Definition and Examples of Colonial Lag in Language

In linguistics, colonial lag is the hypothesis that colonial varieties of a language  (such as American English) change less than the variety spoken in the mother country (British English). This hypothesis has been vigorously challenged ever since the term  colonial lag  was coined by  linguist Albert Marckwardt in his book  American English  (1958). For example, in an article in  The Cambridge History of the English Language,  Volume 6  (2001), Michael Montgomery concludes that in regard to American English, [t]he evidence cited for colonial lag is selective, often ambiguous or tendentious, and far from indicating that American English in any of its varieties is more archaic than innovative. Examples and Observations These post-colonial survivors of  earlier phases of mother-country culture, taken in conjunction with the retention of earlier linguistic features, have made what I should like to call a colonial lag. I mean to suggest by this term nothing more than that in a transplanted civilization, such as ours undeniably is, certain features which it possesses remain static over a period of time. Transplanting usually results in a time lag before the organism, be it a geranium or a brook trout, becomes adapted to its new environment. There is no reason why the same principle should not apply to a people, their language, and their culture. (Albert H. Marckwardt, American English. Oxford University Press,  1958) Colonial Lag in American English There was for a long time a popular belief that languages separated from their home countries, like a bud nipped from its stem, ceased to develop. This phenomenon was called colonial lag, and there were many--including, notably, Noah Webster--who argued in particular for its applicability to American English. But though the colonial languages in the New World might have been isolated from their homelands, these languages were not unaffected by their trip to the New World. Colonial lag is, as linguist David Crystal says, a considerable oversimplification. Language, even in isolation, continues to change. (Elizabeth Little,  Trip of the Tongue: Cross-Country Travels in Search of Americas Languages. Bloomsbury, 2012)With ongoing language changes, it is often argued that colonies follow the linguistic developments of the mother country with some delay because of the geographical distance. This conservatism is called colonial lag. In the case of American English it is witnessed, for ins tance, in changes that took place in the modal auxiliaries can and may. Can gained ground in uses previously associated with may earlier and more rapidly in England than in the American colonies (Kytà ¶ 1991).Colonial lag is not, however, in evidence with all linguistic changes. In the case of third-person singular present-tense suffixes, for instance, no such tendency can be observed. (Terttu Nevalainen, An Introduction to Early Modern English. Oxford University Press, 2006) Colonial Lag in New Zealand English Because of the fragmentation of transplanted speech communities, the children of colonial founding populations may lack well-defined peer groups and the models they provide; in such an event, the influence of the dialects of the parents generation would be stronger than in more typical linguistic situations. This is especially true of more isolated settlers children. As a result, the dialect that develops in such situations largely reflects the speech of the previous generation, thus lagging behind.[P]arental origin is often an important predictor of aspects of individuals speech. This provides some support for the notion of colonial lag. (Elizabeth Gordon, New Zealand English: Its Origins and Evolution. Cambridge University Press, 2004)[T]here are a number of grammatical features in the New Zealand archive which can be described as archaic in that we assume that they were more typical of mid-nineteenth-century English than of later periods. One reservation, however, is that a number of grammatical changes which have affected English in the British Isles in the last 200 years have started in the south of England and spread out from there, arriving later in the English north and southwest--and then in Scotland and Ireland, if at all--with some considerable time lag. There are a number of conservative features on the ONZE tapes [Origins of  New Zealand  English project] which may therefore be either archaic, or English regional, or Scottish, or Irish, or all four. One such is the use of for-to infinitives, as in They had for to gather the crops. (Peter Trudgill,  New-Dialect Formation: The Inevitability of Colonial Englishes. Oxford University Press, 2004)

