“Our ENGLISH SOUL: the FIGHT for ENGLISH”
It is widely acknowledged that its language is a Nation’s Soul. We
English have all but lost our soul. Up to the Norman conquest, the English
controlled how the language devoloped. A Norse element was absorbed with the
consent of the majority population. The Norman Conquest transferred ownership of
the Language to the foreigner which is where it has remained ever since.
Today, the ownership of our language lies with the Americans rather than
the Normans. In the modern world that ownership is transferring to the rising
powers of China,India, and Brazil ( Brazil might seek to install Portuguese ).
We can no longer write our “English” with lots of our words being alien. We can
reverse the process and regain ownership with a new Englished English. It would
be unrealistic to seek to revive “Old English” as a living language as some have
proposed. The other way would be to do as the Rev William Barnes set out, and
which has been published by David Cowley in his book ” How We’d Talk If The
English Had Won in 1066 “.
the Normans. In the modern world that ownership is transferring to the rising
powers of China,India, and Brazil ( Brazil might seek to install Portuguese ).
We can no longer write our “English” with lots of our words being alien. We can
reverse the process and regain ownership with a new Englished English. It would
be unrealistic to seek to revive “Old English” as a living language as some have
proposed. The other way would be to do as the Rev William Barnes set out, and
which has been published by David Cowley in his book ” How We’d Talk If The
English Had Won in 1066 “.
That is to replace foreign words and to promote English words as (”
Worldwide” instead of “Global” ) ( “Two wheeler” instead of ( ” Bicycle” )
( ” Ten years” instead of “Decade”) This would lead to more English
language reverting to what has become known as “Old English” which in fact was
an artificial “Koine” based on West Saxon, rather than on an the Anglian
dialect from which both true-English (as kept alive the folk-English of our regional dialects) and modern/Common English, with its international reach as a ‘koine’, or ‘lingua franca’, are descended. There should be
a role for Old English in education as the well-spring of true-English and of
Common English.
Worldwide” instead of “Global” ) ( “Two wheeler” instead of ( ” Bicycle” )
( ” Ten years” instead of “Decade”) This would lead to more English
language reverting to what has become known as “Old English” which in fact was
an artificial “Koine” based on West Saxon, rather than on an the Anglian
dialect from which both true-English (as kept alive the folk-English of our regional dialects) and modern/Common English, with its international reach as a ‘koine’, or ‘lingua franca’, are descended. There should be
a role for Old English in education as the well-spring of true-English and of
Common English.
A distinction has to be made between the world’s Common English and
England’s true-English. The name English must stay as the name of our National
language. That means what the World calls English, has to be renamed, but until
a suitable name emerges Common English will suffice. Old English was changed
into Common English by introducing foreign words into English, often through the
written word. Common English can be changed back into true-English using the
same method.
England’s true-English. The name English must stay as the name of our National
language. That means what the World calls English, has to be renamed, but until
a suitable name emerges Common English will suffice. Old English was changed
into Common English by introducing foreign words into English, often through the
written word. Common English can be changed back into true-English using the
same method.
Latinate words, like “century” can be replaced by true-English coinages such
as “yearhundred” thus the nineteenth century in true-English would be ” the
Nineteenth Yearhundred “ It would not always be necessary to coin a true-English
word. So , rather than ” two decades “ folk would use ” twenty years ” ( and ”
folk ” instead of ” people ” )
as “yearhundred” thus the nineteenth century in true-English would be ” the
Nineteenth Yearhundred “ It would not always be necessary to coin a true-English
word. So , rather than ” two decades “ folk would use ” twenty years ” ( and ”
folk ” instead of ” people ” )
For further information, go to our” Choose English” Page, and look
at “Eald Englisc/Old English” and meanings, as
well.
at “Eald Englisc/Old English” and meanings, as
well.
The Plight of English And How It Might Be Saved
A recent letter to the western Morning News stated “that the Greeks and
Romans never considered that their languages would die out as day to day
languages, and that likewise Engllish will likely follow their demise”. The
Greeks are no doubt surprised to learn that Greek has died out. Latin has
certainly not died out. Latin lives on as French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian,
Romanian, and so on. The modern world can probably blame St Boniface of Crediton
for the fossilised form of lanuage which we now know as Latin. Latin, then, is
very much alive and is close to finally replacing English as the language of
England, a process which has been going on for the last thousand years. It
English which dying out; not Greek and Latin.
