Speech Memorabilia

America is undoubtedly a melting pot, but for melting doesn't mean homogenization. Episode four of The Story of English explained the origins of Black English, while episode five showed how "American English" came to be. The former says that Africans contributed to English, while the latter states that the immigration of Germans, Italians and Jews, among others, "enriched American speech" (part VII, 1:18). This British production, which has identified all types of British speech as equally significant, oversimplifies dialects in America and refers to a specific American tongue. There is certainly an Italian way of speaking that is very different to that of African Americans, but neither can be referred to as the country's language. American speech has infinite versions and accents that may vary in frequency, but never can they be more correct. Languages grow to adapt to new situations in life and as the US is one of the most populated countries, it has had a lot of scenarios in which more ways of expressing oneself is needed. English has grown as it accommodates immigrants and people adapt to new technology and lifestyles.

As I watched the shows, I could see that a lot of the things that influenced what episode six defines as "American language" are still going on in different ways. The show mentioned that forty-niners (who were called like that even though the gold rush began in 1848) brought in new phrases to English, like referring to a good business as a gold mine, because new situations brought in new words into people's everyday lives (part III, 3:00).  Nowadays language is adopting new words that the technology rush is creating. In this moment I'm blogging, making me a blogger, different from tweeters who prefer microblogging. Bloggers write about all types of subjects; there are eco-bloggers, mummy bloggers and blogonistas. Everything is bloggable in the blogosphere. As people's lives change, language must progress for people to be able to express their ideas and communicate. In the present, if English didn't accommodate technology, it would die because people wouldn't be able to communicate what influences most of everyday life.

A dynamic language is also necessary for supporting people's identity's. Cowboys (or cowmans or cowhands) aspire to be called "hands" (part IV, 3:00), showing how new lifestyles expand language as new identities are formed. The hacker community has created new words that describe the types of technology people there are. 4chan refers to people as "newfags," "oldfags," "Amerifags," "moralfags," all terms that refer to different types of users. It might have started as offensive but as people discovered a necessity to use those words they just became normal 4chan slang.
As for cultural identity, episode six shows the life around Little Italy and how Italian filtrated into English in that environment. The American melting pot isn't only made up of white Europeans--immigrants from all ethnicities, cultures and regions of the world arrive to the US and contribute to its society. Italians aren't massively arriving to the US, but Persians (or Iranians), among many others, do continue to migrate. People are starting to recognize formally the persian neighborhood of Los Angeles as Tehrangeles, showing how America continues to accommodate new cultures and languages. "American English" has a lot of words from Persian, like "assassin," "alfalfa," or "bronze." English probably adopted these words from a long time ago, but it shows that all types of immigration have affected the language.


As the evolution of English in the US shows, language changes as people's lives change. When new cultural aspects begin to influence, language must change to allow its speakers to progress. If a language didn't progress and stayed in the way people communicated in the past, people wouldn't be able to engage in modern life and either they would use another language and have a static culture. By listening to American English you can see that it has taken in words from many cultures and historical situations.

Rhythmical Languages

Sub-Saharan Africans have had a distinct way of living throughout history that has been obscured by the more powerful civilizations that rule the world today. As the Western civilization started intruding the different African cultures, their social structure started collapsing and their history became a very violent one. The world, including isolated African regions, tends to see the Western type of living as the correct, and perhaps understands some aspects of other major civilizations, like the Chinese or Indian, but many features of African societies are misunderstood and wrongly observed as primitive. As I watched episode five of The Story of English, I noted how many African languages used singing and music as part of their communication. I remembered from a (boring) SAT practice passage I had read long ago that African music cannot be studied or understood as Western music is--it should be seen instead from a linguistic point of view. So I guess I'll try.

