"But you agree that English is a Bastard-Tongue, right?" !!!
Something that I heard only yesterday from an old friend of mine, obviously my passion for languages is showing up like the Green Hulk stuff in Bruce Banner;P
Needless to say, I not only disagree with this but am obviously of the opposite opinion - I think what English accomplishes is something of a Miracle. In what other language ( apart from Esperanto and few others) can I communicate with people from all over the world? I am not saying that everyone in the world knows the language, nor am I saying that we speak "perfect" English ( No such thing btw!)
Their reason for saying such a heresy(!) is that English accepts words from just about any language. And I am like, seriously, you Really think that?
Which language hasn't adapted and adopted terms from other languages?
Each and every language on the Planet is a "bastard" as per this definition. You know, I have been quite deep into this language stuff and I have put into words my belief in an earlier post that I think that "Languages are like the footprints of cultures" and absolutely none of us is gonna re-invent the wheel, we build upon things which we inherit and which we learn for ourselves. This is how it has always been. And ALL languages are man-made, aren't they.
Besides, I would like to explore this topic in two ways - First one a rational argument and Second one, an emotional argument. Mmm, yeah I am obviously fascinated by the various ways of expressing something - I hope you notice yourself and your own reactions. Yes, Padawan - be mindful of your thoughts;P
The Rational Argument
Universal Grammar - This is the most basic hypothesis of Modern Linguistics and it focuses on the fact that be it any language say, Chinese or Finnish the underlying principle which converts the thought into words is common to each and every individual regardless of our culture, mother tongue. It's the most fundamental aspect of Humans, like the DNA.
Translation - We all have the same Language hardware regardless of the fact that we have grown up with XYZ language and in XYZ culture. As simple as that.
Another important fact that we must consider is that Languages are the only thing that separates us from "animals" and it is not peripheral to our lives but Central to our very existence. Padawan, meditate on that thought;P
When our ancestors decided to explore the world and started moving out from our common Eden - Africa, the languages started to change, slowly but surely and over time the vast surface-differences evolved which helps us identify that a particular person is speaking Chinese, the other one is speaking Finnish and the other ones still are different Navajo.
English has obviously shown us what a common language can do to improve our understanding and help us out-evolve our narrow identities based on superstitions like "All xyz are zyx" et cetera ( well, we are still a long way to go). English has made possible collective efforts like never before. To overcome ever more challenges, we as people need to work together and what better a way than to be able to communicate with each other.
And when we talk about English itself, the language has been influenced by so so many different language strands by violent and subtle influences. Saxons, Celts, French, Vikings et cetera have left their legacy in the language. And on top of it all - All languages are the same in their beauty, regardless of the fact that they have that "prestige", "written literature", "culture" or any other arbitrary abstract variable like "flag" and an "army". They have all come from one source - Humans and all humans, if we go far back in time, are from one place - Our Eden, Africa.
Personally, I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to communicate in English and that I assimilated it rather than learning it with a conscious effort. The downpoint of English being that, it's one monster of a language for learners but once you get through this initial hurdle you will find that It is an amazing language for it has the DNA of so many other languages, you learn them along simultaneously.
I hope, you won't be a Language-Racist, my young Padawan;P
And if your are still adamant at "purifying" English, well then, you can always ask for all the books you wish to read, in "pure" Shakespearean English ( Even this is arbitrary, though). Whether it's gonna happen, I Really doubt it.
Something that I heard only yesterday from an old friend of mine, obviously my passion for languages is showing up like the Green Hulk stuff in Bruce Banner;P
Needless to say, I not only disagree with this but am obviously of the opposite opinion - I think what English accomplishes is something of a Miracle. In what other language ( apart from Esperanto and few others) can I communicate with people from all over the world? I am not saying that everyone in the world knows the language, nor am I saying that we speak "perfect" English ( No such thing btw!)
Their reason for saying such a heresy(!) is that English accepts words from just about any language. And I am like, seriously, you Really think that?
Which language hasn't adapted and adopted terms from other languages?
Each and every language on the Planet is a "bastard" as per this definition. You know, I have been quite deep into this language stuff and I have put into words my belief in an earlier post that I think that "Languages are like the footprints of cultures" and absolutely none of us is gonna re-invent the wheel, we build upon things which we inherit and which we learn for ourselves. This is how it has always been. And ALL languages are man-made, aren't they.
Besides, I would like to explore this topic in two ways - First one a rational argument and Second one, an emotional argument. Mmm, yeah I am obviously fascinated by the various ways of expressing something - I hope you notice yourself and your own reactions. Yes, Padawan - be mindful of your thoughts;P
The Rational Argument
Universal Grammar - This is the most basic hypothesis of Modern Linguistics and it focuses on the fact that be it any language say, Chinese or Finnish the underlying principle which converts the thought into words is common to each and every individual regardless of our culture, mother tongue. It's the most fundamental aspect of Humans, like the DNA.
Translation - We all have the same Language hardware regardless of the fact that we have grown up with XYZ language and in XYZ culture. As simple as that.
Another important fact that we must consider is that Languages are the only thing that separates us from "animals" and it is not peripheral to our lives but Central to our very existence. Padawan, meditate on that thought;P
When our ancestors decided to explore the world and started moving out from our common Eden - Africa, the languages started to change, slowly but surely and over time the vast surface-differences evolved which helps us identify that a particular person is speaking Chinese, the other one is speaking Finnish and the other ones still are different Navajo.
English has obviously shown us what a common language can do to improve our understanding and help us out-evolve our narrow identities based on superstitions like "All xyz are zyx" et cetera ( well, we are still a long way to go). English has made possible collective efforts like never before. To overcome ever more challenges, we as people need to work together and what better a way than to be able to communicate with each other.
And when we talk about English itself, the language has been influenced by so so many different language strands by violent and subtle influences. Saxons, Celts, French, Vikings et cetera have left their legacy in the language. And on top of it all - All languages are the same in their beauty, regardless of the fact that they have that "prestige", "written literature", "culture" or any other arbitrary abstract variable like "flag" and an "army". They have all come from one source - Humans and all humans, if we go far back in time, are from one place - Our Eden, Africa.
Personally, I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to communicate in English and that I assimilated it rather than learning it with a conscious effort. The downpoint of English being that, it's one monster of a language for learners but once you get through this initial hurdle you will find that It is an amazing language for it has the DNA of so many other languages, you learn them along simultaneously.
I hope, you won't be a Language-Racist, my young Padawan;P
And if your are still adamant at "purifying" English, well then, you can always ask for all the books you wish to read, in "pure" Shakespearean English ( Even this is arbitrary, though). Whether it's gonna happen, I Really doubt it.
No comments:
Post a Comment