Language is Evolving?

Although I may have chosen this topic simply to play devil’s advocate for this question, I do not believe that makes the points I am going to make any less valid.

As the question does not specify throughout what time periods we should be discussing, I do believe that language has evolved from the place it was centuries ago. I would like to draw attention to, what Neil Postman would call, the “Age of Reason”, but instead refer to this 17th century, post-Enlightenment period as the Age of Education.

Before the emphasis on a print-based culture aroused, education was seen as a luxury, only available for the rich and “worthy”. Because of this, not only is it fair to assume, but studies have shown that illiteracy rates were fairly high in the common people. However, around 1650, the Enlightenment began to spread across European nations, and, in turn, began to spread to the European colonies in the New World. As men and women boarded the Mayflower in 1620 in hopes to find a home for religious freedom, they brought with them immense amounts of books, not only of religious relevance, but also covering topics of math, science, and especially language and literature. This is just one example of how European colonists began the spread of education into America.

Nevertheless, it did not stop there. Following the invention of the printing press, a print-based culture, as Postman often mentions, began to form and spread across the world. Novels, newspapers, and especially pamphlets made their way into the everyday life of America, catching the attention of people of every social class. One majorly important piece of literature to take note of is Thomas Paine’s Common Sense.

Observe an excerpt from this pamphlet.

“But Britain is the parent country, say some. Then the more shame upon her conduct. Even brutes do not devour their young, nor savages make war upon their families . . .”

Said to be one of the most read works of literature at the time, it is clear that Thomas Paine was able to address an issue that appealed to all audiences, while also fancying the rules of proper literature.

Considering this post revolves around education, it is valid that I point out the multitude of universities developing during this time. Some may sound a bit familiar.

·         Harvard University: founded 1636

·         Yale University: founded 1701

·         UPENN: founded 1740

·         Princeton University: founded 1746

·         Columbia University: founded 1754

·         Brown University: founded 1764

·         Dartmouth University: founded 1769

·         Cornell University: founded 1865

It therefore comes to no surprise that not a single University we formally know as the “Ivy Leagues” was formed until mid-17^th century because, prior to the Enlightenment, there was no such need for so many large universities. However, once a spark in interest towards education was lit, it to this day has yet to burn out.

An interest in politics began to arise far heavier than ever before, which is shown very prevalently in the amount of lecture halls in colonial times or the nature of debates such as those of Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas. One could argue that this certain interest in long lectures and debates has begun to decrease in the past century, but it would be foolish to argue that the emphasis on education has done the same. For example, in 1965 a law was passed known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in order to ensure that a full educational opportunity for every individual remained the priority of our nation. Therefore, I believe it is fair to argue that, even if almost every person in our nation was to not get an education higher than secondary school (which is not in any way the case presently), they would still be more advanced in language as a whole than the illiterate commoners that were so dominant in pre-Enlightenment times.

Which brings me to the conclusion that, although there are many arguments stating language has devolved in the past century, ones which I could not, in my right mind, disagree with, I must also point out that it would be ignorant to ignore how language and education have also improved immensely. In the past three or four centuries, we have experienced such drastic evolving in language that, in my opinion, would take more than a few “lol”s and “brb”s to justify its disregard.

Works Cited

Paine, Thomas. Common Sense. Philadelphia: W. and T. Bradford, 1776. Print