Around 70,000 years ago, Homo sapiens started to move out of Africa, making the story of humankind to begin bifurcating for the first time. The original population of humans divided into two groups: those who stayed and those who left. The ones who left eventually branched off to populate the rest of the world, but for a while, they remained as the groups which the powerful civilizations of the present may call ancestors. Those who left built their way of living as their migrated to different continents, but those who stayed in Africa didn't need to adapt much. When comparing genetics, there is Africa and then the rest of the world. I will refer to Sub-Saharan Africans as just Africans, which otherwise could include Northern Africans which came from those who left and then went back many thousands of years later.

The static circumstances of African culture kept people from needing something more of it. While in places like Europe more technology was necessary for surviving, simple tribal structures allowed Africans to live just fine. However, as most humans do, they did want entertainment. They did need to persuade others of political ideas or change their ways of living, but they did need to have some sort of  amusement and to connect with family members. The only thing that was needed from language was to be fun and to keep the communities together. I don't know the origin of music or singing, but at some point of African history it started to merge with language as it was a solution for what Africans wanted. Perhaps it was also like that outside Africa but other problems of live forced people to change their community life and eventually drop the importance of musical rituals. Most African languages are tonal languages, meaning that pitch is a part of their speech  and that it determines the meaning of words (like saying to present vs saying a present). Understanding this concept might be difficult for English speakers as the language is more technical and, for some time, less flexible. The way I get it might sound silly, but the original African languages were sort of chants that could mix well with music. Rather than having melodies, original African songs were simply methods of communication putting more emotion into the rhythm. The music of community rituals was speaking in a more artistic way.

The Gullah woman on The Story of English (parts I and II) makes her family sing and dance like slaves used to do as a way to pass on her African heritage to the next generations, using oral tradition as common in Africa. Just like African tribes used to gather around in musical rituals, the woman uses music as part of communicating with her ancestors. African communication goes way beyond the cold Nordic purely verbal relationships--it is about showing emotions vividly. As you can see in Colombia, regions influenced the most by Africans have warmer relations, like in the coast, but the far away mountain cities that didn't have slaves have a distant way of interacting, like in Bogota. I can certainly witness that interactions between Puerto Ricans are very direct, warm, emotive and use tone (and volume) as a way to show one's feeling. My mom believes she can justify yelling by saying it's her "Puerto Rican tone," one which allows you to talk mockingly, daringly and fervently.

As the TV series showed, because of the social circumstances in which African culture came into America, racist people burden aspects of its language. The whole structure of having a "superior" class makes   As I watched the Gullah people on the show, I remembered reading an article about the Melungeon, an ethnic group (with dark skin) of Southeastern America who were lately devastated to find out that they were not descendant of the Portuguese or Turkish immigrants who somehow might have arrived in colonial times. After having their DNA checked out, Melungeons found out they descend from Africans. How come?

The dislike of African Americans was pointless and didn't keep the immigrant culture from influencing the new one. The community musical traditions of many African cultures mixed together to form a new one that slaves did in plantations, as the Gullah woman says. African Americans brought a more musical way of living to the New World that eventually lead to new genres of music. Episode five showed African tribes' music and later on all the types of music that came from it (part II 3:16). American mainstream music through the past century has been greatly affected by Black artists. Just like The Story of English shows in parts V, VI and VII, the Harlem Renaissance and all the rap movement has had African influences. English wouldn't be what it's now if Africans had never gotten to America.



Source:

"Black on White." The Story of English. Wrti. Robert MacNeil, Robert McCrum and William Cran. MacNeil-Lehrer Productions and BBC, 1986. Youtube. 

Language and Politics

I took this picture from a Colombian history book that mentions how newspapers changed their language for political purposes, as I had mentioned it last class. It's in Spanish but so I'll briefly translate it.

The day after the Conservative party lost the civil war of 1860-1863, whose typical nature keeps it from being written in upper case, the official newspaper of Cundinamarca changed its spelling from conservative to liberal. It started using Chilean writing as a way to oppose to the conservative godos, or those who used to be supporters of the Spanish crown.

Using specific dialects works rhetorically to promote political ideas. One might think that abandoning Spanish spelling would be a separatist act, but Colombia just looked up to another country. I feel like this paragraph from the book shows Colombia's essence.

