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Modern Society and Global Language

Instructor: Professor Yong-Won Lee

Department of English Language and Literature Seoul National University

Office: Building 3, Room 316 Email: ylee01@snu.ac.kr

Phone: 02-880-2536

Fall 2015

(Chapter 2)

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WHY English? The Historical Contexts

Why is English the Global Language? - Two Answers: (a) Geographical-Historical one (Chapter 2); (b) Socio-Cultural one (Chapters 3 & 4); - Combination of (a) & (b) resulted in Many Varieties of English (Chapter 5). Historical Account: – Traces the movement of English

around the world; - The 19th-century colonial developments; - Adoption as an (or a semi)-official language of newly independent states in mid 20th century; - Spread of representation in every continent and islands in three major Oceans.

Socio-Cultural Account: - Looks at the way peo-ple have come to depend on English for their economic and social well-being; Penetration into the international domains of political life, business, safety, communications, entertain-ment, and the media & education; Several domains’ total de-pendence on English – computer software industry.

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Overview: Historical Con-text

Origin (UK) America Canada The Caribbean Australia & New Zealand South Asia Former Colonial Africa South Africa South East Asia & The South Pacific A world view

Origin (UK)

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Origin Movement of Anglo-Saxons in 5th Century: - Northern Europe to England (Strongholds of the Celtic languages); - Entered Part of Wales, Cornwall, Cumbria, and southern Scotland.

Norman Invasion in 1066: Many nobles fled to Scotland and were welcomed (along with the English language).

Expansion into Ireland, beginning in 12th Century: - Anglo-Norman nights were sent across the Irish Sea; - Ireland fell under English rule.

The First Significant Step in the End of 16th Century: - Colonial Expansions into North America and further developments - Between the Elisabeth I and II period (1603-1952); - 5-7 million => 250 million speakers of English.

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America

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America Early English-Speaking Settlements in America - The First Expedition (1584): Commissioned by Walter Raleigh (1584); A group of explorers established a small settlement near Roanoke Island (North Carolina); Conflicts with the native people; Disappearance of settlement.

- The Second Expedition (1607): The first permanent settlement built in the Chesapeake Bay area; Called the settlement Jamestown and the area Virginia.

- The Third Expedition (1620): The first group of puritans on Mayflower landed at Cape Cod Bay and established a settlement at Plymouth, Massachusetts; The near area called New England.

Different Linguistic Backgrounds of Settlers: - Virginia: Most of settlers from West County (Somerset, Gloucestershire); Zummerzet voicing of “s” sounds & “r” pronounced strongly after vowels; Tidewater accents in Tangier Island.

- New England: Settlers from Eastern counties of England (Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Essex, Kent, and London) and Midlands: Not pronouncing “r” after vowels.

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America

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America Dialectal Distinctions in American English

- Originated from early patterns of settlements and migration routes.

- Northern (New England): Moved west into the Great Lakes area. - Southern (Virginia): Moved along the Gulf coasts into Texas - Midland: Spread throughout the mid-western area, across the Mississippi into California.

Additional Waves of Immigration: - The 17th Century: New shiploads of immigrants; Pennsylvania settled mainly by Quakers from the Midlands and the North of England;

- The 18th Century: A vast wave of immigration from northern Ireland; 50,00 Irish and Scots-Irish in 1720; Scots-Irish - One sevenths of colonial population by 1776 ; Seen as “frontier people” with the “broad” accent”; Some stayed in Philadelphia and others moved inland to the west and the South in search for land.

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America Population Increase between 1770-1870: 4 millions (the

first census) to 50 millions; Settlers spread throughout the continent; The “broad” accent was heard all over the Sunbelt (from Virginia to southern California); It is closely associated with present-day American speech.

Non-English influence on the English language

- The Spanish: occupied large parts of the west and south-west; - The French: the northern territories, around St. Lawrence River and throughout the middle region (French Louisiana) as far as the Gulf of Mexico; - The Dutch: in New York (originally New Amsterdam) and the surrounding area; - The German: Settling in Pennsylvania and hinterland. - Africans: Slave trade; from 2, 500 in 1700 to 100, 000 by 1775.

