The Evolution of English
Autor: Jannisthomas • October 26, 2017 • 956 Words (4 Pages) • 736 Views
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an enlarged vocabulary.
“I know that you believe that you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize what you heard is not what I meant”
- Robert J. McCloskey
When ideas are left up to the interpretation of the listener, ideas can easily me misconstrued based on bias, background or origin, resulting in miscommunication. In Latin “Nascentes morimur” means “From the moment we are born, we begin to die”, although the Latin uses only two words to convey the thought, it is up to the interpreter to understand what the two word phrase meant. This problem is less prevalent in English however, because the words express the intent of the speaker. The ability to express intentions came through merging of Old English and Latin (Ruud 2006). This resulted in a twenty six letter alphabet and an enormous vocabulary. With the added letters and the pre-existing words, there was a six-fold influx of new words in the English language. In modern English there are approximately two hundred and thirty thousand words in comparison to thirty-eight thousand words in Latin. Due to the flood of new words there was an overlap in definitions. Some words had the same meaning but over time developed different connotations, leading to the development of formalities and moods, indicated through not by context but through the word alone. This improvement aided speakers in conveying their thoughts directly to the listener, avoiding misunderstandings and confusion.
To conclude, English has overcome the short comings of its predecessor, Latin, through the simplification of its conjugations and by increasing the symbols and words of the language. By removing inflexions, words had only one form resulting in an increase in the simplicity of use. Similarly the increased alphabet and vocabulary provided more descriptive language. Simplicity of communication and abundance of descriptive words allow for direct, clear, thoughtful communication that allows for the ability to build a great tower.
“…If they have begun to do this as one people all having the same language, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them”
Genesis 11:6
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