The Diversity of the English
Language
Michael Kelley
The language of the English, spoken also in the United States and most parts of the British Empire[ does what? this is a fragment, you need a verb in here somewhere] . The English language has been around since a little after A.D. 600. The origin of our language begins at the time of the Roman Empire. Spoken in a dialect of Low German, the beginning of the English language was scattered along the northern coast of Europe. [good, but give me a little more development here--you're not at a loss for background information throughout all those readings] The common form of English that we know has been and still is a growing and changing form of communication.
The understanding of the English Language is not accomplished without some idea about the history of it. The history of the English Language is long and complicated; the first known speakers of our language begins a around A.D. 400. [this is redundant with the intro paragraph, and you have conflicting information here--in the first paragraph you wrote 600 A. D. and in this one you write 400 A. D. Which is correct?--integrate these sentences into the intro paragraph if they fit, otherwise delete them. Two sentences does not a paragraph make.]
The first known people who spoke what was to become English were scattered along the northern coast of Europe. Speaking in several different dialects, these people were from the tribes the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes; better known as the Anglo-Saxons. The Roman Empire was the first to come into contact with the Anglo-Saxons. During the trading between the people, the first borrowing of Latin occurred. This led to the first taste of civilization for the Anglo-Saxons. By 550 A.D., the Anglo-Saxons had firmly established their name in England. [likewise, this would actually help build your intro paragraph, or combine this paragraph with the next to round out an associated idea that can help support your thesis] Records of the English language did not come until after 600 A.D. This is when the Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity and learned the Latin alphabet. This brought the Anglo-Saxon back into contact with the Roman Empire. This the period of what is considered to be Old English. [how does this Old English period support your thesis?] [all the information in these two paragraphs is redundant with what comes before it--find a particular point you can make about it as far as supporting your thesis is concerned]
_________________Reformat all of these paragraphs so that their margins are 60 spaces in length, like the ones you have above--skimping on your margins to increase your length doesn't really help you much._______________________
Directly after Old English came Modem English, which hosted the change in the orthography of the language. [what hosted the change in the orthography of the language? the Great Vowel Shift? clarify] Letters were getting a different sound, some were losing all pronunciation completely. [develop this idea a few more sentences--two sentences does not a paragraph make.]
Middle English introduced a great deal of French into the English Language. The sound system and the grammar changed a good amount. [vague] This is a time when English relied more on word order and structure to relate their meanings. The Middle English was thought to have become simpler when rather it had exchange[d] complexities only. [how so? be more specific, give me some specific examples.] [you might link this paragraph to the previous one and develop and idea out of it from there.]
Early Modern English came with sound-changes, which have contributed to much of the chaos that English now has in it. Loss of vowel sounds at the end of words was one change. [for example--] This gave a whole new aspect to the language by changing thousands of words. [develop this idea]
There have been many changes in the language since 1700, but for the most part a level of control has been placed on keeping control over the English language. This was done to calm down the proliferation of the language[eh? in what sense?]. [develop this idea a few more sentences--two sentences does not a paragraph make.]
English is [lose the 'is' here] today is perhaps the greatest spoken language today[lose the 'today' here], yet has many different soundings and pronunciations among the existing cultures. English has been broken down by groups of people: American English, British English, Australian English, Indian English, and others [how so? do you mean that dialect differences have arisen in these various regions? what does that mean?]. When we break that idea down even farther, we start to see the smaller differences of language within cultures. [never conclude with a transition--conclude by telling me how this idea of the ubiquitous nature of the English language is important to the thesis]
The accents we place on syllables in words are different even between states and towns. The subcultures of the states and towns will use slang to communicate between themselves. [develop this idea a few more sentences--two sentences does not a paragraph make--you might link it to the previous idea and work from there]
Slang is the plague [eh?] of the English language. The use of slang is now being incorporated into the English Dictionary. Accents, pronunciations, meanings, and totally different meanings for words are used among the multiple cultures. [how does that plague the language? isn't that a natural part of the change and evolution of the language your thesis hints at?] The word is the most powerful means of expression and communication that we have today. As much the word can help someone understand something, it can also be used to hurt someone. [for example]
Control is being kept on the English language to keep the established form of communication common so that one day all of humankind can communicate with one kind of language [is it working? what's the impact of the prescriptivist approach? have they been successful?]. English is already spoken by a quarter of a billion people as a first language and millions more as a second language. As time continues, the English language will continue to evolve and spread until it one day does become that primary language spoken throughout the world.
Annotated Bibliography
Rework your annotations so that they specifically convey how the article was important to your thesis.
The common form of the English Language that we know today has been and still is a growing and changing form of communication.
Crystal, David. "The Prescriptive Tradition." Language Awareness. Ed by Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994: 101-106.
This article describes the controlling of the English Language.
