Oh, English!!

A few days ago, I came across an interesting post on a discussion forum on Facebook. (Yes, Facebook can be used for such purposes too!) The post was about the sense of inferiority among the South Asians, with special reference to Pakistan, among the people who can not communicate well in ENGLISH. Yes the same old story, the one who speaks English well is a Baabu and the one unable to do so is, simply, a Paindu.

What factors promoted Anglicization? Where did this Xenocentrism come from? Have the people of the sub-continent always been so keen to learn English and speak it in front of others just to impress them?

We'll find answers to these questions, first let's have a look at the origin and spread of English. 

In the 5th century, A.D., three German tribes invaded Britain. The tribes included Angles from Englaland, Saxons from South Germany and Jutes from the Jutland Peninsula and North Frisian coast. At that time, the British used to speak Celtic language. But after invasion, they were pushed to the North West of Britain, which is now called Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The Angles brought their own language from Englaland, the Englisc, from which the word English was derived. 

The invasion of Germans into Britain

Script from Beowulf: A sample of Old English

English is thus known as a "borrowing language". Like many other languages, English has been brought into existence by collaboration of Anglo-Frisian languages. The Old English, written and spoken till 1100 A.D. was much different from the English written and spoken today. It had very different font, diphthongs and vocabulary.  

A piece of Chaucer's writing: A sample of Middle English

With the invasion of the Normans from Normandy (a part of Modern France), a kind of French language began to be used for the Royal Courts and ruling classes; while the lower classes spoke English. In the 14th Century, English became the most common language in the Britain again. This time, the language had a mixture of many words from the French vocabulary. This is how the Middle English emerged, which was used in 1100-1500 A.D. It had slight similarities with today's English. Many words of Modern English have been derived from the Middle English.

Hamlet: A sample of Early Modern English

In the 16th century, due to global trading and interaction of the British with people around the world, there was a rapid shift of vowels and the pronunciations became shorter and more crisp. Also, the dialect of London, which was the home to major publishing houses, became the standard.Finally, there emerged the need of an entirely new vocabulary after the Industrial Revolution. Also, the British Empire had invaded and conquered one third of the earth's land. Their interaction with the people of diverse countries forced them to add new words in the vocabulary. This occurred in 1800, and developed the Late Modern English. 

Below is a sample of stages of how the writing evolved from Old to Late Modern English:

Meanwhile the British entered the subcontinent for trading purposes, and turned into the British Raj. The citizens of the subcontinent automatically became the subordinates. Under their rule, the British formulated many laws and education policies where the local citizens were compelled to learn the language of the goras. Though it was opposed at first, but considering it the "need of the hour", English got slow, yet steady acceptance in the local languages. So this is how we met the "Modern English", in its finest form, ready to Anglicize the local dialects.

Now let's get back to our REAL problem... Where did this Xenocentrism come from? You see, it is not the language that makes people "feel" inferior, but the trends of the society that make something so superior that following it becomes inevitable.
In the French Rule, or to be more specific, the Norman Rule, French was the language of the royals and English was spoken by the lower classes. That's because it was the TREND back then. Today, when we speak English fluently, others and even we, get the impression of being a little more sophisticated and impressive than the non-speakers. People admire and look up more to those with a pure British or American accent rather than those with a typical Desi one (typical explanation of a Desi accent: the one in which the pronunciation of every last word has a jerk, and with that Spanish spice of over-stressing consonants like R, D, T etc.). 

Although, those who can use English proficiently will easily say that not knowing English is not a crime, let's be "honest and pure" towards our mother tongue; but then, ask those who are victims of social discrimination on this basis.Today, English has become a status symbol for many. If I talk about myself, my fellows and my friends in Pakistan, we consider English not as a language; but as a very expensive object, a show piece, used to determine the owner's ranking in the society. Those not being able to communicate effectively in English are often stigmatized and mocked at. (Pity, yes)

And then we have the other side of the coin, the critiques of the English language, loathing it for unknown number of reasons including ethnic bias, geographical boundaries, cultural differences and so on. (I don't even get the point of it).

Check point: English is a language, learn it as a skill, please.

The truth is that English is THE language now, which helps in communicating in a large part of the world. Not knowing it is referred to as backwardness, being misfit in a society and lacking one the most vital skills.

Though the stereotypical Eurocentric culture cannot be brought to an end, unless a new wave emerges, spreading a newer language, being set as the scale of modernity; what we can do is to adapt to the change and learn something which may be useful in the long run. 

I might be wrong in your opinion, but I stick to the belief that languages are skills JUST to communicate. If we do not know another person's language, we may have to communicate like the primitive man or the primates, using signs, for instance. If by knowing the dialect, and not considering it as a "standard of sophistication" we can simply talk to others, why not learn it?? And mind you, your personality will make you a Baabu or a Paindu, not the language you use (except for the foul one, of course).

But yes, be slightly cautious of your surroundings, and keep in mind the style and language of communication according to the locality you're in.

Best of luck... :)

Enough of English today..mu hi cheeba ho gya.. :D

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