English Language?

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Condraz23

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Why has the English language stopped changing? Texts written after the mid-1700's are almost indistinguishable from modern English. Why is this so? Other languages such as German, Japanese, and Chinese have changed considerably during the past 300 years. Why not English?

Just in case you don't know what I'm talking about, here's a piece of text written during the 1700's...

"When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one's people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the Earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

English had changed alot during the middle ages. Yet, it is obvious that the English language has not changed since the mid-1700's.
 
The written language may not have changed an awful lot, but the spoken language has changed a lot more. Commonly used slang words and such have changed dramatically. I'd have thought that was the same with other languages, I wouldn't expect written languages to change much in 300 years.
 
Condraz23
Why has the English language stopped changing? Texts written after the mid-1700's are almost indistinguishable from modern English. Why is this so? Other languages such as German, Japanese, and Chinese have changed considerably during the past 300 years. Why not English?

Just in case you don't know what I'm talking about, here's a piece of text written during the 1700's...

"When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one's people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the Earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

English had changed alot during the middle ages. Yet, it is obvious that the English language has not changed since the mid-1700's.
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English has subtlely evolved, rather than the wholesale changes it has seen in its history, primarily because there's now a central body responsible for documenting the language. It still changes, with the introduction of "common-use" slang ("chav", "Bouncebackability", "e-mail") and the smoothing out of grammatical niceties (the acceptability of the split infinitive and the use of "a" before "h" words instead of "an"), especially in American English (removal of "of" in dates and "on" before events).

What Omnis points out, in a bizarre way, is that while "English" remains fundamentally unchanged, dialecticism has taken over. There are variations of English spoken throughout the world which, while the majority is comprehensible between "English-speakers", is extremely different in a number of respects. I mean, just listen to a Scotsman - or read the writings of Robert Burns. Compare it to the Jive guys in Airplane! or even bog-standard Texan.
 
Omnis
Whachu talkin bout dood?
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Haha - exactly.

Nowadays the Language is getting less and less formal, with txt spk and more usage of apostrophes shortening words. Yes, formal letters may still be formal, but outside of that it's changed considerably. I blame our increasing lazyness to type properly on computers/ electrical gadgets like mobile phones. The use of a dash to sepearte sentences I don't think existed that long ago either.
 
"Bouncebackability"
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Commonly used slang? :odd: Never hear that one myself, I do hearwords like "gaff", £100 being referred to as a "ton" when a ton is a thousand of something, but anyway, and "minger".
 
I have heard bouncebackability a lot.

Famine, you dont watch Soccer AM by any chance do you? :p
 
Ashley.
I have heard bouncebackability a lot.

Famine, you dont watch Soccer AM by any chance do you? :p
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The first time I heard anyone say that, it was Mark Webber!
 
Famine
What Omnis points out, in a bizarre way, is that while "English" remains fundamentally unchanged, dialecticism has taken over. There are variations of English spoken throughout the world which, while the majority is comprehensible between "English-speakers", is extremely different in a number of respects. I mean, just listen to a Scotsman - or read the writings of Robert Burns. Compare it to the Jive guys in Airplane! or even bog-standard Texan.
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Well said, Famine.

However, I don't think english has changed much. Structurally, anyway, it is more or less the same. Synonyms will always have variety, though, they are more of a growth as opposed to a change. Perhaps the phrase "Look over there!" was replaced by "Look wee yerwey!" I think the majority will still understand the former just as most of us would understand if I said, "Look yon, fellow!"
 
live4speed
£100 being referred to as a "ton" when a ton is a thousand of something
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A 'ton' can mean 100, as in the example you gave or as in 100mph.

A Tonne (or metric ton) is 1,000kgs

An Imperial (or long) ton is 2,240 pounds and an American (or short) ton is 2,000 pounds.

Nice and simple (not)

Regards

Scaff
 
Scaff
A 'ton' can mean 100, as in the example you gave or as in 100mph.

A Tonne (or metric ton) is 1,000kgs

An Imperial (or long) ton is 2,240 pounds and an American (or short) ton is 2,000 pounds.

Nice and simple (not)

Regards

Scaff
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The Tons must be the emo kids of the measurement mediums.
 
Don't forget that the English language has had its major changes forced during times of conquest. This is why so many English words are adaptations of German, French, and Latin. In modern times there have been less changes by conquest.
 
somebody
Don't forget that the English language has had its major changes forced during times of conquest. This is why so many English words are adaptations of German, French, and Latin. In modern times there have been less changes by conquest.
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Old English is an Anglo-friscan language which started with Western Germanic settlers in in South East England. What was spoken before then was a completley different language altogether, it wasn't English or Old English. It wasn't altered, it was simply replaced. We had two periods where bigger changes were made to the English or rather Old English language, one was Scandanavian and then there was Norman, which was similar to French.
 
That post with the 1700's English - it seems back then they lacked the variety of words we have now to describe things, thus long and convoluted descriptions were a necessity. Just one of the many things that have changed.

I dearly hope that the current invasion of 'txt' and other electronic-short hands do not become standard forms of english - it would be appalling to see a 'language' reduced in such a barbaric way.
 
Oh it's changed. It's just being devided now.

Proper English.
American English.
Redneck English.
Ebonics aka gansta speak motha ****a. 👎
 

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