THE Adventure of English

Everybody can comment on any topic and his opinion will probably never reach people outside his circle of friends, but when a renamed person gives their thoughts, well, it's another story.

English philosopher John Locke thought there was a need to set a definition for each word. Oh, he would have loved dictionaries! He once said that “if the definition of words could be agreed and misunderstandings avoided, peace would follow.” (The Adventure of English, 2:25). I agree that words must have a set of definitions so there are no confusions but Locke says after this "peace would follow"? OR NOT! I've heard about two fights between people I know that have begun with a linguistic misunderstanding. I bet he meant some ridiculous war or something. Even the host's mocking tone supports my arguments. 

Funny how Latin became a benchwarmer as English slowly became a star. In his book Opticks, Newton introduced new words and also modified the meaning of some. I believe English wouldn't have become as powerful a language had people not invented new words to help them say whatever they needed to. Newton and other writers who did this benefitted English as they made it a more complete language.

Hahaha, The Spectator. Maybe it's the same franchise as El Espectador. Back to the adventure of English (yay!), I think Swift would disagree with my thoughts that people who created words made English "a more complete language." Swift disliked vulgar liberties, or modifications people would do on English as they spoke. Daniel Solano agrees "with Swift in the sense that English should be standardized and should have clear gramatical rules. This is essential for its well-functioning." All I can say is I disagree entirely. So you want to control how the common people  speak? You might start considering THEY AIN'T GOT NO EDUCATION. How are they supposed to learn? Then consider controlling every dialect and convincing any English-speaking person that, let's say, Queen's English is the correct way to speak. Good luck with that. Also start shutting down frontiers with other countries and cities because this would cause dialects to breakthrough. Aha, that's what I thought. I bid you and your academy luck Swift.

Samuel Johnson and Locke would have been the best of friends. Johnson created one of the most celebrated dictionary, avoiding words that he didn't understand or that were related to science. There might have been a discussion had he met Newton. 

Johnson's dictionary showed class, just like Jane Austen thought one could judge social status with word choice and syntax. She didn't use any "words of the street." (33:25) This is still a common thought. When somebody uses a word known to be of a lower class, other's notice. This is a sad reality, but people like Robert Burns defend their language, not allowing others to make them feel inferior.

On the other hand, William Wordsworth wrote his poetry in simple language that would be understood by anybody. Even though he caused controversy, Wordsworth preferred that people read his poems without misunderstanding. Thomas Paine considered this accurate. He wrote Rights of Man in common English to "deliver precise thoughts," (28:44) and at the same time, embrace as many people as it was possible. Smart move by both men, addressing the masses.

Lastly, William Cobbet studies the language of these masses, or slang. It is rarely understood by outsiders but nowadays, most people speak with slang. TTYL, BRB, G2G.