I was having a conversation with my sister today about the value and properties of different languages. It was her opinion that Italian and/or Spanish are far superior to English by virtue of their musical qualities and mellifluous vowel-laden words. Coming from the opposite angle Professor Tolkien (whose teachings on language I consider invaluable) saw the 1066 invasion as an extremely regrettable fiasco, in that our (till then) pure Saxon language with its strong muscular visceral sounds was polluted through the introduction of soft French-based words courtesey of the Normans. So "Hé laered hine rídan / And wealdan méce / And standan fæst / And féond ne forhtian." became "He taught him to ride, / To wield a sword. / To stand strong / And show his enemy no fear." And looking back, it is hard for me not to yearn for what was lost. But in spite of that, I believe the Norman invasion was a very important blessing in a very thorough disguise. You see, I think that with our Saxon roots we as Anglophones have something special that all the Romance languages lack. Where else in Western Europe (apart from Germany) do you find words like good, bad, cut, grab, hard, thrust, bite, gold, God, Hell, love, wed, stand, hate, sweat, cry, rip? Sorry, I got a bit carried away there. But these are strong words that evoke a vivid picture of the things they represent. Having said all that, could our great poets and playwrights have attained the heights that they did without the gentler, more refined, cultured sounds of Latin based words? I think not. From that side of the family we have gained majesty, Paradise, illumination, puissiance, honour, regal, mercy, idiot. Which sums it up nicely. Seriously though, can you imagine a Spanish Shakespeare? A German Byron? A Russian Milton? Impossible. We have been blessed with a speech that has one foot in the gut and the other in the intellect. Remember this when you talk, and don't sludge through your words as if it's Orkish we have to work with. A great gift has been given to us. We'd be sad fools to trample it.
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4 comments:
I find English brilliant in the way it's so effectively refined and how it can be... so much not so.
I'm not saying here that I'm not entirely not guilty when it comes to using slang - In fact, I probably use it far too much. When you have this wonderful language full of great and expressive words, why not use them?
But let's not forget that some modern slang is just as expressive and refined as 'proper' words. You can go to some cities in North America where the locals may seem nearly indecipherable. I see that as having almost a magical quality. Some rap artists have really mastered their 'language' and express themselves clearer than most people.
But let's not forget that some modern slang is just as expressive and refined as 'proper' words.
Absolutely, FB. I'm with you there. When I made my final exhortation I had the manner in which people speak the words in mind, not the words themselves.
So long as the English language is still used with zest, thoughtfullness and creativity we will remain able to convey (and think) all the invaluable concepts in human experience.
I personaly think that she is right. Itailian and spanish are alot more musical then English. All the great operas were composed mainly in Itailian. I'm not saying that those two languages are better then english, only more musicly inclined
Yeah, I agree that the Romance languages are more musical but not (like some) that this makes them "better" overall.
Some more thoughts on slang:
For in my opinion there are two types of slang - one (like the argot of some rap artists) is creative and vigourous.
The other however is crude, repetitive, slovenly, thoughtless and parasitic. Unfortunately this is the more common type. This is what is slowly eating away at our language.
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