Tag: linguistics

  • Debating USA’s Official Language: The English Controversy

    Debating USA’s Official Language: The English Controversy

    As of 1st March 2025 the US of A is no longer one of the few countries that operates without an official language. Is the rather symbolic executive order relating to America’s identity? A Forbes article mentions: “America has always relied on practice and practicality rather than statute. English has became [sic, or is this now official US English?] the de facto language of governance, law, and commerce through usage and cultural dominance, not through a mandate.”

    Why did it take so long to designate an official national language (if it was not necessary for 249 years)?
    Well, does it have to do with their love/hate affair of the English (rule)? Is the Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing (and no, that is not the flex some believe it to be) not based on distancing from English rule (or anything English)?
    Funnily the potus has installed the English language as national language earlier this year and coincidentally “no king” protest are popping up? Anyways, I assume it only has to do with satisfying his fan base.

    So, how come the US-EN and UK-EN differ? Well, languages evolve. In 400 years pronunciation, grammar, vocab, spelling, punctuation, idioms and even formatting of dates and numbers have diverged in mostly minor ways. Although even the smallest of variations always tend to be standing out like a sore thumb.
    Does it surprise that the metric system (SI: système international d’unités, no translation necessary, I hope) was first adopted by the French in 1795? The US Congress declared the system lawful in commerce throughout the nation in 1866, the US Army and USMC in 1957. Great Britain only adopted the system in 1965. In 1988 Congress passed the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act (interestingly you won’t find much about “metric system” here). So why are they still holding on to their freedom units?

    As an intermezzo, may I raise that most of the world nowadays speak or understand English (thank you British Empire, Hollywood, internet, etc)? Fascinatingly Europeans often hear the (rather uneducated) US remark “if we did not help you (in the world wars) you’d be speaking German”. Well, many European languages are Germanic, including, yes, English. Also, most people worldwide are at least bilingual. Then again, why would anyone engage in a discussion with someone this ignorant? I will gladly help and educate the people who are unaware or unknowing; but when someone is repeating propaganda, false claims, blatant lies and just incredulous nonsense even when fact-checked, I just hope they get home safe and get the support (psychological and/or psychiatric) they need.

    English being a Germanic language, Nordic (also Germanic though) and French (Latin) did have noticeable influence. Yes, European nations love(d) to conquer, and colonize. European nobility (including royalty) loved to control and marriages were (still are?) business arrangements. I do understand the US Americans dislike towards such activities. Anyone acting like or behaving and believing to be worthier than any other human people is despicable.

    Perhaps worth mentioning that most of the financial jargon is of Italian origin, French are responsible for their “cuisine”, art and many other jargon, the Dutch for their naval (military) and water-related terminology, etc. Just as most of the world is using English words for technology, so are the English adopting foreign words for new non-English developments or inventions, etc.
    Another item that baffles me is that US Americans are made afraid of certain words and ideologies. Is the rest of the world crazy for being social and communal? I need to be more specific, I guess, it is perfectly fine to be social and communal, but don’t ever use socialism and communism (most people do not even know what they actually mean; and no, it is not what media or politicians want you to believe). And since when is being anti fascist wrong?
    Another word is “foreign”. One specific anecdote, many non-US airports have added the Stars&Stripes next to the word “All (other) passports”. Absurd that US citizens cannot fathom to be categorized as “foreign(ers)” such bad connotation the word has nowadays.

    Not sure why many are scared of foreign influence. Can you guess since when people have been protesting against foreign influences being introduced into English? Aye, not much after the Norman Conquest and later when the French ruled England. English linguistic purism is real.

    Has anyone wondered where the name originates from: English? From the Angles that came from… Denmark. It has nothing to do with angels or angles but the tribe Anglii. Basically the tribe were migrants in England. The tribe and language amalgamated, not sure how forceful that unification went though. Then some other events influenced the English language, but now it needs to be protected from foreign influence? I guess we are going back to the Middle Ages…

    I don’t really like ‘what if’s but there are many examples of how English would sound like or how English would be spoken if:

    How We’d Talk if the English had Won in 1066 by David Cowley, or without French/Latin or Norman influence…

    Please do take a moment to watch this:

    So, if you want to build a wall around your language (no pun intended) you will overprotect it and perhaps shield it from fun new advancements, think food, entertainment, etc. Is it not interesting that you regard your language as standard and normal. When you swap the French influenced words by Anglo-Saxon alternatives it may sound ancient or plain wrong.

