The Evolution of standard English

 

  The term “Standard English” invites criticism and controversy. What is Standard English?  Each person considers his own brand of English to be standard and all deviations from it to be dialects. Though grammar and vocabulary are uniform, pronunciation varies from locality to locality. In such a situation, it is difficult to fix a standard. The opponents of Standard English argue that a standard speech is an artificial speech and therefore unstable and without vitality. In spite of all these objections, there exists Standard English. The English that stands above the various dialects and is intelligible to others is Standard English. It is Queen’s English.

Let’s now see why it arose. The invention of the printing press was one of the influential factors for the emergence of Standard English. It stabilized spelling, grammar, syntax and vocabulary. First of all, it is not an arbitrary invention of a class of people who wish to impose their way of speaking upon others. Even during the Anglo – Saxon or Old English period, the dialect of Wessex or East Midland attained the literary dignity because of its scholarly King Alfred the Great. He himself was an author and publisher. During Middle English period, Chaucer and his contemporaries wrote in East Midland dialect. Caxton, the inventor of the printing press used only this dialect for his printing works. Thus the East Midland dialect gained literary prestige. So the official dialect of printing attained the capital. The influence of the Authorised Version of the Bible in 1611, the publication of Dr. Johnson’s Dictionary around 1750s, increased social contact with modern travel, the spread of reading and education amongst all classes and the invention of wireless and television led to the emergence of Standard English. Dr.Johnson brought  order to the chaotic spelling system and distinguished reputable from low words. Finally, to get on in the world, it became necessary that one must speak good English. 

According to Prof. H.C. Wyld, Standard English is that which was spoken within certain social boundaries, with an extraordinary degree of uniformity, all over the country. The speaking of non-standard English definitely places a person outside the social class. Standard English carries with it and confers on its speaker a certain social prestige. Any other brand of English will bring down his image. Daniel Jones says that SE is that what is most usually heard in everyday speech in the families of Southern England whose men folk have been educated at the great public schools. What he says, may not be acceptable today because it has spread everywhere. Regarding its origin, SE is based on the English of Southern England and the language of the cultured and educated clauses of that region.

Commonwealth period has helped for the evolution of SE. Towards the end of the seventeenth century many writers felt for the need of Standard language and vocabulary.   They felt to demarcate admissible polite language and slang. Dr. Johnson also had a similar idea but gave it up since it is against the spirit of English liberty. During the 18th century, writers strove to establish a style and diction equal to Greek and Latin. They believed that the reason for the immortality and vitality of Greek and Latin was it was standardized or methodized. They wanted to do the same thing to English also and attempted to establish SE.

Nineteenth Century was the age of expansion and Empire building as well as commercial development. Vocabulary enlarged through foreign contacts. So many ‘–isms’ were born. Side by side, there arose a movement for the purification of the language by replacing foreign terms with native words. National consciousness is partly responsible for this development. There was a renewed reverence for the Bible and Bible English became vogue. Writers like Ruskin were saturated in its style and phraseology. The movement towards a ‘purer’ English is notable in the writings of Tennyson.  The first twelve lines of Morte d’ Arthur consist of English words alone. 88% of Tennnyson’s diction is of native origin. William Morris too had a dislike for innovation in language. He suggested folkwain and word-book for the well known words omnibus and dictionary respectively. Morris’s reforms met with failure whereas Tennyson’s gained popularity for a while and were never absorbed into the spoken tongue.  

The four aspects of any language are vocabulary, grammar, spelling and pronunciation. Except pronunciation, the rest are standardized. Recently, pronunciation has become more or less uniform. By welcoming innovation the boundaries are enlarged. Foreign words are naturalized and new tendencies in style, grammar and pronunciation are tolerated. But innovation doesn’t mean accepting eccentricity. It has to be recognized as legitimate English.

Of recent years, there has been a tendency to react against the idea of Standard English as part of the reaction against authority in general. As a further rection against this, there arose an interest in ‘U’ and ‘non-U’ English. ‘U’ stands for upper-class or the aristocracy and ‘non-U’ stands for the common man. Note-paper is non-U and writing paper is U. Mirror is non-U and looking glass is U. Take bath is non-U and have bath is U. Radio is non-U and wireless is U. The reaction against the idea of Standard English will be short lived SE will always be there.