Reactions to Variation in Early Modern English; Attitudes From Within and Beyond the Dialect-Speaking Community
When we converse or write anything in English, we do not specify whether we are using modern, contemporary, or twenty-first century English. Three hundred years from now, English speakers will look at the language we are using today and refer to it as something like ‘pre-contemporary’ English or call it something else altogether. The speakers of English at that time will have difficulty understanding the English dialect and spellings that we use today. Millions of words will probably be introduced into the dictionary as life continues to change, and new things are innovated and put into use. Today, we may find it difficult to communicate using ancient English or even early modern English, as many words have changed in spelling and pronunciation. Also, many words have been introduced into the language, such as the words ‘selfie’ and others. Early modern English variation can be divided into functional varieties, geographical varieties, and social varieties (Hope, p.216). These variations brought about a broad spectrum of reactions which the paper discusses comprehensively.
Firstly, the variations enhanced the general acceptance of English in public domains. This was due to the introduction of the standardized English language (Gorlach, 459). At this point, previously printed books and other works were becoming increasingly difficult to read and understand. This fueled the invention of the printing press, which presented the aptitude to make bulky quantities of books that were exactly similar in a short span. In turn, this led to the increased importance of learning during the Modern Period because more people were learning to recite and transcribe. Standardization is observed during the mass publishing of books. This resulted in the morpho-syntactic changes in English. Features such as ‘thou,’ third-person singular ‘- th,’ and unregulated use of auxiliary words like ‘do’ were vastly limited to poetic settings.
The variations brought about the acceptance of change in people. This is due to the changed English standards and the introduced printing presses that led to the automatic devaluing of any other local method of writing. It can be assumed that any person who did not embrace the new writing method was a total stand alone. This is because many people were ready to conform to the new way of writing. The variations were met with very little, if not, no deviance (Gorlach, 460). The variations, as we have seen, presented a broad spectrum of language usage. This means that poets had their standards of writing, as did other language users. That method of standardization is still in use as the poetic dialect is different from the ordinary English people converse daily.
It is undeniable to say that the change awakened a sense of exclusions and social differentiation among people. Unlike today, the way people spoke in the past was not reliant on their status in the order of things (Fox, 53). Nowadays, the way a person speaks openly informs us whether he or she is an educated elite or an illiterate. Language came to highlight social hierarchies, to show a person’s rank and degree as well as their standing differentiation. It is not a wonder that language has become even more discriminative than any other object of discrimination.
Variations also caused the received speech attitude. This gave rise to the idea of best practice and the ideal language. The creation of a uniform standard of English led to the exposure of contrast between it and all the other existing varieties (Fox, 57). This resulted in the realization of the term ‘dialect.’ Dialects became known as the minor variations of the local languages, which did not conform to the typical English. This initiated the notion that the English language was superior above all the other languages spoken by communities outside the English-speaking community. The idea promoted the practice of professionalism and enhanced the distinction between professional and unprofessional language.
Variations of Early Modern English caused severe moral distinction among forms of language. Some dialects are generally termed as rude even when a person is just speaking typically. English speakers developed three sociolinguistic differences: dialects of the north and the people of the south. It is said that the language of the people of the north was so rude that the southern people hated it. The second distinction is between the English of town people and the barbaric English of the people from the countryside. The towners are believed to be more professional and elite in their language than the people from the countryside. The third form of distinction is status-based language classification. This notion explains that people higher up the pecking order speak more politely than people of low status. Similar distinctions were also used in describing a person’s behavior. For instance, those who spoke the excellent urban English were considered polite and had polished behavior contrary to those from the countryside (Williams, 73).
Finally, disputes and disagreements among people could not be dodged after the variations took place. This was due to the different dialects used by people from different places and also due to the aspect of standardization. For instance, certain groups of people from contrasting dialects could disagree on the spelling or pronunciation of a certain word. It is said that the English of people from the countryside was found wanting even if they were learned, people. The English dialect spoken by countrymen was supposed to be barbaric and boorish. When they went to the universities in the cities, a lot of disputes arose mainly in word spellings and sentence structuring. The standard and refined English of the townspeople were used in the universities without any special treatment for the students who came from the countryside speaking a different dialect (Williams, 74).
Early Modern English variations brought about distinct vantage points coined in different individuals and groups. We have seen the different attitudes that were presented and how they affected the language as well as the people themselves. The different perspectives have enabled us to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the Early Modern English variations and how each contributed to the people’s lives in general. The modern language was standardized to enable the classification of the broad English language into different genres. The different attitudes resulting from Early Modern English are multiple and essential to the use of the English language.
References
Fox, Adam. Oral and literate culture in England, 1500-1700. Clarendon Press, 2000.
Görlach, Manfred. “Regional and social variation.” The Cambridge history of the English language 3 (1999): 1476-1776.
Hope, Jonathan. “Varieties of early modern English.” (2008): 216-223.
Williams, Joseph M. “‘O! When the degree is shak’d’: sixteenth-century anticipations of some modern attitudes toward usage.” English in its social contexts: essays in historical sociolinguistics (1992): 69-101.