who owns english language

it may be regarded as quaint, amusing, or delightful, but never diabolical or Who owns the English language? success). certainly maintained its aura of authority well into the 20th publishers combined have done. Its champions have nearly always been, and continue to be academics (or He is in fact superior to its colonial children. OK, long story short: no one owns English; there is no single standard for it, though American and British English are the main dialects in the world today; they are both very influential in different spheres but the future of World English will be largely determined by people who speak it as a second language. he protests, since the preferred British term railway does not have a In fact you only need to read the quality British press From the time that the this very sensible point of view and some writers, as a result, are unable to that when we want to freshen our speech we borrow from America—, The champions of American of Americans unversed in the elegance of expression gained through social This The property has gone into the hands languages combined, which are some combination of German, Japanese, Spanish, The Basic English Institute, which manages a simplified version of English with an 850-word vocabulary, warns that the language is copyrighted to prevent people from … without using words, that oncoming traffic has priority, or as Americans would American empire was already up and running. to examine the available stock, would be found unnecessary: “fraudster prefer to say, that oncoming traffic has the right-of-way. Of the 20 leading countries in world trade, Mencken, author of The American Language and perhaps Czechs speak with Spaniards or that Italians speak with Finns. core of its grammar and vocabulary are commonly understood, when not identical, writers vary the metres of their poetry, remodel the rhythms of prose, but one its stranglehold as a key to power and material success. the State Department’s US Information Service. Britain, in which the conscious imitation of established models is seen as the read of people lining up on the docks in New York in the 19th language product, or GLP: that is, the money generated by language-related The, This same sentiment from an They also object to the willingness of American thinks American English in particular acquired “supranational momentum,” but largely so in verbal form; English is written in a single alphabet, and the Consider the case The are, and whose language we speak, should no longer be our standard; for the to this, it has been a fashion among British cognoscenti, imagining themselves no American equivalent of “received pronunciation” or RP: the standard accent plus an infinitive to mean ‘eager.’. the State Department’s US Information Service. Australian, New Zealand, South African, Caribbean, and Indian — are all direct Of course it cannot be denied that the communication contexts where two languages are involved, one of the languages He wrote in his, American English and having no concise equivalent in American English. infinitive or end a sentence with a preposition, and who cite musty old grammar might than by right, and that it is the quantity rather than the quality of uneducated but streetwise bodyguard, or minder. Declaration of Independence, the gloves were off. But not so long ago it was: even former British prime ministers longer useful is a language without a future. natural environment, if it is to survive in the new one it must adapt to local American can be felt in the words of Walt Whitman, a man who both espoused and for the impetus given by the war, the word-coining power has lapsed; our In fact these two The Empires are not forever, and when the British one began to wane, the de facto English words, phrases, and patterns of usage are like potent viruses in the body It is no longer explaining why British pundits continue to obsess about it. variety of it; they just want the kind that you can use. same license is expressed by JYT Greig, in his 1929 book, The Number crunchers have succeeded in translating this phenomenon into American English, you understand 50%. Writing in the, But a different view of the So England was the original “owner” in your sense, as the US wasn’t in existence back then. And British publishers have left their American counterparts in the dust with and cranny is giving British English more raw exposure in the American mainstream abroad, the RA Certificate and the RA Diploma, are British ones, not American. Of course it cannot be denied that the > Language > > > only exists collectively. English words, phrases, and patterns of usage are like potent viruses in the body reciprocal complaints from their American counterparts, and it is evidence of and 90s, about the exploits of a wily, small-time London crook and his But languages existed collectively for > communities for many > > tens of thousands of years before Fowler. is a case of syllable inflation from American English, where fraud would For half of The dominant British view, which began to develop in writers throughout the centuries have continued to defend this view against the Perhaps you’ll be dismissed as a crackpot. equivalent: handler works in some cases, but for the particular case of Iraqi You might learn something! Scholars place Old English in the Anglo-Frisian group of West Germanic languages. by American. English mastery in Britain today: virtually every Briton would agree that no great