The Evolution of the English Language

The English language has been around for over 1400 years. During that period of time it has had many twists and turns. It has been manipulated so much to the point where we wouldn’t be able to recognise/understand a piece of text that was written 1000 years ago. 

Let me ask you this my fellow reader, we have seen how the language has evolved in the past, why does it have to stop here? With the world evolving and many expats going all around the world, the language is easily going to be influenced by different cultures and customs.  When expats come into new countries they have to try and adapt to a whole new life. So, learning the language and perfecting it is not going to be top priority on their list. Yes, learning the language is crucial, but as long as they are able to hold a conversation where both sides are able to understand each other, it is appropriate. Growing up in an immigrant family, you are bound to speak 2 types of English. One that you speak inside the house, and one that you use when your in school, or out in public. So who is to say which one is right or wrong? To some that is the only English that they know. Even to them their dialect of english has its rules and conventions. 

While reading Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” I noticed that she made a very powerful statement, and I quote, “`But to me, my mother’s english is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. Its my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery. That was the language that helped me shape the way I see things, expressed things, made sense of the world.” 

Amy is trying to represent how to her, her mother’s english is the one that she is used to, one that she will never let go of, and that to her (even as a writer) finds completely correct. 

See, it is not as if they are completely butchering the English language, the language stays the same, it is just modified to fit the needs of bilingual speakers, making it easier for them to communicate their ideas and notions to the English speaking world. 

Wake up society! Let me take you on a trip around the world. We are in Britain. The land of the British where people say words like: Gormless, Knackered, and Gobby. A different variation of English. We are in Scotland, where people say: neeps, breeks, and shoogle. Another different variation. We are in Ireland, where you hear: bowsie, ganky, and jacks. 

Accents and dialects have been around for a very long time. It seems as though only English speaking countries are allowed to speak in a different “English”, without being critiqued and called, “broken.” Go on social media, and you’ll witness a completely different language using an array abbreviations and slang. I think you get the point I’m trying to make here. 

English is different in every part of the world, and thats what makes every country and culture so unique. So why should the different variations stop at immigrants? For most, speaking is the way you express yourself. So why should we stand in the middle of that? Why should we be the barrier that is stop people from being their true, authentic self? That is something that should be celebrated instead of looked down upon. 

Imagine a world where everyone spoke the same way, with the same dialect, quite the boring world it would be eh?

 Kool A.D.’s use of language:

When analysing Kool A.D’s column, “How to Pay for a Baby”, I learned that A.D. uses colloquialism and slang diction to expose his information to his chosen audience in an idiolect that they can comprehend. Through his expressive choice of words it is very evident that Kool A.D. is trying to get a humorous reaction out of his audience. For example, in the text the author uses phrases like, “Hella dangly things”. While his choice of words and phrases might seem different and quite humorous the almost hidden meaning behind his work, is quite brilliant. Throughout the text, A.D. is critical to society. He questions how the world we live in works, and makes it sound quite silly. To portray his message to his target audience he choses to use slang, such as: “What’s even crazier is that you need money to even live indoors. Like it’s hella empty building in the world.…hella different tasks…of fake a** currency your weak a**  country…” He uses this accent to communicate his theme, and stress his point in this column. By using this language A.D. is able to grab the attention of his audience and pull them into his thoughts, in a way that the reader can accept. 

Introductory Blog Post

Hala's #1 Blog Post:

Part 1:

I have always been a very international person. Meaning I have moved around a lot in my life. That  comes with its disadvantages. Every time I have moved around I had to adjust to the environment around me, and depending on where that is, it wasn’t always as easy as it sounds. Being a muslim girl from Palestine has been quite the journey for me. Especially having to live in a closed off community in Canada where the citizens are not international what so ever. Seeing racist and people right in front of me really opened my eyes as to how the world is suffering. This brought me to writing and public speaking. I have always had a passion for public speaking, and have won competitions in the past. After my experiences I realised I could use that talent to spread awareness. I started writing poems and speeches, and the more and more I wrote the stronger I became. I also believe that what makes my pieces unique is the way I deliver to my audience and the tone an volume I choose. This has always been a interest of mine and is definitely something I very much care about. 

Having language in my life has opened up all these opportunities for me to be able to creatively write the way I do. By having it in my life it has helped me touch so many people, and open their eyes on important world issues. I know this because when I presented my poem last year, a lot of people came up to me and told me how much they were impacted by my poem. 

Studying language does not just get the brain working and thinking, but it also allows people to become very self-aware and more mindful. Language is such a creative and analytical subject, and it is a great tool to use to vent your inner thoughts. Studying language also helps with communicating a point across with a certain type of audience. There is so many different forms of text that can be used when trying to communicate to an audience. Language helps you communicate to a wide variety of groups. For example, the speech you write for 5 year olds, is going to be different than the type of speech you will write for a group of professional business owners. 

Since english is my second language, I have in the past felt like I was excluded due to the fact that my english wasn’t as strong as the others when I had just moved to Canada in grade 4. The students in my class were able to get the marks that they wanted, in the language subject, with ease, but with me it took extra work. I felt as though I was out of place, and I couldn’t really communicate my ideas to my class in the way that I wanted to. This restricted me from showing my teacher my (literacy brain). 

Part 2: 

I have very high hope for this year, since the pressure is on, and university is just around the corner. I will take my experience from last year and what didn't work for me, and the areas and need to improve on, to help me achieve the level I want to be at. Last year I had a problem with procrastination. I did my work on time and most of the time it was my best work, but it would be very rushed and cause me a lot of stress, since I did keep it until the last minute. This year my time management skills will be top notch. I will do this by completing homework and assignments as early as possible to make time for other assignments that might pop up. If there is a big project I will work on it bit by bit everyday so it doesn't all accumulate on me at the end. This will be a very key point to improving my grades and hopefully will stay consistent throughout the year. This way I will achieve good grades and be mentally healthy as well. 

Looking at my goals I know I want to go into the politics/law realm. I feel as though this course will be my push into going into that field. I know I will also really need to have strong public speaking skills, that will have to be something that this course covers. Looking at the Course Outline, I know that we will cover all my necessary topics. I will also need to learn to be very persuasive with my writing. For example the following questions will help me with my persuasive writing:

-   “How do people express their allegiance to a particular community through language?”

• “In what ways are authors powerful?”
• “How is language used in political or social campaigns to persuade audiences?”
• “To what extent does language influence cultural identity?”

The following will also help me get to know how I can connect my language to politics and society:

• “How does culture influence literature?”
• “How can language empower or oppress a group of people?”
• “How can a text empower or marginalise certain communities?”
• “How is language used as resistance?”
• “Does the media dictate what we believe? Or do they reflect our beliefs and cultural values?”
• “What does advertising and popular culture reveal to us about our society?”

Covering these topics and more throughout the 2 years will help me tremendously in my future years of exploring law and politics. It will help me be empowered with my words, and get my message across to the world. I will have great fulfilment in life to know that my words have impacted someones life, and to do that I have to know how to impact people with my words.