/timeline/index.html