LL-L: "Language contacts" LOWLANDS-L, 26.FEB.2001 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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  L O W L A N D S - L * 26.FEB.2001 (04) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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  A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
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From: Colin Wilson [lcwilson at starmail.com]
Subject: LL-L: "Language contacts" LOWLANDS-L, 25.FEB.2001 (02) [E]

At 17:00 25/02/01 -0800, Sandy Fleming wrote:

>Anyway, this is why language isn't transmitted through a passive
>medium like TV. If it were, then surely British women of all ages
>would be speaking a mixture of Cockney, Manky and Scouse by now?
>Linguistic maps show language change occurring along trunk roads
>and railways, hence cities taking up on the permanent changes
>more quickly than country areas.

It would be good if Sandy was right about this, but I have my doubts,
and I'm not the only one. If Sandy is right, then minority language
campaigners in many places are labouring under a massive
misunderstanding. Some people have fought long and hard to get
a decent TV service, in some cases (such as with Welsh, for
example) threatening to starve themselves to death unless their
demands were met. If it's true that language isn't transmitted (I
do like the pun) through TV, then any such sacrifice would have been
for nothing.

I've been waiting for any British women here to comment on the
implication that they only watch those programmes where "Cockney,
Manky and Scouse" are used (for anyone who doesn't know, the
programmes concerned are soap operas) but perhaps there aren't any
among our readers. That aside, I think it's reasonable to say that the
dominant form of language on TV is what is often called "BBC
English", and I also don't think anyone can reasonably doubt that
this is the direction towards which language in the UK has been moving
at least since TV started in the middle of the last century.

I think Sandy actually undermines his argument with his comment, which
I didn't quote above, that "it takes a conscious effort to keep
moving words from ones passive to ones active vocabulary". I suggest
that people *will* make that conscious effort, if an incentive is
there for them to do so. I also suggest that such an incentive
does exist, in that BBC English is a prestige variety, and everyone
knows it.

*********************************************************************
  Colin Wilson                  the graip wis tint, the besom wis duin
                                the barra wadna row its lane
  writin fae Aiberdein,         an sicna soss it nivver wis seen
  the ile capital o Europe      lik the muckin o Geordie's byre
*********************************************************************

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