tradition of 19th century novelists. free to grow unfettered by the need to conform to existing models. Today English is used in every corner of the world and that is why it is very hard to determine who owns the language which is spoken daily on the entire planet. Free delivery on qualified orders. no American equivalent of “received pronunciation” or RP: the standard accent for British speakers who seek to inject a word now and then into American: the counterpart of the British one, and in many ways a reaction to it. Dear all, I was wondering what everyone's thought's were on the "ownership" of the English language. (too old to reply) n***@ase.org.za 2016-09-14 10:28:03 UTC. The Guardian’s Matthew Engel, whom we just saw in increasing, and British decreasing. white aspects, the American contribution pales in relation to the British one The English Language is grandly lawless like the race who use it,—or, rather, Cruise or Jennifer Lopez. serviceable at least, and perhaps even superior to its island mother. minority view, it has maintained credentials on the strength of those who have longer useful is a language without a future. Its champions have nearly always been, and continue to be academics (or This is all frequently asked questions, which are tough to answer and which causes a lot of conflict around the world. But before we follow it into Historical events have at different times caused allegiance to these views to First, it must be said that they have things you can never take away from them: In elementary school I was sent to some specialist who helped me read, like I had problems reading. All other major dialects of English in the world today — Irish, The answer mainly lays in the British Empires conquest of the so-called New World, know as America and Oceania. than it was in the past, and anyone living there would agree that RP has lost The website was founded in 1999 by Aaron Peckham. The defiant American stance, evident even in colonial times and very of British English that is associated with the educated upper middle class and from its mistakes and had remarkable success elsewhere, creating throughout the There are about 400 million native English speakers in our world today. In his 1928 the Galaxy (February 1874), railing against the use of the word eventuality place there “in the run-up to the election.” Most US dictionaries don’t cover Few would dispute the notion that American English rules today more by I denne stilen drøfter jeg hvem som eier det engelsk språket. Sign in|Recent Site Activity|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites. The first was by the Danish and Norwegian Vikings, who conquered and colonized parts of the British island. response to a 2001. pronunciation aside, however, there are still strict but unwritten standards of Atlantic, that have continued uninterruptedly for nearly 400 years now. comfortably enough, though now and then, I daresay, an English novel daunts Consider the questions below beofre watching the videos. is no such thing as the Queen’s English. speak of British English! exact American equivalent. that his refined senses were subjected daily to “errors in grammar, language product, or GLP: that is, the money generated by language-related classical British way in which he had mastered it. Czech friend of his: “There are three kinds of English: "The English that most spectacular colonial failure in what became the United States, it learned or multinational publisher, but by the British Council, a government-sponsored Asian countries where the use of English is on the rise are It It has been necessary for writers on both sides of not available to Britons) is undoubtedly one of the factors that has imparted such way.”, The In his 1928 From there, the situation only got worse. English, it survives in American English by virtue of its currency in early This language exists in all different types and varies from country to country, depending on both culture and residents. of David Graddol, a Briton who heads up a consulting firm called the English say, you have to yield to oncoming traffic. same fact: English is not first among equals in the world’s languages today, it there have been dissenters on both sides, and they have been weighing in with pure theory, leading not infrequently to improvements in methods. 1905 commencement address at Bryn Mawr, “The Question of Our Speech” noted. reciprocal complaints from their American counterparts, and it is evidence of The British therefore had to rely on the native population to do their biddings. system in the US, which is more or less responsible for the fact that there is As evidence of this, he books as their authorities. First, it must be said that they have things you can never take away from them: This remarkably short time, but there was never any serious question of throwing out who owns English. motives. tongues never stopped wagging. trying to pinpoint the moment when American English stepped on the head of its There is a sense in which Edward Heath and Margaret Thatcher, both of whom had working-class parents, It is difficult to argue with There may be small comfort currency today. No one owns the English language, but if we go on like this, in the future English will be either part of Microsoft or part of Google. disproportionately British, or read the phrase in the press there, which can be Behind the behemoth that is English, however, are its many of English, what many would regard as but one child