The Evolution of Language

The key to modern day languages is the amount of growth they have experienced in the last three hundred years. This growth is responsible for the extinction of some languages and the emergence of others. English is a primary example of benefiting from outside influences because it is able to adapt and expand to offer other languages a place in it. Different cultures that have come to America have found a way to adapt with the existing culture. Essentially America is a melting pot for all different types of cultures and languages. When language exist around other languages long enough it adapts just as cultures have throughout human existence.

Dating back to 1900 B.C. Babylon was a kingdom in Mesopotamia. It did not have a specific culture, rather it had many different cultures that had come together to form a thriving state which was one of the most powerful in ancient times. The Sumerians were the first inhabitants of the Fertile Crescent, "They enslaved Sumerian city-states and achieved control of the trade routes from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean, achieving for the first time a unified Mesopotamian region. Sumerian culture and cuneiform were retained, but Akkadian tongue became the dominant language in Mesopotamia." (Lucas) Showing that entire peoples if conquered still have the ability to assimilate, and in time one language will start to dominate the vernacular. Anzaldua comments on this phenomenon, "Pocho, cultural traitor, you're speaking the oppressor's language by speaking English, you're ruining the Spanish language,' I have been accused by various Latinos and Latinas...But Chicano Spanish is a border tongue which developed naturally." (Anzaldua) Even in modern times languages have adapted in order to fit into a new culture naturally.

A language can also be forced upon a society as it was on the India and most of the British colonies during the 19^th century. This method may be politically incorrect but it is effective when implemented properly.

"Nor is this all. In India, English is the language spoken by the ruling class. It is spoken by the higher class of natives at the seats of Government. It is likely to become the language of commerce throughout the seas of the East. It is the language of two great European communities which are rising, the one in the south of Africa, the other in Australia, --communities which are every year becoming more important and more closely connected with our Indian empire. Whether we look at the intrinsic value of our literature, or at the particular situation of this country, we shall see the strongest reason to think that, of all foreign tongues, the English tongue is that which would be the most useful to our native subjects." (MaCauley)

"English is still very strong in India and is used in business and commerce. It is also the primary language used in higher education." (Hietzman) This method of language assimilation died out on a large scale in the early 20^th century.

Another factor that changes language is the "mini-cultures" that develop during different time periods in a languages history. They were brought up speaking the language however they add to and change their native tongue. For example, spoken English has changed dramatically since the birth of America. The introduction of new slang into a language is important to its development because many words are created through this anomaly. One such word is "o.k.". "O.K." has been used as an informal "yes" for over two centuries yet in proper written language it has not become accepted. However, this word is used, even though informally, in political speeches and our everyday talk.
However there are some dialects of languages that have stayed true to their origins. These languages are always in extremely isolated parts of the world, such as the Amazon and Pacific islands. The only reason that these languages have not changed is due to the lack of modern influences upon these isolated communities.

American English has had many influences upon it. It is derived from Western Germanic and has had numerous influences upon it. It is heavily influenced by Old Norse due to the Viking invasions of Britain. Since the late middle ages English spread through the world and most notably America where it became the national language. Throughout its time in America their have been many influences brought by immigrants from other countries. Some of these influences are French, Spanish, German, and Italian.

Works Cited:

Lucas, Debra M. "Mesopotamian Civilization." Encyclopedia of Anthropology. 2005. SAGE Publications. 6 Nov. 2008. http://sage-ereference.com/anthropology/Article_n597.html>.

Anzaldua, Gloria. Borderlands/ La Frontera:The New Mestiza. 1987.

MaCauley, Thomas B. Minute on Education (1835). Britain. Committee of Public Instruction. Delhi, 1835.

Heitzman, James, and Robert L. Worden. India: A Country Study. Washington D.C.: Library of Congress, 1995.