The onset of the journey of the English language began during the early Christian era, with dialects of tribes, such as the Angles, Jutes, Saxons and Vikings. To the Vikings goes the credit of contributing simple nouns such as leg, gate, freckle, root etc. Norms like the French of today were food lovers. To them English owes such words as feast, pastry, sauce, and roast. But the first enrichment of the tongue came at a time of the Norman Conquest 1066 when William Conqueror’s invaders brought many thousands of French and Latin terms into the language.
The next few centuries witnessed the growth of a great English literature from the pens of Chaucer, Spenser, Marlowe, Johnson, Shakespeare and Milton. Later as the English traders travelled throughout the world they borrowed many words from the people with whom they traded. From India, for example, came such words as Madras, bungalow, punch, and fakir, coolie and jungle. From the Dutch came freight, schooner, scum, and scour. From Spain and Latin America, it borrowed armada, potato, cargo, tobacco and hurricane.
The English language is confusing enough as it is. What makes it doubly confounding is its growth and the long journey covered over centuries. Stories related to the evolution process are stimulating. To fit changing times, it is sometimes necessary to invent words. The words ‘astronaut’ and ‘television’ did not exist before the 1900’s.
It is hard to believe that radar was a military secret until 1951. That laser and maser are products of post 1960 research; and quasar, the key word in a whole great branch of astronomy, first appeared in 1964. Words like software and meltdown, which have immensely participated in the great transition era, are a current phenomenon.
Language cannot be defined and reduced within the parameters of a set formula or dictums alone. But the language of the country, influenced by financial needs, trade structure, diplomatic relations with other nations grows, assembles and integrates within the fold and fabric of the society, playing a dominant role in the formation of not only the tradition and culture but also the development and emancipation of the nation. English has evolved and changed from one period to another and some of its rules no longer apply currently. Today it seems wiser to base grammar upon seeing how English is used in speech and writing.
A great stage in the expansion of the English language was witnessed during the colonisation of America as the early settlers had to invent many Americanisms in order to describe the unfamiliar circumstances surrounding them in the New World. When the Dutch settled in New Amsterdam (now New York) they brought many words that are still a lively part of the language.
The language has been enriched steadily by borrowing from all parts of the world. For instance, denim comes from the expression ‘serge de Nimises’ (cloth from the city of Nimes, France). Slogan comes from the Gaelic sluagh (army). Dungaree is from the Hindustani ‘dungri’, first used for tents, later for sails and eventually for sailors work clothes. Jeans is from Genoa, where the fabric was first woven. Galoshes comes from Galoshes, a special sandal worn on rainy days by courtiers of the French king Louise XIV.
Imagine life devoid of all those meaningful, thought provoking fables of Aesop which became a part of our growing up years. It was the brain child of a Greek slave. The gifted story teller was born in Phrygia, Thrace. A slave in a wealthy household, Aesop wove fabulous animal fables such as the fox and the grapes that also illustrated shortcomings in human nature. Aesop became so famous that he charmed his way through several affluent households during banquets and feasts. With a stroke of luck, he was set free and ordered to serve the emperor Croesus.
Similarly, do you know anyone with excessive self love? He is a narcissist. According to Greek mythology Narcissus was a beautiful youth who scorned all of his many admirers. One maiden prayed that he too suffer as a rejected lover. Nemisis, Goddess of just revenge, caused Narcissus to fall in love with his reflection. Gazing into the pool he withered away and was transformed into a flower that bears his name.
In ancient Sparta, originally known as Laconia, the citizens were long-suffering, stoical and military-minded, and were even more noted for their economy of speech than Vermonters. Legend has it that when Philip of Macedonia was storming the gates of Sparta (or Laconia), he sent a message to the besieged king saying “If we capture your city we will burn it to the ground”. A one word answer came back; “If”. It was now probably Philip’s turn to be speechless. It is from the name Laconia that we derive the word laconic. It also implies pithy, concise, and economical in the use of words almost to the point of curtness.
Even though these terms have been adopted by the English language with minor or no changes in pronunciation, they can be found in an English language dictionary. Look them up, and try them out on family and friends. A study of the origins of words is one of the surest ways of making new words permanent parts of one’s vocabulary.
Those who are English lovers and ardent followers of the language are persistent with the effort to further enrich and improvise it. An attempt to put an end to sexism resulted in giving rise to terms unisex in ideology. For example Firemen replaced by fire fighters.
While English remains a borrowing language, it has become a lender as well. The French, German and Japanese borrow freely from English, so much so that the French government has made serious attempts to curtail the frequent usage of English words. Though English today reigns supreme, history stands testimony that no language has sustained a permanent position for ever. Latin, Greek and French witnessed a dramatic rise and a painful demise in terms of popularity rating. Though one can never predict the future, English is certainly an acclaimed global language for today. And getting to know it from its infancy to adolescence and now when it is in the prime of youth is indeed a great deal of fun.
