English and Education

Greetings,

This is the third part of my history of Elizabethan English and it deals with the impact of education on the language. This will also take into account how the methods of education impacted on the language and how such methods enabled the language to change and adapt through the introduction of external influences. Education as an aspect in the history of Elizabethan English is one that plays its part, especially as it leads to other discussions within the history of the language.

Introduction

            Education has a significant part to play both in the history of a civilisation but also in the history of a language. It is through this sort of examination that the origins and developments in education can be seen. Education is how a particular idea will be passed from teacher to student and then to the wider community, in the case of a language the same is true. In the case of Elizabethan English the education and methods of education also impacted the language by bringing in external influences which will change the language and increase its complexity.

Models for Language: Still Classical

            The models for education in the Elizabethan period were still based on their classical models, inherited from the previous centuries. In grammar school it was the trivium which was taught, grammar, rhetoric and logic (Kermode, 2000:19). This is a model which was promoted in the earlier periods of history and flowed through to the sixteenth century. Indeed even the models for the language, as modern as it was in the period were still based on the classical languages. The models for writing were heavily based on the ancient authors of Greece and Rome and these models were especially prevalent in rhetoric (Kermode, 2000:19). With this sort of model in the early part of the education, there is little surprise that it took quite an extended period in order for things to change. However, education was increasing and knowledge was spreading.

Education Influences

            The sons of noble families left home and went travelling as apart of their education. In general it came down to one of three areas, wars, university or discovery. “Part of a young gentleman’s education was the grand tour of the continent,” (Barber, 2000:181). This was designed to broaden the gentleman’s horizons, have him make connections, and gain a better understanding of the world he lived in. Of course the travel and returning also resulted in these gentlemen bring back new ideas and this influenced the language.

            The Renaissance period in Europe was a time of discovery and also rediscovery and this was no different in London. There was a thirst for new ideas and new language in London in late sixteenth century (McCrum, 2010:74). With noble families especially wanting to see new ideas and understand what was happening about them, education had to increase to accommodate the new thoughts and ideas about language. The Tudors recognised this potential and did something about it.

“The sense of rare cultural community was intensified by the revolution in grammar school education and book production achieved under the Tudors. Shakespeare’s was an age in which, among the privileged, the book was now a familiar item of everyday use. Between 1558 and 1579, there were 3,850 new books published in London. This increased dramatically to 7,430 between 1580 and 1603, the years of Shakespeare’s debut.” (McCrum, 2010:73)

            Books are pretty common-place in the modern day world but for the Elizabethans and before they were a relatively restricted resource. This is because of the cost for the construction and publishing of them. The fact that there was such a marked increase in the presence of books demonstrates an increase in education and also interest in language. Indeed Shakespeare’s and other writer’s performances and the imagery within them were often used to highlight and explain events (Kermode, 2000:26). The plays and performances allowed such information to reach a much wider audience. The use of the language increased its popularity and with the interest in education, and the growth of the language itself, it is of little surprise that the status of English at the time began to increase, however, there was still not agreement on the status of the language in the sixteenth century (McCrum, 2010:74). The fact that there was debate about the status of the language is significant in itself in that it demonstrates the growth of the language.

Conclusion

            Education and its relationship to language is something that cannot be ignored, nor its significance denied. Indeed it is through education that a language spreads. The innovations in the language may be made outside of places of education, but it is through these that the language is spread amongst the people in a formal manner.

            When a language is modelled on old forms of language influence is made upon it and it also in some ways presents the language as somewhat more backward than the language upon which it was based. Even modern English as it is used today is still based upon the language models found in Latin for the most part. The useful thing about these models is that the form a foundation from which the education can be based and thus learning the language is given some force and authority.

            Just as language affects education so too does education affect language. The travelling of gentlemen across Europe brought back knowledge and ideas from outside England and this affected the language. New words were required to understand what was happening outside, and the quest for understanding resulted in an increased interest in the language and thus education as well. This development of the language in the Elizabethan period is something which cannot be ignored as it was through these developments that English became more respected.

Bibliography

Barber, C. (2000) The English Language: A Historical Introduction, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK

Kermode, F. (2000) Shakespeare’s Language, Penguin Books Ltd, London UK

McCrum, R. (2010) Globish: How the English Language Became the World’s Language, Penguin Group (Australia), Camberwell, Australia