EXT10-OLD ENGLISH--SLOW BLOOMING TO MODERN BRILLIANCE

 BY PRAGYAN SHARMA POLAVARAPU

(A)

INTRODUCTION

In some  old classical English books we  see  a strict serious  style (Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden  etc ) and in some an entirely different  flowing simple styles  ( Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats,R.L.stevenson,Jane Austen etc) . There are surely  thousands of  outstanding writers during  last 300-400 years.  To understand the big transformations  that occurred perhaps  over a period of 1000 years to create modern English, we should take again a quick look at history.

(a) From times of  Norman Conquest (1066) of England  large number of French words crept into  English language.  The political landscape of the British Isles transformed in a big way. William the Conqueror (1028-1087) replaced the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy with Norman-French aristocracy  and  redistributed  most land to the  Norman warlords .  A new French-Norman  culture appeared in the English  royal court . Norman rule existed in  England for about 450 years and their traditions in  governing and in  church  control  became established.  “Norman  French ” became  the  language of the English nobles and aristocrats . Latin was the language of the Church and the courts . The common people spoke archaic Anglo-Saxon English  full of French words.

 (2) In 1362 the king of England  ordered that only “English language”(the archaic old English) was to be used for all official purposes.

(3) The invention of printing press in 1476  had  a very profound effect (as profound  as that of electronic computer  on present times). Since large number of copies of books , documents and pamphlets (news sheets etc) could be produced, a  standardized form of English was spreading  fast through the printed material . The effect was powerfully felt first in the capital London and then in nearby areas . Copies of the  Holy Bible  and other religious pamphlets  translated into English were  distributed among people.They were frequently read in homes and the standardized English terms were becoming popular.

(4) History states that by Shakespeare’s time(b 1564)  modern  English was  developing. The  Bible and other  religious books translated into simple English helped spread of the language. The priests in their sermons  popularized  many simple  English words. Such rare books as  Shakespeare and  books of English poetry till now available only to aristocrats and scholars were now available to common people because  large numbers of cheaply priced  copies were available.  Newssheets/pamphlets  in English became easily available to people. There was visible speed in  cultural unification of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales because of  easy spread  new standardized  English terminology through  the printed book.

(B)

 “Modern English” as we are familiar with today  started to develop around 15th century. Earlier there was archaic English heavily loaded with German words and following some old  rules of German  grammar. The times around 15^th century were a world of  deeply religious atmosphere among the majority traditional folks reading religious books in new English. There was  always always a conservative  deeply religious disciplined atmosphere in the common people . The church fathers spoke in the slowly crystallizing English language  and the language in their lectures and sermons was  becoming  popular. Large number of  Latin and Norman French words were replacing the Germanic words .Such  position might have existed for  a few centuries.The “Old English”  of the times of king Alfred the Great (871-899 AD ) and even of later times ( 9th/10th  centuries) was like  a foreign language! It took 400-500 years to create a recognizable  English style  by great poets like Chaucer and Spencer .

( C )

 (1) The style in the dramatic works of Shakespeare (1564–1616) has  great beauty  like the slow majestic steps of a royal  elephant . The style and classical beauty  is inimitable. His work has raised the beauty of English language itself and is like  a great summit in the landscape of  English literature  . His  work draws heavily on events  in British royal history and is adorned with imagery of old  Greek/Roman  classics.His plays  were performed in London  and the print versions were also read widely by scholars. His plays were reported to have become popular even in  Scotland and Ireland  because of their  artistic quality. 

 (2) The famous “Dictionary” of Dr Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) standardized spelling and also mentioned correct context for using standard English words.  Johnson's dictionary had over 40,000 words and set rules of grammar for correct use of the words and also gave a standard spelling . This helped scholars to popularize the correct usage of those words among the students and public. The grammar rules given by Dr Johnson  were carefully followed for decades till they were further simplified .