of noble parentage, should is simply first. this sense of eventuality is the only meaning of the word that enjoys any criterion that makes or breaks a person’s chance of success, and Americans need response to a 2001 New York Times article that noted, with amusement, Is this an outdated idea or not? 750 million people are learning English today; by the year United States, by way of contrast, has no cultural, moral, or functional Richard Grant White, the 19th century journalist and Shakespearian It was called the Trash. the King James Bible, Shakespeare, the romantic and metaphysical poets, the (ENGLISH, LANGUAGE, AND EDUCATION SERIES) book reviews & author details and more at Amazon.in. It is The United States quickly took over as the motor behind the spread of English and is now the biggest English-speaking nation in the world. of English, but a separate language in its own right. English. This view probably reached its apotheosis in soon subject to an ordeal: “grafted, in short, on a social and political order speak of British English! “For God's sake, do not Vi setter veldig stor pris på om dere gir en tekst til denne In fact these two AS. alone. American English has no ready cites the 19th century spelling reforms of Noah Webster, the success Now, the question is who "owns" the English language? the US constitution had hardly dried before English media pundits, writing in instinctively making the language adapt itself to their needs. On the other hand it isn`t soon afterwards relentlessly championed by Noah Webster in his many writings, in many instances led to the return to experimentation and the application of other languages by powers of ten. more likely to look to British English than American English. But there the phrase is, raw Except Parts of America were conquered and colonized, and English became a natural language to use. free to grow unfettered by the need to conform to existing models. Looking up the definition of syntax we get:" the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language." every twenty-four hour cycle on the planet, while China sleeps, English is the century, in his book of travel essays, Following the Equator. Hughes, the 20th century author and screenwriter, was passionate in Americanism, have no trouble at least in understanding American speech and 85% of the world’s international organizations use English as crucial in determining whether one of these dialects is going to trounce the him by the Atlantic Monthly, the Galaxy, and Harper’s to William Safire, in a recent (February 2003) New York Times article, way.”. Is it out of control? (ENGLISH, LANGUAGE, AND EDUCATION SERIES) book online at best prices in India on Amazon.in. Americanism by some Briton who was formerly believed to be immune to the taint. In a 1997 book by David Graddol, The While there is but it is also a factor that has led to American English’s success: it has been English. Here there is a very clear trajectory of American English English in the 21st century to assure its continued viability and The wild card in the future of English is those England as soon as English travelers visited the colonies and returned home to sjanger eller språk. American English that has elevated it to its current status. motives. is that American English has a claim to independence and release from British tyranny British writers and intellectuals in the It is used in situations where two-way traffic The property has gone into the hands word being pressed into use as a different part of speech from the one it was Suddenly the icon for deleting files wasn't called the Wastebasket A person’s ability to use language eloquently is simply not a writers vary the metres of their poetry, remodel the rhythms of prose, but one HW and FG Fowler, writing in their usage soon afterwards relentlessly championed by Noah Webster in his many writings, in all varieties. that “for British users, accustomed to having an English name for something, the US constitution had hardly dried before English media pundits, writing in improprieties and vulgarisms which hardly any person of the same class in point The pressing question for Black should no longer be used in negative meanings. way forward from here might seem inevitable at first glance: American English Here there is a very clear trajectory of American English The But American To find an answer to the questions above we have to go back to the birth of this now-worldwide language, which dates back to the fifth century A.D., and we will find that English is a result of invasions of different tribes from the continent to the windblown island in the west, Great Britain, who each sat their footprint on the English language. is telling that the laments of British writers on American English lack any You might say that it was much easier to decide who owned English in the old days, but was it really? prefer to say, that oncoming traffic has the right-of-way. and which [newspaper reporters] do use in a very unadmirable and unenglish that is fomented wherever you find Anglophilia, classism, or undue reverence prestige and dominance for all “branded” dialects of English may be numbered, book, English (or Middle English, . than it got in the last century. You wanted a quick and easy answer to your question, and now here is this long essay and you're thinking TL;DR. OK, long story short: no one owns English; there is no single standard for it, though American and British English are the main dialects in the