MODERN DAY ENGLISH VS. OLDEN DAY ENGLISH
Before, it was deemed as a language of low status during 12th century England. Slowly but surely, it began its ascend to the tongues of many, dominating speech among the human race. Now, it is everywhere – English has taken over the world! It stands as one of the most renowned and widely spoken language in the entire world; a global lingua franca. You hear it in Japanese pop songs, you notice it on the ingredient label stuck on a box of Swiss cheese, you use it when writing up contracts to seal big business deals, you read the local newspaper in Thailand and find it there, and the list goes on. The influence and exposure of English is a worldwide occurrence and is impossible to escape from. However, English has had its stages, shifting and reforming from archaic English (Elizabethan or Victorian English), transforming to the English that we use in our daily conversations today.
Probably one of the most striking textbook distinctions is the changes in many English words – in its spelling, usage and meaning, slightly altered in contemporary English. Some are even extinct from today’s speech. For instance, olden day ‘thee’ has been replaced by ‘you’ in contemporary English. Once upon a time, words like ‘anon’ (later) and ‘wherefore’ (why) were typically common in fifteenth century colloquy, but alas no more. Instead, a fresh wave of words has been welcomed into our everyday conversations, courtesy of the prominent global conquest of land and international trade of the powerful British Empire. Naturally, English adopted many foreign words, expanding its influence and already expansive vocabulary. Scientists also soon stumbled upon a desideratum for neologism to describe scientific discoveries. Thus, Latin was relied on to create scientific terms such as xenon, Rubidium etc – jargon was born into the English language. Till today, new words are coined frequently, probably most obvious in the electronics field today like microchip, hard-drive, and many others.
It is too easy to disappear into the realm of steam engines in Victorian London, sea-faring voyages to the uncharted Atlantic Ocean and of bright, warm fireplaces that were the solace of large, English families facing the cruel, British winters. The rich, enthralling tales of wealthy, privileged aristocrats and royalty in luxurious palaces (Mark Twain’s ‘The Prince and the Pauper’) and of abused, pauper children thrown into debtors’ prison (featured in one of Charles Dickens’s magnum opus, ‘David Copperfield’) often stir a fascination in curious readers, intrigued by a whole era that has passed, never to be fully experienced, but only imagined through the mind’s eye. Maybe at first glance, Victorian or Elizabethan novels (of children and young adults’ genre, anyway) may be misleadingly wordy and arduous to comprehend, but the witty and compelling writing is a bargain in my opinion. In addition, since there weren’t automatic spelling checks, or electronic dictionaries and thesauruses to aid writers, they taxed their brains to produce an unparalleled literary invention with limited grammatical mistakes. Victorian novels also tended to idealize portraits of difficult lives; good deeds would be rewarded and wrongdoers would be suitably punished. They tended to be of an improving nature with a central moral lesson at heart, this probably amiss in today’s novels. Back in Elizabethan and Victorian times, seafaring to new lands, war, Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and child labour were popular themes. Today’s books differ greatly, revolving around fantasy and adventure novels (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series, the Twilight sagas), chick literature (Sophie Kinsella’s ‘Shopaholic’ sequels), and more. Fiction themes have drastically changed, displaying a wide exploration of plots in various fields such as art, philosophy, scientific and technological progress, history, and myths among many fields. Compared to the past, there are less conspicuous moral lessons embedded although the plots are attractive.
The 15th to 18th century was many years before the telegraph or telephone was invented for better communication. Back then, letters were exchanged via messengers on horseback; understandably it was troublesome and frugally employed. So, if one wanted to convey an important message, the best manner of writing and speech would have been appropriate. For example, invitations to a social occasion or a love letter to a beau. Mind you, in my opinion, there seems to be a rather elegant flair and grace present in Victorian and Elizabethan letter writing especially in handwritten, olden day love letters. Albeit a little lengthy, they were more romantic and heartfelt. Nonetheless, gone are the days of ‘snail mail’, surpassed with the handy creation of e-mails and instant text messages. Nowadays, the classic sentence of “I love you” sent via text message and e-mails have replaced these love letters and it seems to lack that deeper, innate meaning in expressing amore.
