IS OUR LANGUAGE REALLY GETTING LOST IN TRANSLATION?
They say 'English speakers in other countries are ruining our language'. I say 'well, who put
it there? We did!'
Scarlett Parker, doctorate linguist and journalist debunks the greatest myths about English
as a global language.
Can we really still say that we 'own' the English language even though there are more than
3x the number of Indian English speakers than there are Standard British speakers?
Picture this: you have just touched down in the Bahamas, but you needn't fear because you
will be greeted by security guards and bellboys who can speak the very tongue that you are
are so familiar with. But, why is it that over 1,000 miles away from home, we expect our
language to be used?
The English language has spread so far and wide that it is considered one of the official
languages in more than 75 countries due to colonisation which started over 400 years ago. It
is the language of science, technology and business. It is used by about 1.75 billion people
and only a tiny fraction, about 60 million, are actually 'English', so surely we have no right to
try and claim that our traditional 'rules' are the only correct way to use the language.
For as long as we can look back the English have enjoyed mixing with other cultures and
hence it should come as no surprise that if it wasn't for our interaction with the vikings we
wouldn't have words such as 'freckle', 'leg' and 'face'. Contact between different varieties is
simply the driver of all language development and change which I urge you to see as a gift
because if it the vikings had never taught us their lexis (words) to refer to parts of the body,
how on earth would we seek specific medical help?!
If this all sounds like a positive to you then I am glad to warmly welcome you to the
descriptivist side where we believe that all language change is positive and hence an influx
of words that develop in a range of contexts into the English language is a gift since it is
proof of the flexibility to the language. However, unfortunately not all linguists can be as
sensitive as you and I since it was Lowth in the 18th century that caused much stir amongst
those concerned about the state of the English language as he stated that rules govern our
language. He stated that splitting the infinitive ('to boldly go') was evident of language decay
since it meant that our language was getting increasingly lazy and less like the traditional
English, but Lowth.. I think I may have found the major flaw in your aguement; such rules are
based on Latin which has a rigid rule system but we speak English which has no strict rules
and means as many nuanced forms of language can come and go as easily as they please.
When all is said and done, we are speaking English right now whereas languages with strict
rules such as Latin... well they die. This is because it is simply not possible to control
language as Johnson, avid linguist in the 19th century proved, when he admitted after 8
years of trying, that restricting language was futile just like trying to rope in a river. In other
words, there is no point in criticising new forms of English, so change your beliefs or risk
getting left behind..I hope the minor detour into the nature of language change was helpful in
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