Modern Society and Globa
l Language
(Chapter 2)
Instructor: Professor Yong-Won Lee
Department of English Language and Literature
Seoul National University
Office: Building 3, Room 316
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 02-880-2536
Fall 2015
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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 t
he world; - The 19th-century colonial developments; - Adoption as an (or
a semi)-official language of newly independent states in mid 20th centur
y; - Spread of representation in every continent and islands in three maj
or Oceans.
Socio-Cultural Account: - Looks at the way people have co
me to depend on English for their economic and social well-being; P
enetration into the international domains of political life, business, s
afety, communications, entertainment, and the media & education;
Several domains total dependence on English computer software i
ndustry.
Overview: Historical Context
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)
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 welc
omed (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
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
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 censu
s) to 50 millions; Settlers spread throughout the continent; The broad acc
ent 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 m
illions; Settlers spread throughout the continent; The broad accent was heard a
ll over the Sunbelt (from Virginia to southern California); It is closely associated w
ith present-day American speech.
Functions of the English Language in America
- English language as a Glue: Within one or two generations of arrival, most im
migrants came to speak English through assimilation; A massive increase of mot
her-tongue speakers of English (198 m. in 1990 to 215 m. in 2000) ; Maintainin
g American unity;
- Minority groups concerns: preservation of their cultural & linguistic heritage; T
he seeds of conflicts between the need for intelligibility and the need for identit
y.
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