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Essay on evolution of english language
Development of the English Language
Development of the English Language
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Throughout history, many languages change over time but out of them all I feel English has changed the most. I feel as we go on the way we pronounce words, use slang, rewrite words that have the same meaning but sound differently has changed drastically. I think the main influence on the evolution of the English language would be migration. We the people have moved so much going across countries and other states with English as our default or with broken English or not knowing the language at all. Most out of the United States do have broken English or simply don't know english at all but can identify which language is being heard. No two speak identically either, as they learn English their born language begins to fight with it for example
Nothing ever stays the same for very long. As time passes, people, places, and ideas develop and change in a variety of ways. The english language is spoken and written so differently today that you probably could not speak understand its earliest incarnation. English has evolved and continues to evolved due to a multitude of reasons. The english language has changed and developed over time due to the way the lanuguage is used, the way the language is spread, and the development and advancement of new technology.
As the world continues to grow so will the languages that exist within it. Some languages might disappear while new ones are formed but language change will always occur. Language change is a result of the interactions of the people who speak it with speakers of other languages. African American English is an example of how different languages can come together to create a creole. Hollywood is an example of how languages can spread new words to other dialects within it. All change faces resistance and language is no different. People are afraid of change and do not want to see the perfect version of their language destroyed. No matter how much people fight language change it will still happen. Language change is a natural process that cannot be stopped. It can be altered and changed but no one can stop the natural evolution of languages.
As we mentioned above, one of influences that has made changes in English language over time is foreign
how the English language has changed in the many years from then until now. The
...evolution passes through various phases. During those phases the language changes due to the changing material situation of the society. Even within a single society there is a hierarchy based on economic situation of individuals. The language is being shaped according to the social strata of the individual's class. For example in Charles Dicken's novels the workers and nobles used different forms of English language. It is not only formal words rather the style of speech and choice of words also varies on the basis of class differentiation. In present day England there still exists two forms of English-British and Queen’s English. This sort of stratification is very sharp in the developing countries where there is a sharp division of society on the basis of class. Different branches of linguistics opine that language changes are slow and sometimes take centuries.
The Anglo Saxon period is the oldest known period of time that had a complex culture with stable government, art, and a fairly large amount of literature. Many people believe that the culture then was extremely unsophisticated, but it was actually extremely advanced for the time. Despite the many advancements, the period was almost always in a state of war. Despite this fact, the Anglo-Saxon period is a time filled with great advancements and discoveries in culture, society, government, religion, literature, and art.
The duration of Early Modern English took place during the English Renaissance, and hence the amazing evolutions that occurred within it (Myers 166). After the Renaissance came the Age of Reason, and it is during this time that the language becomes recognizable to today (Smith 9). The most common example of Early Modern English is the fact that Shakespeare wrote in it, and it poses the most similarities to Modern day; the language moved from a synthetic one to a more analytical one, and relied less on inflectional endings and more with word order to convey information (Durkin 1). Early Modern English is the premise for the ever-evolving language that millions speak
The English language arose from the early Anglo Saxon inhabitants in ancient England and spread to Scotland and other European countries via the British Empire and later to the United States through colonial political and economical influences. It later dispersed to other parts of the world through these same influences to become one of the leading languages of the world. It has over the years developed by adopting different dialects to create a language, which is the standard lingual Franca in many countries. The rapid growth of the English language and its adoption by different cultures across the globe is sufficient ground to make it the global language.
The beginnings of English can be found in the occupation of England from the 5th century by north and west German ethnic groups who brought their 'indigenous dialects' (Seargeant, P. 2012, p. 1). The Oxford English Dictionary defines English as 'Of or related to the West Germanic language spoken in England and used in many varieties throughout the world' (Seargeant, P. 2012, p. 7). Invasion in the 9th century by Scandinavians, who settled in the north of England and the establishment of Danelaw in 886 AD defining the area governed by the Danes in the north and east, had a marked effect on the language spoken there (Beal, J. 2012, p. 59). These periods are known as Early and Later Old English (Beal, J. 2012, p. 50).
It has led to the development of new dialects and modification of existing ones. The British Empire has been able to spread the language across the globe and to date it is the most widespread language and most used in foreign transactions. Currently, the population of non- native English speakers is higher than native English speakers. This is a clear indication that English has become an international language.
The development of the English language was a combination of cultural, political, social and religious events that each playing their own part shaping the modern English language spoken today as a first language by 400 million people . As Baugh and Cable convey to us in A History of the English Language; ‘It understates matters to say that political, economic, and social forces influence a language’. Although it cannot be identified exactly when the inhabitants of Britain began to speak English, there are some sources that give an insight into the nature of the forces that played a role in its foundation such as: the four medieval manuscripts;
Have you ever wondered where the names of the different items you use daily came from? Or listened to people talk and find a particular word interesting or odd and wonder why it has become part of our English language? The English language that we speak today has developed as a result of many different influences and changes over thousands of years. The resulting changes to the English language can be split into three time periods that include, Old English or Anglo-Saxon, Middle English and Modern English which is commonly used today
To understand how English became the lingua franca for the world one must begin by understanding the colonization influence of the British Empire, beginning with the Americas in the early 1600’s. Once the language itself had been somewhat established in Great Britain, although not necessarily agreed upon, the next obvious step was to take the language and the culture to new parts of the world and colonize. The British Empire set out to the Americas in two vastly different manners, yet both had major influences on the language of what soon would become America.
New locations, mingling with different cultures and being away from the changes that were also happening in England, played a major part in the forming of a new variety which we have come to know as American English.
Reading of Chapter four in the textbook titled " Foreign Influences on Old English,” the followings are the terms that came across as interesting and necessary for the understanding of the extent of foreign influence on the old English language: