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From Mensagenda —
September 2006
Blue
River
by
Ray Voet
Survival: English?
People are concerned about the language of those who are not
fluent in their ideal of English! Is this the English of the USA — dialects of
Boston, the South, Creole, the West — or the English of England, Canada,
Australia, pidgin English, or the many dialects around the world? Is it
American, not the King’s (or Queen’s) English?
Modern English is derived from the Indo- European through the
Germanic to Old English or Anglo Saxon, to Modern English, with additions of the
Romance languages derived from Latin, Greek from the Hellenic, and the many
words from our wide world!
The English populace spoke Anglo-Saxon, the clergy used
Latin, and the royal courts used French. William Tyndale (1494–1536)
translated the Latin Bible into the King James version. William (Billy
Wigglesword) Shakespeare (1564–1616) coined and codified words in his poetry
and plays.
In America, Noah Webster wrote a speller, school books, and
the dictionary that gave unity to the American English language. Parson Mason
Locke Weems (1759–1825) wrote stories of the heroes of the Revolution,
including Washington never telling a lie after chopping down the cherry tree,
and tales of many other Founding Fathers. This gave a mythology to unify the
states.
In 1900, 10,000 foreign language newspapers were printed in
the USA, with more than 100 in Minnesota
It was usually the second generation that became fluent in
American English. World War I gave a further impetus for learning English
instead of using the Mother Tongue.
We need to be aware of the influence of writers. James Joyce
brought Irish and foreign words into literature and science — quark
means pig manure. Scientists do have a sense of humor! Add Lewis Carroll
with Alice and jabberwocky, and many other authors.
Acronyms are abbreviations that become words or mnemonics,
such as HOMES for the Great Lakes, or snafu — situation normal all (fouled)
up, and the acronyms in government and computer usage. These enable users to do
rapid communication as in IM (Instant Messaging) and with the symbols using
special keys. Mathematics, music, botany, astronomy, and more use special
symbols to describe and indicate information. Emoticons, :-), <:-(, can be
descriptive symbols.
Neologisms are newly coined words, as "bling bling"
for excessive adornment, which may become part of the dictionary. Other words
become archaic and are known only through old texts and compendiums.
Language evolves, and it is learned not by laws but by
education and usage. Laws, to me, are enacted to give jobs to lawyers and
legislators. One needs to disobey laws so lawyers will have something to occupy
their time!
If you are interested in words, visit a Web site by Michael
Quinion at www.worldwidewords.org. Quinion gives delightful information on
origins of words.
Dictionaries are sources of words, their origin and usage. Have fun in the
discovery of new ways to communicate! It can be schadenfreude, German for
"malicious joy"!
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