( 3 )Dr Johnson’s  periodical journals(‘the Rambler’ and ‘the Idler’)  published in the period 1750-1760 stressed on high moral standards in writing. He popularized  cultured and serious writing in news sheets and pamphlets and while criticizing other writers and public personalities . He examined ethical issues in these papers. The two papers  were read by a wide audience and created a position of respect for Johnson’s style and also greatly popularized use of important words and phrases . Young people were greatly attracted and increased their writing and speaking skills . Two other great works of Dr Johnson “Preface to Shakespeare”and “Lives of the Poets” created standards for reviewing works of writers and for examining the existence of a moral purpose in all writing. 

(4)The Spectator essayists, particularly Joseph Addison(1672-1719) and Richard Steele(1672-1729) further contributed to the establishment of standard English through their very popular and highly readable essays in sweet English style. Some of the essays  were about  cultivating good  manners, about art  and about literary criticism . There were also great prose writers like Oliver Gold smith(1728-1774).

(5) Geoffrey Chaucer(1343-1400) and Edmund Spencer (1552-1599)were among the very  first poets in English language . Their  English is archaic  and is  only  partly understandable but is highly enjoyable even for a modern reader. We can see vocabulary and grammar took shape but spelling was not standardized.

(a)From Geoffrey Chaucer

“For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make
Of euery kynde that men thinke may
And that so heuge a noyse gan they make
That erthe & eyr & tre & euery lake
So ful was that onethe was there space
For me to stonde, so ful was al the place”.

(b) From Edmund Spencer

That is true beautie: that doth argue you
     to be diuine and borne of heauenly seed:
     deriu'd from that fayre Spirit, from whom all true
     and perfect beauty did at first proceed.
He onely fayre, and what he fayre hath made,
     all other fayre like flowres vntymely fade”.

 

(6)The great Shakespeare  wrote the sonnets  within his plays showing  a most beautiful flower like sensitivity in style and in polished Biblical English.There were other  outstanding poets  like John Dryden(1631-1700,a poet laureate of his time) and  John Milton(1608-1674) the great serious author of “Paradise Lost” with a deeply religious bent of mind and the mind of a  Puritan political activist.

  (7)Then the famous “ Romantic Movement” in literature and politics broke upon Europe and also England  towards end of 18^th century. In the case of English poetry ,it was quite a  revolution in art and philosophy. It rejected( from  idealistic poetic  angle) even the scientific rational view and preferred an artistic   poetic  view of things. The poets studied happy and sad moods of individuals, popularized  deep appreciation  for nature’s beauty (its streams,hills,forests etc) , studed  the art value of folklore and also deeply examined   mysticism  and spirituality . The movement swept over all Europe and also England. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, Percy B Shelley, John Keats and Lord Byron are great names in this literary revolution. There were also great poets like Lord Tennison the poet laureate.

(D)

CONCLUSION

Modern English  has acquired the status of an international bridge language  and is used by people of various countries  in science, technology, diplomacy, commerce, banking  etc.It is one of the chief languages used by international organizations  like UN, EU, ILO,IOC etc . Modern English integrated all regions of British isles irrespective of political and cultural boundaries existing since centuries . it took several centuries for  English to be accepted as a link language between Anglo-Saxon England and the Celtic dominated Scotland and Ireland.Historians say that the  spread of English into Scotland and Wales and Ireland started  from  16th century .The Celtic languages are well protected and are spoken in homes and have their own  literature. Due to following Roman Catholic religion since earliest Christian era and later  due to unending political  differences with governments in England,  Ireland separated  and became Republic of Ireland from 1949.Some protestant dominated districts of Ireland remained with England. England and Scotland became a single kingdom of Great Britain  way back in 1707 ( three centuries back).  One of the greatest things to happen in medieval Europe is establishment of universities. They were the “think tanks” of the  medieval world and  influenced even kings and emperors .   The universities fuelled all revolutions in literatutre, science, politics and technology .They brought a worldwide  knowledge awakening . Now the heavy burden on “printed book” is partly taken off  by other media like radio/TV/ cinema/computer. But unless the world proceeds by strict  moral codes  all this knowledge explosion is a waste. In old classical English literature ,as in great ancient literatures of all continents,we see a kind of high moral discipline along with  intellectual excellence.