Standardisation

Standardisation:

Many of the rules of grammar we observe today began in 18th century when several influential books of grammar were written.

In particular Samuel Jonson developing his dictionary of English in 1755 which brought in standardisation to not just spellings but also definitions and meanings.

It also confirmed the Midlands accents (Oxford and Cambridge) as the preferred way of writing and spelling.

The 18th century also had standardisation in the growth of education and literacy - many accepted regional expressions and phrases were replaced by standardised ones - particularly in writing.

The invention of printing with Caxton in 1476 created a requirement for standardisation as printers were competing with each other.

Caxton himself chose to print texts in the East Midland dialect - London, Oxford, Cambridge as these were seen as the most prestigious and "correct" form of English Printing also impacted in that spelling and punctuation became more standardised and in the 17th century a modern punctuation system began to occur.

15th century 'The Great Vowel Shift':

A major factor separating Middle English from Modern English is known as the Great Vowel Shift, a radical change in pronunciation during the 15th, 16th and 17th Century, as a result of which long vowel sounds began to be made higher and further forward in the mouth (e.g. sheep would have been pronounced more like “shape”; me as “may”; mine as “meen”; shire as “sheer”; mate as “maat”; out as “oot”; house as “hoose”; flour as “floor”; boot as “boat”; mode as “mood”; etc). It was, however, a peculiarly English phenomenon, and contemporary and neighbouring languages like French, German and Spanish were entirely unaffected.

The first recognised dictionary in 1755:

Dr Johnsons dictionary was published in 1755, each word was defined in detail; the definitions illustrated with quotations covering every branch of learning.
However, much the lexicographer may want to fix or 'embalm' his language, new words, phrases and pronunciations are constantly appearing. As we have new language now, lexicographers are required to add/delete words from the dictionary, as society and the OED has more of a descriptive attitude; in comparison with Dr Johnson's Dictionary which is mainly perceived to be a prescriptive text as it is said that in some parts he was offensive to some people and cultures (e.g. when defining the word oats he offended the scotts) he even made up some words. His main aim was to stabilise the language of that time and to make people aware of how they should speak using correct English.

Lowths grammar texts in the 1762:

In the 18th century there were many published texts which were created to standardise grammar. Lowth's grammar texts is one example, it helps give guidance to the growing middle class on how to use ‘polite’ or ‘correct’ English.
Robert Lowth was a American Bishop, so some of the words mentioned in his books are Americanisms e.g. 'gotten', but this could also be found in some British regional dialects.

On Stella's Birth-Day 1719 by Jonathan Swift

Stella this Day is thirty four,

(We shan't dispute a Year or more)

However Stella, be not troubled,

Although thy Size and Years are doubled,

Since first I saw Thee at Sixteen

The brightest Virgin on the Green,

So little is thy Form declin'd

Made up so largely in thy Mind.

Oh, woud it please the Gods to split

Thy Beauty, Size, and Years, and Wit,

No Age could furnish out a Pair

Of Nymphs so graceful, Wise and fair

With half the Lustre of your Eyes,

With half your Wit, your Years and Size:

And then before it grew too late,

How should I beg of gentle Fate,

(That either Nymph might have her Swain,)

To split my Worship too in twain.

Before we even begin to look at the poem, the word 'birthday' from the title has been split in two and is separated by a hyphen as well as being capitalised; this shows how the language has changed from once being two single words to now become a compound which has possibly undergone weakening or broadening to connote celebration (polyseme). This understanding stems from an awareness of birthday celebrations rising in popularity over the years, as more people were able to (correlating with a rise in business).

Similarly, in the first line 'Day' has been capitalised, perhaps to emphasise the importance of this day or because this was a standard form during this time or because there wasn't a standard at this time. We see this frequently throughout the texts, it is interesting to explore the use of capitalisation and purpose; 'No Age could furnish out a Pair' this combined with the lineation (line break between 'Pair' and 'Of Nymphs') proves eye catching. With today's writing techniques this appears odd, the break seems unnatural and oddly placed (if only to complete the rhyming couplet) - with the capital appearing to highlight the phrase and the break potentially encouraging thought or purely for aesthetic appeal.

Although this text is mostly old English, it entwines some outdated language with todays high frequency lexis; 'thy', 'twain' and 'virgin' (pre-semantic shift).

The lexical choices appear to speak of the society; the use of religious and mythical references add a layer of meaning to the poem. When looking at other texts created in this period we see such references to appear frequently, does society's value upon faith affect language? Has science in today's society diluted the mythical aspects (as they seem less accessible).

By Steph and Natalya

Quotes made my Jonathan Swift

• The proper words in the proper places are the true definition of style
• Books, the children of the brain
• May you live all the days of your life
• A lie does not consist in the indirect position of words, but in the desire and intention, by false speaking, to deceive and injure your neighbour.

Bibliography:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jonathan_swift.html http://nfgsa2englishlanguage.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/standardisation.html
http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item126709.html