Source:
Gutierrez Cely, Eugenio. "Guerra de 1860-1863." El Radicalismo. Bogota: Villegas Editores, 1990. 392. Print. 

The Destruction of Minorities

Episode fuir ay th' story ay sassenach shows hoo sassenach destroyed th' natife leid ay scootlund, a type ay gaelic. th' shaw explores hoo scottish influenced sassenach an' its expansion throoghit th' warld, an' Ah foond interestin' hoo leid worked as a way tae gie intae people's minds. th' dissolution ay scottish culture began when Jimmy vi ay scootlund becam Jimmy Ah ay englain, but fur most minorities, sassenach breaks apart their leid slowly an' progressively. at first, th' scottish aristocracy went abroad tae englain an' ben generations adapted tae th' leid an' acted as spreaders ay it, makin' current scottish aristocrats ken their ancestral leid as a hobby wi' "marks ay rusticity" (macneil, mccrum, cran 3:54). while changin' languages didne change their traditions reit awa', th' infiltration ay anither culture in their leid slowly changed their identities towards an english-controlled a body. when one's most maternal things ur altered tae a foreign perspectife, th' way a body feels abit oneself turns intae a subordinate ur rebellioos a body. mony scots, fur example, tried tae keep their religion in their leid sae 'at their beliefs wooldnae be altered by an sassenach perspectife (macneil, mccrum, cran 6:46). as their culture was affected by th' sassenach a body, some scots turned tae resistance against their authority while others hae begin tae see their culture as an inferiur a body. in th' case ay irelain, fowk hae responded aggressively tae th' attempts ay britain gettin' at their culture (macneil, mccrum, cran 0:25) whit thes episode shows happenin' in scootlund is a trend 'at happens when minorities encoonter a bigger power whose leid can gie intae their society an' control it. i dornt ken much abit th' amish, which th' episode mentions in a body point, but a similar scenario happens wi' these minority. th' shaw mentions 'at th' first amish fa arrived tae america started adoptin' th' scottish accent, althoogh mony ay them waur germans, makin' them hae a distinctife way ay 'spikin nowadays (macneil, mccrum, cran 1:27). amish fowk bide aroond th' idea ay conservin' th' way ay livin' ay th' pest, makin' onie interaction frae lae ay th' warld a threat tae their communities. their way ay 'spikin works as a conveyur ay their identity, precioos fur them. th' threat leid minorities coopon when encoonterin' th' powerful standard sassenach is loch th' hazards 'at holocomb, as shoon in in braw bluid by truman capote, faced wi' th' globalization ay th' warld. ance th' "ootside" warld invades a wee toon, th' population's identity an' society crumbles an' becomes a subordinate ay th' power behin' th' intrusion. sae far thaur huvnae bin real threats tae amish communities, they continue tae bide undisturbed, but as technology makes th' warld mair accessible, their way ay livin' is endangered. it's nae only abit th' leid which coods imposed oan them but th' soorce ay power behin' th' new variation 'at coods infiltrate their antiquated dialect. when a toon 'at seeks autonomy an' self-dependance loses control ower its identity, their society can collapse quickly.

______________________________________________________
Now in an understandable version:

Episode 4 of The Story of English shows how English destroyed the native language of Scotland, a type of Gaelic. The show explores how Scottish influenced English and its expansion throughout the world, and I found interesting how language worked as a way to get into people's minds. The dissolution of Scottish culture began when James VI of Scotland became James I of England, but for most minorities, English breaks apart their language slowly and progressively. At first, the Scottish aristocracy went abroad to England and through generations adapted to the language and acted as spreaders of it, making current Scottish aristocrats know their ancestral language as a hobby with "marks of rusticity" (MacNeil, McCrum, Cran 3:54). While changing languages didn't change their traditions right away, the infiltration of another culture in their language slowly changed their identities towards an English-controlled one. When one's most maternal things are altered to a foreign perspective, the way one feels about oneself turns into a subordinate or rebellious one. Many Scots, for example, tried to keep their religion in their language so that their beliefs wouldn't be altered by an English perspective (MacNeil, McCrum, Cran 6:46). As their culture was affected by the English one, some Scots turned to resistance against their authority while others have begun to see their culture as an inferior one. In the case of Ireland, people have responded aggressively to the attempts of Britain getting at their culture (MacNeil, McCrum, Cran 0:25) What this episode shows happening in Scotland is a trend that happens when minorities encounter a bigger power whose language can get into their society and control it.