Naylor, Gloria. "The Meanings of a Word." Language Awareness. Ed by Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994: 305-307.
This article reflects the author’s experience by which the use of a word in a derogatory manner had such an impact to her life.
Roberts, Paul. "A Brief History of English." Language Awareness. Ed by Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994: 89-98.
This article gives a brief overview about the history of English and how it has changed.
Seymour, Dorothy. "Black Children, Black Speech." Language Awareness. Ed by Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994: 122-128.
This article describes the difference of the English Language within a culture.
REVISION: [Not Micro-Edited] Final Grade: B
The Diversity of the English Language
The English Language is spoken in the United States and most parts of the British Empire. The English language is believed to have first been spoken in 400 A.D., but no records were kept until around 600A.D. The origin of our language begins at the time of the Roman Empire. Spoken in a dialect of Low German, the beginning of the English language was scattered along the northern coast of Europe. The understanding of the English Language is not easily accomplished without some idea about the history of it. The common form of English that we know today has been and still is a changing and evolving form of communication.
The first known people who spoke the dialect of what was to become English were scattered along the northern coast of Europe. Speaking in several different dialects, these people were from the tribes the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes; better known as the Anglo-Saxons. The Roman Empire was the first to come into contact with the Anglo-Saxons. During the trading between the people, the first borrowing of Latin occurred. This led to the first taste of civilization for the Anglo-Saxons. By 550 A.D., the Anglo-Saxons had firmly established their name in England. This is when the Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity and learned the Latin alphabet. This brought the Anglo-Saxon back into contact with the Roman Empire. This is the period of what is considered to be Old English. As time past, the language came to change into Modem English. A change in the vowels and letters were getting a different sound, some were losing all pronunciation completely.
Middle English (1000-1200) is a time in which the English Language incorporated a great deal of French into it. During the take over of the French, English already had a firm base in society and incorporated French words and pronunciation into its dialect. This was a time when English relied more on word order and structure to relate their meanings.
Early Modern English (1400-1600) came with sound-changes, which have contributed to much of the chaos that English now has in it. Loss of vowel sounds at the end of words was one change. This gave a whole new aspect to the language by changing thousands of words. Simplification of nouns and adjectives was also taking place during this time. The influence of the French Language had taken place in the English Language during the Norman Conquest.
There have been many changes in the language since 1700. A level of control was necessary calm down the proliferation of the language to maintain a common standard. The first dictionary was published in 1603; it was a list of 2,500 words briefly defined. There were many more dictionaries published with gradual improvements through the course of the English Language. Samuel Johnson (1755) and Noah Webster (1828) were two more publishers of the English Dictionary. The latest dictionary published is one dictionary composed of 12 volumes. The name of the dictionary is Oxford English Dictionary, compiled in the course of seventy-five years. English is perhaps one of the most common languages spoken in the world today, but it still has many different soundings and pronunciations among the existing cultures.
English spoken today has evolved separately and has to be broken down by types of cultures: American English, British English, Australian English, Indian English, and others. When we break down each culture’s language even further, we start to see the smaller differences within them and how they have developed in their own way. The accents placed on syllables in words are different even between states and towns. The subcultures of the states and towns will use slang to communicate between themselves.
Slang is an enormous element in the English language that is spoken today. The use of slang is now being incorporated into the English Dictionary. Accents, pronunciations, meanings, and completely different meanings for words are used among the multiple cultures. The word is the most powerful means of expression and communication that we have today. A word can help someone understand something, but it can be used also to hurt them. For example, the essay by Gloria Naylor explains how the use of the word "Nigger" in a derogatory way had such a great influence in her life. The uses of words in the past have caused many riots and quarrels among people.
Control is being placed on the English language to establish one form of communication so that one day all of humankind will be able communicate in one dialect. This control is working to an extent; we are still adding new words into the dictionary as society continues to evolve. English is already spoken by a quarter of a billion people as a first language and millions more as a second language. As time continues, the English Language will constantly evolve and spread until it one day does become that primary language spoken throughout the world.
Annotated Bibliography
The common form of the English Language that we know today has been and still is a changing and evolving form of communication.
Crystal, David. "The Prescriptive Tradition." Language Awareness. Ed by Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994: 101-106.
This article describes how the English Language is being controlled to slow down the rate of change and to maintain a uniform language.
Naylor, Gloria. "The Meanings of a Word." Language Awareness. Ed by Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994: 305-307.
This article reflects the author’s experience by which the use of a word in a derogatory manner had such an impact to her life.
Roberts, Paul. "A Brief History of English." Language Awareness. Ed by Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994: 89-98.
This article gives a brief overview about the history of English and how it has changed and evolved throughout time.
Seymour, Dorothy. "Black Children, Black Speech." Language Awareness. Ed by Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994: 122-128.
This article describes the differences of pronunciation, context, and the use of the English Language within a culture.