    On the other hand I was surprised Dutch mainly uses English computer jargon. How surprised are you if I explain that the English words computer, process, etc are of Latin origin? Another fun fact, the French don’t use computer but ‘ordinateur’, it organizes or orders. Since the French use the Latin “computare” as compter meaning to count or add up. Initially a computer was designed to calculate but soon was capable of more. And when computer and calculator are deemed to similar a philologist (and Latinist Jacques Perret) was consulted to “invent” a new word.

    It is easy to become lost in translation when you borrow foreign words and the definition slightly changes over time, or become inadequate to fully describe the object or situation.

    Just a disclaimer that I do not watch US news religiously. I do not like soaps however entertaining they may be.
    Also, I have lived in Belfast and Dublin, hence I do make a distinction between England, Britain and UK.

  • The Evolution of English: A Cultural Melting Pot

    The Evolution of English: A Cultural Melting Pot

    What do Celts, Vikings (+ Norse mythology), French aristocracy and Germanic tribes have in common? They all contributed to Modern English.
    It’s quite amusing when a language evolved over time and is an amalgamation of several languages and cultures. And then you have an influential person that wants to restrict foreign influence into said language… Hence a little introduction how English was formed as we know it today.

    Introduction

    English is not my first language. As a Belgian, it is actually my fourth. Although, in all honesty, I should rank English second based on proficiency and fluency.

    Perhaps having a Germanic language as mother tongue helps learning English and German.

    Background

    You may know that not only the country of Germany speaks Germanic language. The borders of what used to be German territory and even colonialism (as for most European language spread over the world) are to blame. Interestingly only (or as good as) the English use the word Germany. Hence the confusion, since West Germanic language Dutch and German were once used as synonyms in the region. In Dutch we called current “Nederlands” Diets and the German version Duits. Then again, both were used interchangeably as the language was – back then – very similar. In Dutch we named the country of the “Duits”-speaking people Duitsland. The English of course complicated all this by calling “Nederlands” Dutch. Just like the Germans call the language Deutsch and their country Deutschland. Not to mention the funny variations of the country’s name. I am looking at you Slavic people.

    Source: https://jakubmarian.com/names-of-germany-in-european-languages/

    Some languages use the old tribe’s name of Allemani, Germani or even Saksen (Saxons). The Slavic languages refer to Germans are “mute” or “unable to speak”. Similar to the Roman approach that everyone not Roman(ized) was a barbarian.

    English is born

    When do you pinpoint when a language starts? Do you really have to start from the root language PIE (Proto Indo-European) on the Black Sea shores? I will leave the languages family tree and details to linguists and historians.

    Have you ever heard of Ingvaeonic? Aka North Sea Germanic?

    The point where I like to start, since it bears so many similarities are the Anglo-Saxons, Frisians and Jutes. Certain English people like the term ‘Anglo-Saxon’ very much but the same people seem to forget those two tribes/people were of “foreign” origin. Quite surprising they still use the “Briton” but have completely denounced their Celtic heritage. I can only imagine it is mainly thanks to the Romans.

    The Angles (people) hailed from current Denmark/Germany border region, Saxons are German and the Frisians span from Germany over the Netherlands into Belgium.

    From the Anglo-Saxons, Frisians and Britons cultural mix, and perhaps even noteworthy to mention that there was something like Romans once upon a time. And a change in religion, the number of gods were drastically reduced.

    Later influences

    From 800-950 the language assimilated Old Norse, as you will know, if you ever watched Viking series. At the same time there was a simplification of Old English grammar. If you want to learn about the Norse (aka Northern Germanic languages) influence in the English language, you should definitely check your weekdays and toponymy of English towns and cities. Old English is barely comprehensible to a majority of people nowadays as it is written in runes and 85% of vocab no longer in use. Old English is probably more understandable to a modern German speaker.