So, what would the next stage of evolution for the English language be in time to come? There are infinite possibilities and prospects. It is awfully difficult to ascertain its future but its general flexibility to accept and incorporate foreign words has maintained its existence against time. Without a doubt, it stands a chance in maintaining its existence. However, the dignity of its formal usage is declining in value amongst its speakers. Hopefully, with the guidance of dedicated linguists and scholars as well as the rise of passionate supporters of the language, the English language will be able to uphold its integrity and legacy for many more decades to come.
BY ALICIA TAN
Probably one of the most striking textbook distinctions is the changes in many English words – in its spelling, usage and meaning, slightly altered in contemporary English. Some are even extinct from today’s speech. For instance, olden day ‘thee’ has been replaced by ‘you’ in contemporary English. Once upon a time, words like ‘anon’ (later) and ‘wherefore’ (why) were typically common in fifteenth century colloquy, but alas no more. Instead, a fresh wave of words has been welcomed into our everyday conversations, courtesy of the prominent global conquest of land and international trade of the powerful British Empire. Naturally, English adopted many foreign words, expanding its influence and already expansive vocabulary. Scientists also soon stumbled upon a desideratum for neologism to describe scientific discoveries. Thus, Latin was relied on to create scientific terms such as xenon, Rubidium etc – jargon was born into the English language. Till today, new words are coined frequently, probably most obvious in the electronics field today like microchip, hard-drive, and many others.
It is too easy to disappear into the realm of steam engines in Victorian London, sea-faring voyages to the uncharted Atlantic Ocean and of bright, warm fireplaces that were the solace of large, English families facing the cruel, British winters. The rich, enthralling tales of wealthy, privileged aristocrats and royalty in luxurious palaces (Mark Twain’s ‘The Prince and the Pauper’) and of abused, pauper children thrown into debtors’ prison (featured in one of Charles Dickens’s magnum opus, ‘David Copperfield’) often stir a fascination in curious readers, intrigued by a whole era that has passed, never to be fully experienced, but only imagined through the mind’s eye. Maybe at first glance, Victorian or Elizabethan novels (of children and young adults’ genre, anyway) may be misleadingly wordy and arduous to comprehend, but the witty and compelling writing is a bargain in my opinion. In addition, since there weren’t automatic spelling checks, or electronic dictionaries and thesauruses to aid writers, they taxed their brains to produce an unparalleled literary invention with limited grammatical mistakes. Victorian novels also tended to idealize portraits of difficult lives; good deeds would be rewarded and wrongdoers would be suitably punished. They tended to be of an improving nature with a central moral lesson at heart, this probably amiss in today’s novels. Back in Elizabethan and Victorian times, seafaring to new lands, war, Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and child labour were popular themes. Today’s books differ greatly, revolving around fantasy and adventure novels (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series, the Twilight sagas), chick literature (Sophie Kinsella’s ‘Shopaholic’ sequels), and more. Fiction themes have drastically changed, displaying a wide exploration of plots in various fields such as art, philosophy, scientific and technological progress, history, and myths among many fields. Compared to the past, there are less conspicuous moral lessons embedded although the plots are attractive.
The 15th to 18th century was many years before the telegraph or telephone was invented for better communication. Back then, letters were exchanged via messengers on horseback; understandably it was troublesome and frugally employed. So, if one wanted to convey an important message, the best manner of writing and speech would have been appropriate. For example, invitations to a social occasion or a love letter to a beau. Mind you, in my opinion, there seems to be a rather elegant flair and grace present in Victorian and Elizabethan letter writing especially in handwritten, olden day love letters. Albeit a little lengthy, they were more romantic and heartfelt. Nonetheless, gone are the days of ‘snail mail’, surpassed with the handy creation of e-mails and instant text messages. Nowadays, the classic sentence of “I love you” sent via text message and e-mails have replaced these love letters and it seems to lack that deeper, innate meaning in expressing amore.
So, what would the next stage of evolution for the English language be in time to come? There are infinite possibilities and prospects. It is awfully difficult to ascertain its future but its general flexibility to accept and incorporate foreign words has maintained its existence against time. Without a doubt, it stands a chance in maintaining its existence. However, the dignity of its formal usage is declining in value amongst its speakers. Hopefully, with the guidance of dedicated linguists and scholars as well as the rise of passionate supporters of the language, the English language will be able to uphold its integrity and legacy for many more decades to come.
BY ALICIA TAN