One of the primary purposes of
language is to establish identity. Hebrew died out some two thousand years
earlier than Cornish. Today, modern Hebrew is the language of Israel. The
circumstances for neo-Cornish are less favourable. (Breton would probably be
easier to maintain in Cornwall, because of the need for a critical mass of
native speakers).
If English is to survive, we need to work at it. David
Cowley in his recent book, “How We’d Speak”, (ISBN 978-07552-1167-8), tells us
how. Thus, don’t say, “aid”, say, “help”; don’t say, “global”, say, “worlwide”;
don’t say, “final”, say, “last”; don’t say, “liberty”, say, “freedom”; also,
don’t say, “human”, say “earthling”; don’t say, “uncle”, say, “eam”, don’t say,
“obedient”, say, “hearsome”; and how about “two-wheeler” for “bicycle”?
Even
if the Anglo-US language worldwide ends up completely Latinised, let us in this
country choose English. Cornish died out because Cornish words were displaced by
English words. English is dying, because English words are being displaced by
Latin words
Romans never considered that their languages would die out as day to day
languages, and that likewise Engllish will likely follow their demise”. The
Greeks are no doubt surprised to learn that Greek has died out. Latin has
certainly not died out. Latin lives on as French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian,
Romanian, and so on. The modern world can probably blame St Boniface of Crediton
for the fossilised form of lanuage which we now know as Latin. Latin, then, is
very much alive and is close to finally replacing English as the language of
England, a process which has been going on for the last thousand years. It
English which dying out; not Greek and Latin.
One of the primary purposes of
language is to establish identity. Hebrew died out some two thousand years
earlier than Cornish. Today, modern Hebrew is the language of Israel. The
circumstances for neo-Cornish are less favourable. (Breton would probably be
easier to maintain in Cornwall, because of the need for a critical mass of
native speakers).
If English is to survive, we need to work at it. David
Cowley in his recent book, “How We’d Speak”, (ISBN 978-07552-1167-8), tells us
how. Thus, don’t say, “aid”, say, “help”; don’t say, “global”, say, “worlwide”;
don’t say, “final”, say, “last”; don’t say, “liberty”, say, “freedom”; also,
don’t say, “human”, say “earthling”; don’t say, “uncle”, say, “eam”, don’t say,
“obedient”, say, “hearsome”; and how about “two-wheeler” for “bicycle”?
Even
if the Anglo-US language worldwide ends up completely Latinised, let us in this
country choose English. Cornish died out because Cornish words were displaced by
English words. English is dying, because English words are being displaced by
Latin words
Gaelic (Gaeilge) is the Irish language. At the same time as the Angles
(Engle) and Saxons (Seaxe) began to settle in Britain, the Irish (Scotti)
invaded Pictavia (now Scotland). In Scotland, a dialect of Irish is spoken. In
the Scottish dialect it is known as Gaidhlig. In the Isle of Man, it is known as
Gailk.
The language which the Angles and Saxons found in Britain was British
(Brythoneg in Welsh, Brezhoneg in Breton and Brythonek in Cornish). The modern
forms of the British language are – Welsh (Cymraeg), Breton (Brezhoneg), and
Cornish (Kernewek). The name Welsh (from Volcae) was given to the Britons by the
Saxons, because they had been subjects of the Roman Empire – also Walloon in
France and Belgium, and Vlach in Romania. In German speaking countries, Romance
speakers are still known as Welsch, (Welschland = Italia/Italien).
Flags as
we know them are a comparatively new phenomenon, certainly not 3,500 years. The
Angles and Saxons began settling in Britain in the 5th century when the Romans
withdrew. The Angles seem to have come in from the Humber and the Saxons from
the Thames.
No one knows when the Uffington horse was made. It is very old.
The symbol of Kent refers to the legendary kings Hengist (stallion) and Horsa
(horse). The standard of the West Saxons was described as a red or gold
two-legged dragon. This form of dragon is often referred to as a wyvern
(actually a plural), more correctly wiver or wyver from the Norman French for
viper, i.e., adder. It was not a flag as we would know a flag today. It might
have been cut out of leather or been more of a windsock, or it might even have
been solid. The pattern (if not the standard) was inherited from the Romans.
The standard itself might even have come down from a Roman cavalry
unit. Whatever it was, it was not a modern type of flag, but it can be seen
depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.