    About 1066, quite a well known date in English history sort of marks the transition to Middle English. It should not come as a surprise that many words concerning conflict are of Norse influence.

    Middle English changed quite a bit for the language. At the end of the Middle English period, from 1400 to 1600, the Great Vowel Shift happened.

    At the same period the English language (through the British Empire) was “exported” worldwide. Perhaps this indicates why English dialects are perceived as strange. Especially since the language was going through some changes. If you know about Madagascarian/Malagasy fauna you are probably aware that isolation affects evolution differently than in Eurasia, Africa or Americas.

    Royalty introduced the French language into English. Some kings barely spoke English. In Dutch people eat, just like the English peasants “calf” whilst the aristocracy ate “veal”. Therefore the English having two words: one for the animal, one for the food.

    Do you say royal or kingly? Paternal or fatherly? Amorous or lovesome? Dictionary or wordbook? Blond(e) or fair(-haired)? Do you ponder or wonder? Science or knowledge? Escape or flee? Port or harbor? Reply/response or answer? Chase or hunt? Property or owndom/belongings? People or folk? Valuable or worthy? Abandon or forsake? Distance or span? Incredible or unbelievable? Despair or hopelessness? Do you resist or withstand? Ire/rage or angry/wrathful? Severe or stern? Enemy or foe? Tomb or grave? Zero or Nought? Ridiculous or laughable? Assume or foreguess?
    Yes, I realise nowadays they are not always synonyms.

    Have you ever wondered where synonyms come from? Don’t you believe one word is easier? That is the beauty of amalgamation. Problems arise when synonyms, perhaps just very subtly, change slightly in definition.

    Modern English started about 200 years ago. Reading a book from the early ME might be challenging though.

    Unsurprisingly languages evolve even faster since the invention of the internet. Well, actually it already started with Hollywood.

    In non-English languages is an enormous influx of English words and expressions (cringe, rizz, etc) but also other languages. American-English will have more Spanish influences whilst Aussie/NZ will have more Asian.

    So, what now?

    Are we going to lock in a language and denounce every foreign influence? I remember a time (in my youth) when people were looking for Flemish/Dutch equivalents for English words (like computer, download, soft/hardware). I assume it was more hilarious than a serious attempt to save our language from English influence. Imagine the replies of the public who came up with a Dutch alternative for a floppy-disk?
    Quite ridiculous when you realize that computare is of Latin origin. Also in the Lowlands we a similar story language-wise.

    Funny how some people are xenophobes but have no problem devouring “foreign” food. The look on the faces of islamophobes is priceless when you explain the origins of Spain’s national dish paella.

    I don’t understand how tourists can travel abroad and only eat food they know. In Dutch we have a proverb roughly translated like:

    What the farmer does not know, he does not eat.

    Obviously metaphorically. Often I wonder what happened when European people were introduced to potatoes, chocolate (originally so not the later sugar rush version) and many other fruit&veg, spices, etc. If you restrict your diet to produce what is native to the land as well as locally produced, you certainly will have to take supplements. Especially in the US where farmers usually specialize in just one product. In comparison, in Europe you have many farmers opening a shop (and vending machines) selling a range of local produce. Oftentimes even cheaper than in the local supermarkets.

    Anyways, what’s next? Have you ever heard about Cockney rhyming slang? Just to say that dialects were used or created to identify if a person was part of the community and hence to be trusted. As if all danger and risk came from outside. Nowadays crime fighters always look to non-strangers first. According to statistics people should change their view on who to trust. Strangers are statistically safer to be around. I realize this is against our instincts. I assume psychologists and psychiatrists will have a decent explanation.

    I’d rather want to talk to a stranger, someone from another country or region, or someone showing an interest in the region; than so-called locals. Strangers (usually) have a more open mind, have more appreciation and respect than locals.

    Languages were never a(n) (major) obstacle. Traders on the silk road were most probably proficient in many languages. Apparently Marco Polo knew four languages.

    PS: Does anyone know why white people in other countries are known as “expats” (even if they have no intention to return to their hoe nation) whilst non-whites indiscriminately “migrants”?

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