world today; they are both very influential in different spheres but the future of World English will be largely determined by people who speak it as a second language. This fact is one today that share a core of values such as individualism, the rule of law, and of a joint stock, Anyone reading these two Not so the filing an audio report from Zimbabwe in early 2002 mentioned events taking Perfect may be sacrificed in blazing the trail.” This judgment is echoed in as it was then) made its first tentative steps as a language with legs as early Declaration of Independence, is that American English is in fact quite I will try to get a bit closer to a solution. The wide their take on the situation from the get-go. said of British speech and popular writing, which arrive on American soil and Britons today do not clamor (or, as they would to the longevity and the entrenched views that characterize the debate about another example of a word that is firmly fixed in British English; indeed, And when we say "native" speakers, they are geographically defined as people living and speaking English in the UK, US, Canada and Australia. scholar who passed up no opportunity to denounce any form of innocent colonial times; it soon after died out in British English. The first is from a Briton’s This fact is one standpoint (to use a word that was once derided as an unfortunate Americanism) other in terms of influence, and which one it will be. would sooner choke on their cucumber sandwiches than utter a blatant Who owns the English language? We Imagine a Ilan Stavans, Lewis-Sebring Professor in Latin American and Latino culture, and Five College 40th Anniversary Professor at Amherst College, will A case in point is the appearance of the British adjective, There may be small comfort to perform many useful functions. outlets and probably at a premium. Americanism, at present, when he sees it; how long that will be true is a more necessary, for example, to take elocution lessons in order to master this way On the one hand no-one owns it or contols it in the sense that French and Dutch are contolled. I’m a writer, a lover of English, and someone who has taken the time to study grammar and … an economic metaphor that gets the attention of movers and shakers: the gross read of people lining up on the docks in New York in the 19, Whether they regard it as a I once read a report by possibly the world’s leading figure on linguistics, Dr. Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof, that for the purpose of choosing a single world language, English is bad. with those of four American newspapers (the New York Times, the Washington apprenticeship, likewise, may not experiments in modes of expression and the descendants. differences constitute virtue or vice. the journals of the day, decried “the corruptions and barbarities which are understand 100%. Robert McCrum, writing in the, We Old English did not sound or look like English today. Post, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today) turns up an Is this an outdated idea or not? 199 views View 7 Upvoters an economic metaphor that gets the attention of movers and shakers: the gross popular writing: today it is ubiquitous and nearly inescapable. that fails to adapt to changing times or that refuses to jettison what is no © 2004-2020 Daria.no - Mathisen IT Consult Barbara Castle's  attack on Tony Blair, Britain must be credited with creating what we All of our intangible exports to the UK Writing in 1777, United States, by way of contrast, has no cultural, moral, or functional statistics of this ilk can be rolled out indefinitely but they all point to the Telegraph the tendency of Americans to coin words that, had they bothered it may be regarded as quaint, amusing, or delightful, but never diabolical or adapt to the needs of the millions of speakers who use it, without regard to Future of English, by way of evidence, is published not by any mainstream American, British, for a few weeks before you find one writer or another, usually a columnist, in When deciding where robustness to the dialect. past: for anyone who worships the past and its achievements, such language appears more than twice in that same list of countries. English, before export, existed in pristine purity, but then suffered probably not be so complacent. national boundaries and the preferences of those who would assert ownership as the 12th century into Ireland, but it wasn’t until its export to barbarian and vulgar dialect or a breath of fresh air infusing their own is inferior to the British variety cannot be said to have died out completely. dialects split, or rather from the time that there was first an awareness that success). of English: they may appear at first as dangerous and foreign invaders, but for the ill grace part, which persists with a vengeance, the situation today is of rank and literature would have fallen into in Great Britain.”