The Somerset dialect is typical of West
Saxon. Thus S is pronounced as French Z, SH is pronounced as French J, F is
pronounced as V, R is still pronounced after vowels (most forms of English have
lost this R, but most Americans retain it). In many ways it is like Dutch
(Hollandish).
‘Er be comycal, er be’ (Zeaxysch) would be ‘He is strange’ in
standard English. ‘Do e iove hyt to y’ would be ‘Please give it to me’ in
standard English, and so on. Also ‘vader’ (father), ‘moder’ (mother). Zeaxysch
has come down directly from West Saxon, but standard English has been heavily
influenced by other languages such as Danish and Norwegian, dating from the
Viking period. The language of the Angles was probably already closer to the
speech of the Danes and Norwegians before the Vikings came to these shores. The
Angles also used Runic writing while the Saxons never did. In the days of King
Alfred, the Vikings occupied the Old Anglian regions.
Today, the old West
Saxon way of speaking is only used by a very few very old people. The speech of
most modern West Saxons is indistinguishable from that of people from anywhere
in England.
(Engle) and Saxons (Seaxe) began to settle in Britain, the Irish (Scotti)
invaded Pictavia (now Scotland). In Scotland, a dialect of Irish is spoken. In
the Scottish dialect it is known as Gaidhlig. In the Isle of Man, it is known as
Gailk.
The language which the Angles and Saxons found in Britain was British
(Brythoneg in Welsh, Brezhoneg in Breton and Brythonek in Cornish). The modern
forms of the British language are – Welsh (Cymraeg), Breton (Brezhoneg), and
Cornish (Kernewek). The name Welsh (from Volcae) was given to the Britons by the
Saxons, because they had been subjects of the Roman Empire – also Walloon in
France and Belgium, and Vlach in Romania. In German speaking countries, Romance
speakers are still known as Welsch, (Welschland = Italia/Italien).
Flags as
we know them are a comparatively new phenomenon, certainly not 3,500 years. The
Angles and Saxons began settling in Britain in the 5th century when the Romans
withdrew. The Angles seem to have come in from the Humber and the Saxons from
the Thames.
No one knows when the Uffington horse was made. It is very old.
The symbol of Kent refers to the legendary kings Hengist (stallion) and Horsa
(horse). The standard of the West Saxons was described as a red or gold
two-legged dragon. This form of dragon is often referred to as a wyvern
(actually a plural), more correctly wiver or wyver from the Norman French for
viper, i.e., adder. It was not a flag as we would know a flag today. It might
have been cut out of leather or been more of a windsock, or it might even have
been solid. The pattern (if not the standard) was inherited from the Romans.
The standard itself might even have come down from a Roman cavalry
unit. Whatever it was, it was not a modern type of flag, but it can be seen
depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.
The Somerset dialect is typical of West
Saxon. Thus S is pronounced as French Z, SH is pronounced as French J, F is
pronounced as V, R is still pronounced after vowels (most forms of English have
lost this R, but most Americans retain it). In many ways it is like Dutch
(Hollandish).
‘Er be comycal, er be’ (Zeaxysch) would be ‘He is strange’ in
standard English. ‘Do e iove hyt to y’ would be ‘Please give it to me’ in
standard English, and so on. Also ‘vader’ (father), ‘moder’ (mother). Zeaxysch
has come down directly from West Saxon, but standard English has been heavily
influenced by other languages such as Danish and Norwegian, dating from the
Viking period. The language of the Angles was probably already closer to the
speech of the Danes and Norwegians before the Vikings came to these shores. The
Angles also used Runic writing while the Saxons never did. In the days of King
Alfred, the Vikings occupied the Old Anglian regions.
Today, the old West
Saxon way of speaking is only used by a very few very old people. The speech of
most modern West Saxons is indistinguishable from that of people from anywhere
in England.
True (national) English or Common (international) English
People often get worked up, particulary in letters to the press, about
what
they think is corruption of the national language. As in a letter by
a
correspondent to the Western Daily Press in January 2011, they object to
the use
of “kids” rather “children”, the application of “guys” to both males
and females
(In earlier times the complaint was that it was slang, and worse
still American
slang.), and the use of “train station” instead of “railway
station”. Another
common complaint is about the use of “they”, as in this
article, in the
singular. The use of “they” for the third person singular can
be dated back to
Middle Ages and was used by no less a writer than Jane
Austen. “They” is
certainly much better than the clumsy “he or she” favoured
by Americans, and the
exclusion of female persons by the use of “he” to
include both “he” and “she”,
as often in Britain. They get even more heated
about what they think of as
American spellings such as “center”, “color”
and,“labor” despite the fact that
Shakespeare wrote “center” while “color”
and “labor” are the original Latin
spellings. And they would certainly not
write “mirrour”, or “publick”, as Doctor
Johnson said they should. (Funnily
enough they object to Johnson’s recommended
spelling “skeptic”, because they
believe it to be American, preferring instead
the misleading
“sceptic”.)
