Language-Change, Slang, Evolution

[Marshal Murat]

Language, what binds us together and keeps us apart.
Language has evolved from the earliest roots in Indo-European for Europeans and Indians, and from other sources for everyone else. Indo-European formed Celtic, which formed Greek, which formed Latin, which combined with German to form French, then combined again with another Germanic language to form English.
Language has been a great culture identifier. If your African and speak French and something else, you can draw your roots to Morocco for example. Language has defined culture throughout the ages, and has joined us but also kept us apart.

I'm sure many of you know that in America, we have put up laws, or are discussing the use of English as an official language, for use in all government documents, legal procedings, etc.

I'm conflicted about this, seeing it as a threat and a benefit to society.
I'm against intigrating Spanish in our American culture. We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish.
Then there is the whole 'melting pot' and how is this different than any other mixing of cultures and languages? It's not really.
Middle English is a mix of French and Anglo-Saxon.

Which do you support and why. Keep languages apart, or join them together, creating new languages through life?

[Aenlic]

Languages change. That can't be legislated away. No matter much it might irk me, "lol" and "noob" and "pwned" are eventually going to end up in some dictionary.

In the past, laws which attempted to restrict or do away with one or more languages have been solely used as a mean of oppression. A good example is the British outlawing the local Gaelic language in Ireland. I don't view such attempts at oppression to be a good thing.

In the case of these laws making English the official language, I'd say the real intent isn't so much to make one language official as to outlaw the official use of some other language. The difference is subtle; but it's very important. The real intent is the supression of some language other than English. If it's OK for the majority to pass a law making English the official language and thus prohibiting the official use of Spanish, then what happens when Spanish speakers are the majority in some city or county or state and they manage to pass a law making Spanish the official language and thus outlawing English for official use? Would it be OK then, if it's OK now? Follow through on the logic.

And can a culture is so vital and thriving that it must be protected? I'd argue that the need for protection speaks to the viability of the culture, or lack thereof.

[Motep]

we have to let languages run their own course...but not forcing on others. Integrating spanish into america is okay, but not imposing it upon the world. Then we would lose our heritage and what makes us us.

[Samurai Waki]

Languages constantly evolve. Over the course of time, I'm sure that Americans will hardly be able to speak with our English counter parts, We will integrate Spanish and Japanese slowly into our Language, while the English will slowly integrate Hindi and Arabic. French won't be French, German won't be German, Turkish won't be Turkish... well not in any original state. That is the way it is, we can't control it, it just kind of happens wether we're aware of it or not. Its even apparent now that English is yet again evolving, when I speak with Americans I can use every slang word I know, and most of the time other Americans can understand perfectly, but if I try to speak like I always speak to an English or Irish person they scratch their heads, and then they speak to me using all of their slang and I scratch my head, so both sides have to try really hard to speaking "properly", even though there are many proper American Words and Many Proper English words that are phoenetically different, yet retain the same meaning.

[King Henry V]

There's nothing wrong with the minor, natural evolution of a language that is inevitable. One of the great virtues of English is that the regulators of the languague such as the people who run the OED see nothing wrong with including new words which have come into popular speech, unlike say French, where the guardians of the language, the Académie Française, zealously guard against foreign intrusions which corrupt their language. However, such measures will probably lead to a stagnating language, and stagnation is the first step before decline.
However, I am opposed to a rapid and unnatural alteration of English, which will not just add a bit flavour, but change the face of it.
A little spice is a good thing, but too much will spoil the food.

[Avicenna]

There's a whole book dedicated to this, called Empires of the Word.

By the way, I'm not sure about Celtic being Indo-European. Didn't they have their own language group? Now it is obviously influenced by Indo-European languages, but what about before the Romans went to Britain? Did they have an Indo-EUropean language then?

Wakizashi: I don't think so. Not with globalization and all, and constant contact on the internet now. The words might be pronounced differently with different dialects as in Chinese, but you will be able to communicate. Unless, of course, either England or America do a North Korea and control all information that can be accessed.

[Motep]

indo-european seperated and branched out into europe and other areas. Every European language was once Indo-European, but it had evolved sigmnificantly before the time of the romans. Nations had seperated and isolated them =selves, and given the nATURAL variation of languages, its no wonder why....and if you still dont understand I cant help you.

[Samurai Waki]

Wakizashi: I don't think so. Not with globalization and all, and constant contact on the internet now. The words might be pronounced differently with different dialects as in Chinese, but you will be able to communicate. Unless, of course, either England or America do a North Korea and control all information that can be accessed.

Tried understanding Ebonics lately? It is essentially a bastard child of English, so I should be able to understand it, but I have absolutely no idea what people are saying when they speak it.

[Red Peasant]

By the way, I'm not sure about Celtic being Indo-European. Didn't they have their own language group? Now it is obviously influenced by Indo-European languages, but what about before the Romans went to Britain? Did they have an Indo-EUropean language then?

The Celtic language family is a branch of Indo-European and it displaced older non-Indo-European languages as it spread into north and western Europe, including Britain (from c. 500 BC). One or two languages have held out, such as Basque which is not I-E.