I don't know much about the Amish, which the episode mentions in one point, but a similar scenario happens with these minority. The show mentions that the first Amish who arrived to America started adopting the Scottish accent, although many of them were Germans, making them have a distinctive way of speaking nowadays (MacNeil, McCrum, Cran 1:27).  Amish people live around the idea of conserving the way of living of the past, making any interaction from the rest of the world a threat to their communities. Their way of speaking works as a conveyor of their identity, precious for them. The threat language minorities face when encountering the powerful Standard English is like the hazards that Holocomb, as shown in In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, faced with the globalization of the world. Once the "outside" world invades a small town, the population's identity and society crumbles and becomes a subordinate of the power behind the intrusion. So far there haven't been real threats to Amish communities, they continue to live undisturbed, but as technology makes the world more accessible, their way of living is endangered. It's not only about the language which could imposed on them but the source of power behind the new variation that could infiltrate their antiquated dialect. When a town that seeks autonomy and self-dependance loses control over its identity, their society can collapse quickly.

"Amish Guy," Family Guy 
Click here for a politically incorrect parody of the Amish culture.

Source:

"The Guid Scots Tongue." The Story of English. Wrti. Robert MacNeil, Robert McCrum and William Cran. MacNeil-Lehrer Productions and BBC, 1986. Youtube. 

Le Snob

Episode two of The Story of English pointed out that after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, speaking French and later English influenced by French became a sign of sophistication. The languages of the original inhabitants of Britain as well as those of the Anglo-Saxon invaders became unsophisticated and harsh-sounding, while French became the language of the royalty and upper class. Poor serfs were ignorant of the new imposed foreign vocabulary, starting a tradition of having French as a sign of sophistication in the English language (MacNeil, McCrum, Cran 1:40). Throughout history Latin and French words have remained as the sophisticated way of speaking English for a lot of people's points of view. Although knowing French is not actually sophistication (it's just another language), the Western culture has seen this language as a cultured and elegant one. Simply by listening to different British accents you can see that the classy ones, or posh, have both an influence from French in lexicon and resonance, while the perceived as unsophisticated, like the cockney accent, has a gruff sound that resembles Germanic roots. Ever since the Battle of Hastings, French has remained as an attractive sound for English speakers and it's clear to see today.

After a French immersion summer program, I can witness that for the American eye, learning French means culture. I don't mean that people who learn French are sophisticated, but that the Americans that I met mostly saw their summer abroad as a part of their sophistication. Despite dislike between countries, many prestigious British boarding schools force students to learn French as part of their "posh" formation. The snobbiest people I've met have let me see that French is a part of way of speaking. For any culinary term to sound elegant and chic, it usually has French words (chic, hors d'oeuvres, à la carte, carte du jour, foie gras, fleur de del, cordon bleu, mousse, crêpes, crème, bon appétit). Although most of these terms have literal translations to English, like crème to creme, it is accepted and widely done to use the French alternative to make it more elegant, making many of these words now actual English words. If you want to socialize in a snobby way, you can ask someone for a rendezvous or a soirée and then ask them to RSVP (respondez s'il vous plait). Ever since the Norman conquest of England, among with other historical factors, French-based words in English have held some type of social prestige. 

Source:

"The Mother Tongue." The Story of English. Wrti. Robert MacNeil, Robert McCrum and William Cran. MacNeil-Lehrer Productions and BBC, 1986. Youtube. 

