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Chapter 5 (Graddol, Leith, and Swann)

Notes Michele L. Rayburn

5.1 Introduction

5.2 The Colonial Experience

Colonization:

- The Celtic territories were the first to experience political

incorporation. Both Wales and Scotland were formally joined as

Great Britain in 1707. Ireland was incorporated in 1800.

*By the end of the 19th century nationalism emerged in Ireland,

Scotland and Wales. Campaigns mounted to promote their Celtic

language.

- Colonization brought English into contact with a variety of other

languages.

*Dialect levelling: differences between speakers tend over time to

erode.

Focusing agencies such as education or the speech of a

particular peoples who are in power, are causes of dialect

leveling.

*Internal differentiation: as colonies expanded and became more

established, different areas usually developed a sense of local

cultural and linguistic identity. This being reienforced by

contact with local languages, new kinds of social heirarchies,or

by different forms of continuing relationship with Britain.

*Substrate: When a language is imposed on a community as part

of a colonial process, speakers tend to incorporate many

linguistic features from their first language when speaking

the new imposed one. Eg: Hiberno-English (Irish-English)

5.3 The spread of English within the British Isles.

-Ireland, first colonies established at the end of the 12th century.

* Many colonist married among the Irish.

* Henry VIII's Proclamation of 1541 urged the Kings 'true'

subjects to use the English tongue.

- Hiberno-English spoken throughout much of the west and areas

colonized by the English.

-Characteristics of Hiberno-English include the pronunciation of

/t/ as in tin...is pronounced /th/ as in thin.

'Clefting' Construction of the sentences differ.

-Scotland incorporated in 1707.

* Scottish national identity (Gaelic)in the highlands and (Inglis)

in the lowlands.

* Scottish translation of the New Testament in 1983.

5.4 The Spread of English beyond the British Isles.

- America

*Colonial lag: the language of colonial settlers is more

conservative.

*American English NOT influenced greatly (if at all) by the

indigenous languages.

*North/South modern dialectical boundaries.

*Diversity in the American population since the late 18th

century. ' melting pot' cause of differences as well.

-Australia

*Convict population came from SE of England

*Australian pronunciation very close to Cockney, except the

initial/h/ at the beginning of words is sounded.

-West Africa

*Anti-colonial struggle, English was best suited to unify Africans

because it is a composite language. (Theory)

*English helps Africans to re-create their identities as members

nations rather that tribes. (Theory)

*Nigerian English, one characteristic would be the lack of stress

timing...alternating patterns of stressed and unstressed

syllables.

5.5 The development of English Pidgins and Creoles

-Role of slave trade, which brought Africans to America, had a great

effect on the English language.

*Pidgin languages used in trading. Eg: The Portuguese who shipped

slaves from Africa to the Caribbean would use a pidgin in dealing

with an African middle-man.

*Creolization occurs as a pidgin develops into a full language.

Eg: Jamaica

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