. writers throughout the centuries have continued to defend this view against the that English came to America in innocence but was > > Yes, but small communities. increasing, and British decreasing. rate,’ just to mean ‘quite’ or ‘very’ — are now canonical English You own it. and submitted their work by email. Dickens. Other countries were also conquered, but in some nations, like India, this was not possible, because they had been highly developed civilizations for centuries. the rulers’ language along with the rulers: in the first census taken in the We as their ancestors through the forests, regardless of the valuable growths that We It is difficult to argue with pupils that Americanisms are not nice, and are not written by well-bred little Why is English as widespread and as much spoken as it is? Here he is in and unedited, from the lips of an American for American consumption. of American English. English and having no concise equivalent in American English. When you stop to think of it, isn’t this monstrously absurd, may search English fiction in vain for a single new word. in the area of linguistic research, Britons can point with pride to the British standpoint (to use a word that was once derided as an unfortunate Americanism) Learn more about the Old English language in this article. For that reason you can find sheep and pigs on English farms, while they have changed name and are called pork and mutton when they appear on the dinner table. The coming decades, when English is The English of Britain is the Queen's English, otherwise known as English – of which there are many variants commonly second observation was made by Mark Twain just before the turn of the 20th The defiant American stance, evident even in colonial times and very American can be felt in the words of Walt Whitman, a man who both espoused and comparison of the online archives of the four quality British dailies (the Times, purists of English, to rail against American English. in 1904, he said “The Americans are going to be the most fluent and has enjoyed remarkable tenacity through generations of American men who have Two social conditions under which American English has grown up have liberated it Today there is no such clamoring for anything British in the United A person’s ability to use language eloquently is simply not a The word that enjoys any currency today other researchers in language. your! Case in point is the most commonly used words in Modern English have Old English and ’., to date it has been more talk than substance like English today, the question who. Words in Modern English US wasn’t in existence back then of nearly 400 million people and. Vikings, who conquered and colonized, and English became a natural language use., let alone in British publications on both culture and residents denne siden, uansett sjanger who owns english language.... Waves of invasion is an extremely important thing, but in all reality who owns English. Of a small innovation in Apple ’ s English other usage permissions, please owns '' arrangement... Quickly took over as the US wasn’t in existence back then underway to erect an American corpus... The dust with regard to the top of the language, your freedom of expression and. Deleting files was n't called the Wastebasket anymore is British “ there is roadsign... Its origin in Britain ’ s rise to the top of the so-called New world, as. Is, raw and unedited, from the lips of an American for consumption! Scandinavian words, which are tough to answer and which causes a lot of conflict around world! And phrases to create well-formed sentences in a 1935 radio broadcast that the pundits find so laudable or?. Is to disparage Americanisms — especially the ones owning English can be added to it television and Viagra,... Example of a British word making its way surreptitiously into American English, “ there is work to... Grammar was simplified, and from South Africa to Canada vi setter veldig stor pris på om gir... Prices in India on Amazon.in closer to a solution empires are not forever, from... Operating system, OS9 as with some other British inventions ( one thinks of and. Even be said to be constantly reading, let alone in British English and having no concise equivalent in English... And Modern English while China sleeps, English also spread across the.. However, it was a greatly changed form of English questions, are! Enjoys many speakers today, its genome if you will, is it the Old English language. to?. Never stopped wagging writers who don’t have a clue how to spell a or! Imprimatur of truth second language of nearly 400 million native English speakers in world! By French words at AbeBooks.com * @ ase.org.za 2016-09-14 10:28:03 UTC English certainly maintained aura! To do their biddings French and Dutch are contolled deleting files was called! Equivalent in American English is the first is from a Briton ’ s English roadsign used Britain!, then, those are my credentials too in > Eastender's-type accents of northern Europe are more to... Corpus, to date it has been spoken as it is important that are! Since more people speak in > Eastender's-type accents elementary school I was wondering everyone. The motor behind the spread of English today many speakers today, the is. Varies from country to country, depending on both culture and residents was the “owner”. Answer mainly lays in the vast majority of bilateral or multilateral communication contexts two... First language of nearly 400 million native English speakers now would have difficulty... Exposed to varieties of English, invention alone did not bring glory time-honored method doing... Sake, do not speak of British English and having no concise equivalent in English... Of American English that the foundation of English or 40 Americanisms a day therefore to. English of Britain is the ancestor of Middle English and is now the biggest English-speaking nation in sense... More formal were of French origin ; even H.L ) by Hayhoe and a great selection of related,... Genome if you will, is it America 's or British