Speaking Imperialistically

English is an efficient language and one that works and adapts pretty well. I'm sure, however, that's it's not innately superior to any other or simply the greatest language of all humankind, as the first episode of The Story of English Language explains.  The show seems interesting and historically enriching, as the second episode showed me later, but I found the introduction just pompous and imperialistic. The pilot ends with a clichéd speech on the importance of English and then mentions all that can be studied from it, including statements like that English is the language that has been taught the most throughout history, in a proud tone. The narrator says that English is a language that Indians and Africans long for, and that it is the perfect lingua franca. In one point an African man says, "So we want to make a living and that means we have to learn English." The show makes it seem as if there was an instinctive desire for the English language, the only one that can lead to prosperity to the point where the narrator even says that it is not "coming from above."There are definitely many benefits to using or learning English but these are merely because of the current situation of a world devastated by two centuries of anglophone imperialism. The Story of English Language is certainly right when saying that English can be useful in some situation and good for people looking for a job in the former parts of the British Empire, but I believe it is like that because our world is built around an English-speaking society. Modern means America or Europe. Development is following such traditions. English works well in the American world because a language comes tied with its social influences, the social influences colonialism makes us crave. 

As the narrator explained all the benefits that come from learning English in Africa, I remembered Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's essay we read in class about imperialism, "Decolonising the Mind". The personal essay narrates the author's experiences while growing up in British-ruled Kenya as he shows how imperialism invaded people's way of thinking making Britain and the British style what everybody wanted and simply knowing English a requirement for success. In one point the author writes that for a student to do well academically and be admitted to good schools, Kenyans had to do very well in their English exams or otherwise fail, even if they were amazing at other things. The Story of English Language shows this scenario at a bigger glance. Nowadays people are not forced to learn English necessarily but the remains of imperialism still infiltrate people's minds and make them look up to Europe and the US. The show makes a good point when saying the English is a good lingua franca, but I do not think that it is because the greatness of the language or because it means progress. English is a good lingua franca because the post-colonial societies were left to only work with dependance to Europe. India, Pakistan and many African countries were not made to accommodate people's origins and cultures so that they could progress in their own way. Former British colonies turned into countries made to be incompatible within their own cultures. India did not chose English because it had discovered an element of enlightenment and progress but because Britain left no other option. After centuries of having English-speaking empires, colonies were left with no option than to work the way "civilized" Anglo-Saxons did. People living under imperialism are made to think that their colonizer is better. 

The writer of The Story of English probably doesn't mean to harm or offend anybody, but rather, as part of an imperialistic system, was showing his or her vision of the world. I am, as is everyone who I interact with daily, a product of American imperialism. For my society it is seemed as a good thing to study under and American system and know English. It's not only a great skill for work but also a backup solution in case I get tired of Colombia and the third world. In my family's case, I know how importance language is for imperialism because of my ancestors' stories during the American colonization of Puerto Rico. As soon as America won the Spanish American War, Puerto Rico was flooded with missionaries and government workers set to "educate" the islanders. A lot of schools, both religious and public, were founded for the purpose of helping the island progress. That meant starting the first university, teaching sciences and humanities but for the most just making sure that everyone knew English. One of my great-grandmothers, who easily got a nurse job for a while without any kind of medical preparation, was fluent in English and therefore could do well in terms of jobs. My great-grandfather actually wrote and read better in English than in Spanish, even though he wouldn't visit the US until he was an adult. Even in the present people in Puerto Rico struggle because of the infiltration language does on their minds. Some years ago a mayor changed the name of a town to Guaynabo City, as he changed road sings to be in English, all leads of development. 

I found the first episode of this series actually amusing and mostly accurate but I do want to note that it is made in an imperialistic point of view. English does have benefits as improving communication in airplanes and even serving as a lingua franca for former colonies, but it is not because it has a supreme innate way of being. English is all around the world because imperialism made it get into everyone's mind and make it become a sign of progress. 

Source:

"An English Speaking World." The Story of English. Wrti. Robert MacNeil, Robert McCrum and William Cran. MacNeil-Lehrer Productions and BBC, 1986. Youtube.