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America The 19th Century: A massive increase in American migration; - Irish following potato famine in 1840s; - Germans and Italians escaping from the failed 1848 revolutions; - Central European Jews fleeing from the pogroms of the 1880s;

The 20th Century: 75 millions (1900) to about 150 millions (1950); about 50 millions; Settlers spread throughout the continent; The “broad” accent was heard all over the Sunbelt (from Virginia to southern California); It is closely associated with present-day American speech.

Functions of the English Language in America - English language as a Glue: Within one or two generations of ar-

rival, most immigrants came to speak English through assimilation; A massive increase of mother-tongue speakers of English (198 m. in 1990 to 215 m. in 2000) ; Maintaining American unity;

- Minority groups’ concerns: preservation of their cultural & linguistic heritage; The seeds of conflicts between the need for intelligibility and the need for identity.

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Canada

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Canada The First English Language Contact with Canada (1497): John Cabot

reached Newfoundland; Later, the farming, fishing, fur trade industries attracted English speaking settlers.

The Ongoing Conflicts with the French: Exploration of Jacque Cartier in 1520s; French claims surrendered following the defeats in Queen Anne’s War (1702-13) and the French and Indian War (1754-63); Thousands of French settlers deported from Arcadia (Nova Scotia) and replaced by settlers from New England; More came directly from England, Ireland, and Scotland; “Nova Scotia” meaning “New Scotland.”

The US declaration of Independence (1776): Royal supporters of Great

Britain left US for Canada; Nova Scotia to New Brunswick and further inland; Soon followed by thousands of “late Royalists”; Over 31 millions people in 2001, with two thirds claiming English as a native language.

Canadian English: Some common characteristics both with American and

British English; The presence of French as co-official language, chiefly spoken in Quebec.

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The Caribbean

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The Caribbean Importation of African slaves (started as early as 1517): Resulted in a

highly distinctive kind of speech spoken in West Indies and the southern part of the mainland.

“Atlantic Triangle” of Journeys (early 17c to 1865): Europe West African Coast Caribbean islands & American coast Europe; The 20 slaves on a Dutch ship arrived in Virginia in 1619; Half a million by 1776; 4 millions by 1865.

Emergence of English Pidgins and Creoles: Linguistic policy of slave traders

was to mix people of different language backgrounds in a ship; Growth of pidgin forms of communication among slaves and between the slaves and English-speak sailors; The pidgin was learned by the children of the slaves as a mother tongue (appearance of black Creole speech).

A Diverse Range of Varieties of English Developed in the Region: Standard British English promoted as a prestige variety of English; Creole forms of French, Spanish, and Portuguese developing; Interaction among the creole and stan-dard variety of English.

Migration of West Indian Speech Communities into Canada, the USA,

and Britain.

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Australia & New Zealand

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Australia & New ZealandAustralia James Cook’s First Visit to Australia in 1770 First Penal Colony at Sydney (1788) - About 130,000 prisoners transported in a half century ( 1788-1838); - Most of the convicts from London and Ireland (the 1798 Irish Rebellion).

Free settlers - Entered the country from the very beginning - Rapid increase from mid-19th century: 400,000 (1850) => 4 millions (1900) => 19 millions (2002)

Mixed linguistic character Displayed in Australian English - Cockney accents of London; - The brogue of Irish English; - Aboriginal languages; - Influence from American English; - Various Immigrant groups.

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Australia & New ZealandNew Zealand (Called “Aotearoa” in Maori) The Chartering of Islands by Captain Cook in 1769-1770. First Settlements by European Whalers and Traders in 1790s. Christian Missionary Work Started in 1814

The Official Colony Established in 1840 (The Treaty of Waitangi) Rapid increase in European Migration: 2,000 (1840) => 25,000 (1850) =>

750,000 (1900) => 3.8 millions in 2002.

Linguistic Consequences of Three Strands of Social History: - A greater sympathy for British values and institutions => Clearer British accents; - A growing sense of national identity, separate from Australia => Use of distinctive New Zealand vocabulary. - A fresh concern for the rights and needs of the Maori people => Increased used of Maori words in New Zealand English.