Continuing on with the history of Elizabethan English we come to one of the elements which was pervasive in the development of the language and set it to challenge classical languages. Religion had a huge impact on the development of English and it is one aspect that cannot be ignored. In many ways it supplied the inspiration to lift the language upward.
Introduction
Religion
had a tremendous impact upon the development of Early Modern English and by
result on Elizabethan English. This was due to the influence which religion had
upon the importance of knowing and understanding language in order to be aware
of changes, and more to the point putting information into people’s hands in
order to form opinions. The prevalence of the English language in the religious
sphere had a great impact upon the acceptance of the language as acceptable for
scholarly works as well. For this discussion an examination of this development
and where it led will be the focus.
Bibles in English
“Because they [bibles] are all
translations of the same core set of texts, the different versions can throw
special light on changes in orthography, grammar and vocabulary throughout the
period.” (Crystal, 2003:59)
Bibles are
a most useful resource for the study of language as they are all from the same
core texts, thus the changes found in them should mostly be due to the changes
in language. This is especially the case where the bibles have been published
in a relatively short space of time between one another as the closer that they
are published the closer the language is and thus increases their usefulness.
However, the researcher still needs to be careful with regard to their use as
evidence for language change as there were differences dependent on the
translator, author and publisher.
“they [bibles] display great
variation, not only in theological slant and stylistic level, but also in
typography, presentation, editorial matter, and mode of presentation.”
(Crystal, 2003:59)
This
highlights the use of the bible as a simple resource for the researcher, but
does not delve into the more important issues which surround them. Religious
texts for the most part were written in Latin, this kept the knowledge which
was kept within them to a small selection of individuals. These individuals
were mostly men of religion and noblemen who could afford to learn to read the
languages that the texts were written in. The concept of writing the bible in
English was revolutionary.
“During the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries translating and publishing the Bible in the language of the
common people became as revolutionary an act as, in the eighteenth century,
advancing the proposition that states should be ruled by democratic
institutions, not kings.” (McCrum, 2010:67)
The writing
of the bible into English, and thus giving access to more members of the public
reduced the power that the clergy had, and reduced their necessity, or so they
saw. However, this was in order, especially in the Elizabethan period to give
access to the people to the changes being made in religion, and more to the
point to make it a people’s religion, and in part reduce some of the influence
of Rome. The impact of this was to increase the presence of English amongst the
people.
“From 1535 to 1568 no fewer than
five major new versions [of the Bible] were published … and became the most
widely read texts of the sixteenth century, with a huge influence on the
dissemination of English.” (McCrum, 2010:72)
The
knowledge of English in order to keep up with changes in religion became a
civic duty and thus increased the developments within the language. This was
caused by the Protestant Reformation as the only way for this to succeed was
for popular support to be gained. The only way to do this was for people to be
able to read what was written, and as such these texts had to be written in
English.
“The role of English was given
impetus by the Protestant Reformation, which placed a religious duty of
literacy on all, and provided national texts for the purpose: the vernacular
Bible and Prayer Book.” (Smith, 2005:9)
This
demonstrates a huge impact that religion had upon the development of English
especially in the Elizabethan period. With the increase of literacy, even on a
small scale, the language was bound to change and develop. With the popular
presence of the language amongst the people it was also bound to challenge the
idea that the classical languages were the only ones suitable for study.
The Defeat of Latin
“In the defeat of Latin and the
final establishment of English as the sole literary medium in England, a
considerable part was played by the religious disputes that raged from the
fifteenth to the seventeenth century. During the Reformation, people engaged in
controversy wanted to be read by as large a public as possible.” (Barber, 2000:175)
Latin was
considered to be the official language of scholarly works and also religious
observance up until the Protestant Reformation. The Roman Catholic services
were all held in Latin and all of the texts were also written in the same. The
Anglican Church changed this in order to be a real “Church of England” thus
giving access to the texts to the common man. To have a language used for
official texts of religion and scholarly work, can only but increase its
prestige. “The translation of the Bible into English, moreover, and the
changeover from Latin to English in church services, raised the prestige of
English.” (Barber, 2000:176).
The
prestige of English was only assisted by the arguments on a scholarly level
about the new religion as the arguments were not confined to the scholars but
needed to be disseminated amongst the people. This resulted in even the
scholarly arguments being written and published in English. The change in the
use of language in this instance was in order to reach the largest audience
(Barber, 2000:176). As a result it can only be seen that other scholarly
arguments would get the same treatment in order to reach their maximum
audiences as well. Thus Latin was in effect beaten by popularity and the
necessity to increase the readership.
Conclusion
Bibles are
a most useful tool for the researcher in order to track the changes in language
over a period of time as long as care is taken with their use. In the history
of Elizabethan English their significance is even greater as they were one of
the greatest weapons for promoting the new religion, and by a result the
prestige of English as a language. English emerged from the sixteenth century
as a force to be reckoned with displacing Latin in various areas, and this is
of significance
Only
through the impact of religion and the resulting expectations of people being
able to read their own native tongue could the language have had such an
impact. It can clearly be seen that before this revolution the core texts were
written in Latin and thus gave very restricted access. With the requirement to
disseminate the information to as much of the people as possible in order that
the struggle became popular, the change to the vernacular language of the
people could only but impact the language, increasing its prestige and also
reduce that of the classical languages. Thus it can be seen that the impact of
religion upon Elizabethan English is a part of its history that cannot be
ignored, but needs to be taken into account in order to see other elements of
historical significance.
Bibliography
Barber, C. (2000) The
English Language: A Historical Introduction, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, UK
Crystal, D. (2003) The
Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (2nd ed),
Cambridge University Press, New York, USA
McCrum, R. (2010) Globish:
How the English Language Became the World’s Language, Penguin Group
(Australia), Camberwell, Australia
Smith, J. (2005) Essentials
of Early English, Routledge, New York, USA
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