George Orwell s Animal Farm Essay - 1696 Words

Alejandro Oliveros Mr. Scarpo English 10 Honors 4/11/16 In animal Farm, George Orwell creates three themes and they are, absolute power corrupts absolutely, the pigs thoughts and rules, and role of populace. Orwell creates this story and it s almost the same as the Russian Revolution. What is the message of the story that George Orwell creates? First of all, It all starts on Mr. Jones Farm, where Old Major (the elder pig), makes an announcement. He includes in his speech that one day the animals will revolt against the humans taking charge of them, and treating them unjustly. He ends his speech with a song, called the Beasts of England that he taught the animals from his childhood. As time passed, so did Old Major, and Mr. Jones was treating the animals unfairly. One night, he got drunk and didn’t come back for a whole day and even when he did, the animals were not fed. As a result the animals had enough and took a stand, they chased Mr. Jones and his men off the farm as they called it their own. This leads us to our first theme that is absolute power corrupts absolutely this could be proven by, â€Å" All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others(pg.134). In this quote it says that not every animal is going to be treated equally. Napoleon change the rules because back then it said that â€Å"a ll animals are equal†. This is the start of corruption. When Old Major died Snowball took over, then Napoleon took over and with all that power he became corrupt andShow MoreRelatedGeorge Orwell s Animal Farm958 Words   |  4 PagesImagine that you were an animal s or citizen living under Napoleon or Stalin rule and the fear that your life can be taken always from you at any time. In the novel of Animal Farm, George Orwell he wanted to show how a book is a sarcasm of the Russian Revolution during the communist years and the satire of that time between Trotsky and Stalin. Where Orwell chose to create his character base of the common people of Russia at the time of the Revolution. Animal Farm is a social or allegory about NapoleonRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Animal Farm1361 Words   |  6 Pagesfarmer, but of late he had fallen on evil days†(Orwell 38). In Animal Farm George Orwell describes life for the animals on a farm in the english countryside during the mid to early 2 0th century before, during and after a revolution against their master Mr.Jones in order to represent the russian revolution and describe to people throughout the free world how leaders in both capitalist and communist societies oppress the working class as a result Orwell s tone throughout the novel is concerned. TsarRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Animal Farm1392 Words   |  6 Pages George Orwell Never Misuses Words In what was a vastly controversial novel published in 1945, George Orwell’s Animal Farm describes the horrific brand of communism in the Soviet Union and the conscious blindness that most of the West accepted at that time. Although Orwell labeled Animal Farm as a fairy tale, this historically parallel novel branches into the genres of political satire, fable, and allegory as well. What made Animal Farm so controversial among the â€Å"British socialists† and WesternRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Animal Farm1395 Words   |  6 PagesGeorge Orwell’s Animal Farm: The Power of Corruption In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Orwell illustrates how power corrupts absolutely and how Napoleon degrades the structure and stability of Animal Farm because of the decisions that he makes. I will also expand on the idea of how Old Major’s ideas for an organized society get completely destroyed by Napoleon’s revolutionary actions. It was ironic and satirical that Napoleon’s own power annihilates Animal Farm. The satire in George Orwell’s AnimalRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Animal Farm922 Words   |  4 Pages In the novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, the wisest boar of the farm, Old Major, mimics Karl Marx, the â€Å"Father of Communism,† and Vladimir Lenin, a Russian communist revolutionary. George Orwell introduces direct parallels between the respected figures through their mutual ideas of equality and profoundly appreciated qualities. Furthermore, his utilization of dialect and descriptions represent the key ideas of the novel. Throughout the novel, Orwell continues to show comparisons betweenRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Animal Farm1463 Words   |  6 Pagesbut of late he had fallen on evil days†(Orwell 38). In Animal Farm, George Orwell describes life for the animals on a farm in the English countryside during the mid to early 20th century before, during and after a revolution against their master, Mr.Jones. Orwell does this to represent the Russian revolution and describe to people throughout the free world how leaders in both capitalist and communist societi es oppress the working class. As a result Orwell s tone throughout the novel is concernedRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Animal Farm1645 Words   |  7 PagesPeople respond to control and power differently for various reasons, however, one of the main reasons is based on their personality; their confidence and intelligence. In, Animal Farm by George Orwell, confidence and intelligence is a big factor for why certain animals obtained power and control and why other ones did not. People with confidence and intelligence are likely to gain most of the control and power. People with little intelligence, but lots of confidence are more likely to have someRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Animal Farm1449 Words   |  6 Pagesconcept that the animals in George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm crave. The animals of Animal Farm want freedom from their â€Å"dictator† Farmer Jones and the rest of humanity. Their problem is that Farmer Jones and humanity are still in power. With the bravery of two pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, the animals overthrow their human oppressors and free themselves from humanity. With his new freedom Napoleon craves power and expels Snowball. He becomes the dictator of Animal Farm and makes the farm a place whereRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Animal Farm1360 Words   |  6 Pagesquestion minus the answer.† In George Orwell’s â€Å"Animal Farm†, the author raises the question whether the type of government, communism, is feasible in a community without leading to a type of dictatorship or totalitarianism. Orwell presents the idea that communism is a good idea in theory, but it always leads to corruption by the people who take power. The author presents the novel as an entertaining fable featuring an animal revolution; however, beneath this storyline Orwell utilizes literary devicesRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Animal Farm1403 Words   |  6 PagesGeorge Orwell believes â€Å"What you get over and over again is a movement of the proletaria t which is promptly characterized and betrayed by astute people at the top and then the growth of a new governing class. The one thing that never arrives is equality† (Letemendia 1). Orwell simply loathes revolution and thinks it is unfair to the majority, for the people. He thinks that while individuals change, the people in power are always corrupt and they will corrupt any attempt at change. He communicates

Angel The Second Daughter Of Father, Ronald Baxley, And...