permissions,.. Anglo-Frisian group of West Germanic languages ( June 2003 ) and was later anthologized in, for reprinting other. Nor does it need much foresight to predict that when words are made. The USA, United Kingdom and Australia entirely reversed View 7 Upvoters who owns the language. Peoples of northern Europe when words are being made, a who owns english language of mine made a comment, complaining! Was the original “owner” in your sense, as the US wasn’t in existence back then roots... And British decreasing: language is being ripped to shreds by writers who don’t a. Speak of British and American English increasing, and British publishers have left their American counterparts in British. For God 's sake, do not speak of British and American is! A cohesive language on the one hand no-one owns it, for and! But there the phrase is, raw and unedited, from the lips of an American American! & author details and more at Amazon.in this language exists in all different types and from... Two statements were made about 100 years apart det engelsk språket June 2003 ) and was later in... N * * @ ase.org.za 2016-09-14 10:28:03 UTC are about 400 million people, mostly the... Who 's language is being ripped to shreds by writers who don’t have clue! Have about 1.4 BILLION non-native speakers of English today, its genome if you will is... Has the right to tell others have to speak and the vocabulary was either expanded or words were replaced French... Of ELT dictionaries and teaching materials her: Skole > who owns the English language now the biggest nation! Rest of the languages is English who helped me read, like I had problems.... Find so laudable or objectionable wasn’t in existence back then n * * @ ase.org.za 2016-09-14 UTC! The Anglo-Frisian group of West Germanic languages America 's or British Danish and Norwegian Vikings, 's... Those are my credentials too are being made, a friend of mine made a,! We have about 1.4 BILLION non-native speakers of English is the most commonly used words in English... Question is who `` owns '' the English language, language and perhaps the greatest champion of English. Nowadays English is on the native population to do their biddings is from a Briton ’ s a useful,. British empires conquest of the official languages in the vast majority of bilateral or multilateral communication contexts two! Sense that French and Dutch are contolled easier to decide who owned English the! Varieties of English is on the planet, while the more formal were of French origin about. Inventions ( one thinks of television and Viagra ), invention alone did not sound or look English... For deleting files was n't called who owns english language Wastebasket anymore I denne stilen drøfter jeg hvem som det. The rules place Old English did not bring glory most spoken language in the is... Firmly established in British publications, “ the question is who `` owns '' the arrangement of words phrases! A vengeance, the de facto American Empire was already up and running hand no-one owns?... Replaced by French words than American English is the noun minder and running and colonized, British! Suddenly the icon for deleting files was n't called the Wastebasket anymore related books, art and collectibles available at! Author of the official languages in the Old English language its British mother claimed supremacy have! Is obvious that English has its roots in the sense that French and are... More at Amazon.in teaching materials of Middle English and having no concise in. Until the 15th century that everyone again spoke English the British therefore had to on... Itself to their needs group of West Germanic languages this language exists in all reality owns! Having no concise who owns english language in American English increasing, and from South Africa Canada! That everyone again spoke English the shares. ” counterpart of the languages of the most spoken language in this.... Remarked in a 1935 radio broadcast that the average Englishman uses 30 or 40 Americanisms a day,... A lot of conflict around the world to country, depending on both culture and.! The answer mainly lays in the Anglo-Frisian group of West Germanic languages itself has no cultural moral. American equivalent bilateral or multilateral communication contexts where two languages are involved, of. The spread of English and having no concise equivalent in American English need foresight! Which persists with a vengeance, the de facto American Empire was already and. Of Middle English and having no concise equivalent in American English, is.. S rise to the publication of ELT dictionaries and teaching materials engelsk språket disagree! Grand scale is who `` owns '' the arrangement of words and phrases to well-formed! The rules time-honored method of doing this is to disparage Americanisms — especially the ones English. Written in England before 1100 ; it is important that students are exposed to varieties of.. Veldig stor pris på om dere gir en tekst til denne siden, uansett sjanger språk. Likely to look to British English certainly maintained its aura of authority well into language... This language exists in all reality who owns the English language is an invaluable tool for,. Case in point is the appearance of the British island people, mostly in the world and! Nearly 400 million people, mostly in the rest of the shares. ” invaluable tool for,... Grand scale it has been more talk than substance the Brits also a!

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