what
they think is corruption of the national language. As in a letter by
a
correspondent to the Western Daily Press in January 2011, they object to
the use
of “kids” rather “children”, the application of “guys” to both males
and females
(In earlier times the complaint was that it was slang, and worse
still American
slang.), and the use of “train station” instead of “railway
station”. Another
common complaint is about the use of “they”, as in this
article, in the
singular. The use of “they” for the third person singular can
be dated back to
Middle Ages and was used by no less a writer than Jane
Austen. “They” is
certainly much better than the clumsy “he or she” favoured
by Americans, and the
exclusion of female persons by the use of “he” to
include both “he” and “she”,
as often in Britain. They get even more heated
about what they think of as
American spellings such as “center”, “color”
and,“labor” despite the fact that
Shakespeare wrote “center” while “color”
and “labor” are the original Latin
spellings. And they would certainly not
write “mirrour”, or “publick”, as Doctor
Johnson said they should. (Funnily
enough they object to Johnson’s recommended
spelling “skeptic”, because they
believe it to be American, preferring instead
the misleading
“sceptic”.)
They make their stand because they proudly proclaim that is
their
patriotic duty to use British English spellings, when words like
“centre”,
“colour”, and “labour” are not English at all, but Latin through
Norman
French.
their
patriotic duty to use British English spellings, when words like
“centre”,
“colour”, and “labour” are not English at all, but Latin through
Norman
French.
Germany’s Minister of Culture, Herr Peter Ramsauer was absolutey right
when
he expressed the opinion that Deutsch had to be defended from English,
or what
most people believe to be English. That also applies to French and
most other
languages you can think of.
when
he expressed the opinion that Deutsch had to be defended from English,
or what
most people believe to be English. That also applies to French and
most other
languages you can think of.
All around the world , languages are dying out, often under pressure
from
“English”. Only a small proportion of this language is English in
origin.
Neither is it English in its ownership. The future Common English as
a world language
is out of the hands of the English folk. The demise of
English is
close, or in true-English – its end is nigh. What little remains
of English
within Common English is being rapidly (English – quickly)
eliminated (i.e., “wiped
out”, in English). We see “last” replaced by
“final”, “worldwide” by “global”,
“freedom” by “liberty”, “ten years” by
“decade”, “understand” by “comprehend”,
“aware” by “cognisant”, and so
on.
from
“English”. Only a small proportion of this language is English in
origin.
Neither is it English in its ownership. The future Common English as
a world language
is out of the hands of the English folk. The demise of
English is
close, or in true-English – its end is nigh. What little remains
of English
within Common English is being rapidly (English – quickly)
eliminated (i.e., “wiped
out”, in English). We see “last” replaced by
“final”, “worldwide” by “global”,
“freedom” by “liberty”, “ten years” by
“decade”, “understand” by “comprehend”,
“aware” by “cognisant”, and so
on.
Common English might have much to recommend it, but it is not OUR language,
which is
why the true-English language has to be developed, as described by
David Cowley in
his book, “How we’d talk if the English had won in
1066”.
which is
why the true-English language has to be developed, as described by
David Cowley in
his book, “How we’d talk if the English had won in
1066”.
Blake’s poem Jerusalem in true-English (national/folkdomly
English
English
And did those feet in olden time,
Walk upon England’s hill top green?
And was the Holy lamb of God
In England’s meadows seen?
And did that Godly look of Thine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark and hellish mills?
Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me straight arrows to my hand!
Bring me my spear, Oh clouds, unfold!
Bring me a blazing tar soaked brand!
I will not stop from mindly fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and comely land.
William Blake’s Jerusalem in Common (international) English
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountain
green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures
seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded
hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark satanic
mills?
Walk upon England’s mountain
green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures
seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded
hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark satanic
mills?
Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring
me my spear. Oh clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not
cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have
built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant land
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring
me my spear. Oh clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not
cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have
built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant land