Historical Linguistics

Modern English

Modern English

• Where do we get the idea that there’s a “right” way to talk?– Late 1600s: Writers wanted uniformity in

the language– Thought if definitions were fixed, peace

would follow– Didn’t want language to change– Started writing dictionaries– Grammar started to be labeled “correct”

and “incorrect” to make people conform

Modern English

• 1700s– Middle classes wanted to “speak

properly” to rise in status– Writers published grammar books,

dictionaries, and pronunciation guides– These became thought of as the “right”

way to talk.– Some writers thought unique dialects

should be preserved to keep people connected to their identity

Modern English

• Robert Burns: Scottish Poet—wanted to preserve unique Scottish identity through language.

Auld Lang SyneShould auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne! 

Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne. We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, For auld lang syne. 

We twa hae run about the braes, And pou'd the gowans fine; But we've wander'd mony a weary fit, Sin' auld lang syne. For auld, &c. 

Modern English

• 1800s– Industrial Revolution– Introduced new words:

• steampipe, machine, hydraulic, lithograph, wheels, teeth, horsepower;

• took Greek and Latin words to name new things: biology, paleontology, taxonomy, ethnology, histology, locomotive

– Dialect became a marker of class. Lower classes and upper classes spoke differently• Cockney rhyming slang: a way for people in the

slums of London to communicate, “talk dirty” without being understood by outsiders (still used today)

Colonialism

At one time or another, Britain had colonies in all of these countries. English either merged with the native languages or completely wiped them out.

Colonialism

• India– Colonized by Britain beginning in the 1600s– 100s of native Indian languages– At first, British traders had to learn Indian

languages introduced new words:• bungalow, cashmere, dungarees, bandana,

pajamas, cot, shampoo, cash, polo, jungle, khaki, avatar, yoga

– Eventually, English became the language of power. English still spoken in India today.

– Gandhi: “To give millions a knowledge of English is to enslave them.”

Colonialism

• Caribbean– “Caribbean” comes from native tribes: Caribs

or Canibs – 1620s: Colonists pushed natives off the islands

to grow tobacco native languages died– Colonists imported slaves from Africa, who

picked up English and Portuguese from slave traders

– Slaves spoke English with influence from African languages

– Eventually evolved into a unique language for each island, depending on who settled it

Colonialism

• Some linguistic terms you should know– Creole: A distinct language created as a hybrid

of two languages—a real language.• Has a stable and distinct grammar• Taught to children as their native language• Haitian Creole, Gullah, Louisiana Creole French, for

example– Pidgin: A simplified version of a language that

develops so people can communicate. Not a “real” language.

– Patois: Generically, the language of the common people. Usually refers to the creole language spoken by Jamaicans.

Colonialism

• Australia– Created its own dialect even though it didn’t

combine with a native language– Settled by convicts beginning in 1788– 150,000 convicts came to Australia over

several years– Interacted minimally with native Aborigines

• Kangaroo, boomerang, wombat, dingo– Settlers spoke English dialect of criminal and

lower classes – Kept words and sounds that died out in

England.