Modern English Language

“The History of the English Language”. http://www.uni-due.de/SHE/. Univ. of Duisburg Essen. April 2013. Web 4 Oct. 2013.

In more modern times the interaction of English speakers with other languages, through first colonialism, and later the emergence of English as a global language has enriched the vocabulary (‘pyjama’) and led to the evolution of different versions of English around the world, for example the hybrid ‘Singlish’ that has emerged in Singapore.

Britishers in India, and as a colonial subjects people had no other choice but to learn, to know and to speak English. In this way the language started gaining roots in India.

The English language is a West Germanic language that was spoken in the early medieval England and is now the official language for eighty-three countries (U.S ENGLISH). English has developed over the course of more than one thousand and four hundred years. The earliest detection of English was a set of Anglo- Frisian dialects brought to Great Britain by Anglo Saxon settlers in the fifth century. Middle English began in the eleventh century and modern English began in the late fifteenth century along with the construction of the printing press. Since the British empire

The English language throughout many centuries, has been influenced by many foreigners and natives who have helped develop English, become the language and literature it is today. The language is currently being used by approximately 400 million people in world who use it as their primary language, and speak it fluently, and 700 million people using it as their second language and can have a simple conversation. With 50 english speaking countries in the world, different cultures use the english language differently to other countries and have unique variations they make to it, for example: Australia, who use rhyming slang in their everyday lives, America, who use English to portray there thoughts in raps and music, as well as the multiple

England from the 16th to 18th century was undergoing an immense change in its social structure and cultural practice due to the innovations from the Renaissance (late 15th to early 17th C), the Reformation (16th to 17th C) and the Scientific Revolution (17th to 18th C). Firmly situated in this context is the Early Modern Period of the English language, starting from approximately 1500 CE and continuing through to 1700 CE, which saw the language move from Middle English (1100-1500 CE) into a language more recognisable to the one spoken by English speakers today. Crucial to these transformations are the introduction of the printing press to England by William Caxton in 1476 and the influence of role of Latin in European education during this period. These circumstances shaped the use of and attitudes towards English, especially in relation to its standardization, definition of ‘correct’ English and the spread of literacy. Ultimately, transforming English into a language respected and highly appreciated in this period.

Across time, many people have advocated for the stabilisation of the English language. Samuel Johnson was a lexicographer who dedicated his life to doing so. He published his dictionary in 1755, in an effort to prescribe the use of the London dialect of English. However, his aims were not met and people continued to speak in their various dialects. What Samuel Johnson did not expect was the unstoppable way in which language evolves. Neither did he realise the timeframe required for

There are approximately about 6500 languages that are spoken around the world. Our planet is populated with millions of people, each of whom has a different accent, style or dialect of speaking that depends upon what background or geographical location one comes from. With these differences, come the difficulties or barriers of language and communication or expression. Naturally, a common ground had to be found and hence, English came to be known and is now perceived by many as a universal language and has been modified by people coming from different backgrounds and categorized into forms like Australian English, Indian English, British English and so on.

Furthermore this national language is inflected with dissimilar rhythms and sounds, and follows different syntaxes and forms of expressions. As McLeod argued in Beginning Postcolonialism “these writers were creating new ‘englishes’ […] by incorporating many different creolized versions of English into their texts,” (McLeod 2000: 29) the result of which was an undeniable separation from the language of the colonizers. Even though the words were English, they were so to a lesser

Language is always changing. The English we speak today is different from that used by Shakespeare, and vastly different from that used a thousand years ago. Part of what it means to be a living language is that it will change over time. The reasons for these changes can be myriad. In recent years, the factors most responsible for changing the English language, both in terms of its mechanics and in terms of who is speaking it have been technology and globalism. The advent of the internet, with its attendant ability for real-time communication, has changed the language because people are now writing more like they speak, and they are finding more efficient ways to do both. The global business community is also having an affect on the English Language, because it is now the Lingua Franca of choice. English has become the language most people use both in business and online. This is changing, though, as other languages become more widely spoken across the world and as the global village allows people from non-English speaking nationalities to find their voices. It is becoming more important for people to be multilingual if they want to participate in a global community. These changes are important for teachers of English Language students to understand because it is becoming less important to sound like a native English speaker and more important to teach the language in the context of the local culture. Also,

It is not difficult to determine why English began its rise as the predominant language in the world. Britain, the progenitor of the language, once bragged that the "Sun never set on the British Empire." This is true in that the empire stretched to all areas of the globe, and the nation of England had influence beyond just its possessions. Because the conquerors spoke English, many of the citizens learned to at least use a few simple phrases that would allow them to take the better jobs offered by the English.

David Crystal traces the movement of English with start of the the movement of English into English and how it spread out from there. The first major movement of English was the colonization of the original 13 colonies across the Atlantic but would be know as the United States. The most important detail that I got from this topic was, “ Within one or two generations of arrival, most of these immigrant faiise had come to speak English through a natural process of assimilation. Crystal is referring the massive immigrants that came in the 19th century that came from various European background and most of the immigrants learned English leading to a massive spike in English speaking. The United States affected multiple countries with it’s English speaking, including Canada. After the colonist won the American Revolution in 1776, the Loyalist British moved north to Canada. This brought influx of English speakers to Canada and led the spread of English into Canada. Every where the English sailed and colonized it brought the English Language, and it was important to the local economy to learn that language so it could communicate back to England. This happened around the world including South Africa, Australia, some Caribbean Islands, and New Zealand. According to Crystal’s Book, you can describe the spread of the English Language in three circles. The first circle or the

The English language was first introduced to the Americas by British colonization, beginning in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia. Similarly, the language spread to numerous other parts of the world as a result of British trade and colonization elsewhere and the spread of the former British Empire, which, by 1921, held sway over a population of 470–570 million people, approximately a quarter of the world's population at that time.

Within the English language many different variations occur due to regional accents and dialects. It has been suggested that ‘speech differences are not only idiosyncratic but also indicative of belonging to different social groups’. Therefore, prescriptive ideologies occur discussing whether some accents hold a precedent over others. A prescriptive ideal is ‘an approach to the study of language which prescribes how language should be used’. Appendix A, ‘Brummie accents ‘worse than staying silent’ study shows; those who speak in a Birmingham accent were viewed less intelligent than those who stayed silent according to a study’ suggests a prescriptive ideal about regional accents. Using the work from this semester, this portfolio will be exploring whether a prescriptive approach to accents is something that should be encouraged and whether the accent we have does impact the way people perceive us.

     “In the world were over seven thousand languages have exisisted, one language had become dominate. This dominant language is English.” “In the majority of countries throughout the world speak English as their second or first language, no longer just America or England.” English has taken many forms, American English, the Queen’s English, Australian, Canadian English, and several others. Even American English has taken several types of English, Jersey English, East Coast English, West Coast English, Southern English, slang English, and Ebonics. All of these languages have major variants between them, but are all of them are still understood aboard. Without English the world couldn’t operate,