History of the English Language Thesis

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One instance is the terror attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. Rosenthal, notes that while we never would have known it then, this event changed language. For example, security is one of the most affected elements of society and this bleeds into language as well. We do not think twice about having a photo I.D. And we would probably wonder why someone would not ask to see a photo I.D. rather than why they would. In addition, we do not consider it unusual for anyone to be suspicious of cybercrimes, the word would have baffled John Keats or Lord Byron, men who were considered masters of the English language.

Language is more than a tool used to communicate language, which is why it has proven to be beneficial for mankind to devise a universal language. Baugh notes that emotions play a large role in communication and work "against the establishment of a single foreign language" (Baugh) because none of these cultures is willing to subordinate their language to another. The technological age has only added to the problem as a universal language, thrusting English to the forefront, citing the communications industry as the major proponent. We cannot overlook the fact the society has an incredible impact on how language as a tool evolves.

William Safire captures this sentiment precisely in his article, "the Disappearing-ed," in which he points out how the English language is slowly slipping away from previous forms of usage. He points out how we, as a society have drifted from using the past participle of many verbs, using a common menu reference as an example.

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Denny's should offer a smaller-sized portion rather than a "smaller-size portion (Safire 30)," Safire contends. This brings us to the spelling of words, which seems to be another aspect of the English language. Ernest Classen notes that while the runic script was the earliest form of script for the English language, the Norman conquest had a profound "influence on the English vocabulary" (Classen 266), including spelling of English words. Example of their influence can be traced to the letter "y" and its interchangeability with the vowel "i." There can be no doubt that the English language is "extraordinarily irregular and capricious" (274) but this has already been established with the fact that we insist upon allowing the language room to breathe.

The English language has survived many thousand of years because of its ability to remain flexible. Albeit that the language is not an entity unto itself, it remains a victim of the people in that people shape it day in and day out until something that seems irregular is suddenly accepted. One of the most obvious examples in the contemporary vernacular would be the verb ain't, which was taught to many generations as a word not found in the dictionary. The usage of this word can be traced along generational lines with the elder rejecting any use of the word. Here we see the evolution of the English language before our eyes. It continues to survive because it is given room to change. It is much like us, unable to be contained and incapable of being boxed in a prescribed definition.

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