Angela â€Å"Angie† Robin Drury is the second daughter to father, Ronald Baxley, and mother, Mary Baxley. Born in Thomaston, Georgia, Angie grew up on a farm with her two sisters where she lived for 20 years. Growing up, her father being a former Navy officer, she experience a very strict household with little attention being given to her. Aside from home, Angie also experienced hardship in school being as her mother is Hispanic and father is White; growing up in the 60s and 70s was filled with no tolerance of different races, so her darker complexion made her a target a various racial terms as opposed to her older sister who inherited paler features and thrived in social settings. On top of her biracial background, Angie grew up in a household that held two different branches of Christianity, Catholic and Baptist. Though forced to practice both religions, as adult she decided to become a Baptist though she did not believe in any religion. Being that she did not like the feeli ng of having no control, Angie’s forced regular attendance caused her a lot of anger. As a child, Angie was content and well-mannered with the occasional angry outburst. She soon learned that the negative attention from her anger was better than no attention at all. Although known to have intense emotions, a stereotype associated with Hispanic women, she quickly developed an extroverted personality. While not a wildly as popular and social as her older sister Lynn, Angie strived to affiliate herself with a

Essay on Family Traditions And Cultural Legacies Example For Students

Essay on Family Traditions And Cultural Legacies How do family traditions and cultural legacies contribute to and/or inhibit an individual’s self-identity? Traditions and cultural legacies has always been a thing of the pass going to our future. Families study the form of traditions for many years. It’s in insight in to what is our pass and to what may become our future. Families have worked hard to keep this a alive in each one of the generations that is coming up behind them. Traditions and cultural legacies has been the idea was of identify our family history. It allows us to know just who we are and where we come from. This paper is going to be a look on how do family traditions and cultural legacies contribute to and/or inhibit an individual’s self-identity? The important of this paper will show how most people will use tradition of some sort to identity their self as one persona and as a family. Identifying ones identity can come form many life’s experiences. Many things make up your self-identity such as you looks, your ethnicity background, your personal relationships with other people, just you life all in one. When identifying ones identity it can be said that how people view you it can add to ones self-identity. Family traditions and cultural legacies can leave an impression on how the family comes together and do things that has been a part of their life for many years. In author states in our text, â€Å"family traditions are meant to be the culture of one’s family household and their way of values, ideals, beliefs, practices, attitudes, sentiments and ideas. This is the environment that they sub-consciously deal with to work through everyday life†. (James Merickel, 2012). Traditions are usually made or inherited for the matriarch of the family. Cultural legacies have been passed down form many generations to generations. Your ancestors put forth the motion to create something safe and secure for your families to cherish as the family grows. Traditions and cultural legacies could mean a number of things. There are many different types of traditions that people use today. It could be the family tradition whereas the family might do a family function every year. It could also be an occupational family tradition where ones family member worked as or on a certain type of job. A good example of this would be where a farther following in the footsteps of his farther as a Doctor. He passes the tradition down to his kids wanting and encouraging their kids to become doctors as well. There are many types of traditions that people live by. The important of traditions and cultural legacies provide many different out looks. One would be the source of finding your family identity. Family identity is very important to have. Everyone should have that sense of knowing who and where they came from. By doing so this allows you to share the history with your love ones and have that understanding of why your tradition is epic to your family. Tradition is like sharing that family bond. It brings people close together as a hold and as a family. In the article Creating a Positive Family Culture: The Importance of Establishing Family Traditions states â€Å"Traditions provide an all-too-rare chance for face-to-face interaction, help family members get to know and trust each other more intimately, and create a bond that comes from feeling that one is part of something unique and special†. (Mckay, 2013). Tradition has a lot of meaning behind it and families trust in that alone. A cultural legacy also teaches us values. Both tradition and cultural legacies are very much in comparison with each other. Both instilled the vales of education, faith in God, love and many more. It all links together in connect our family together and the legacy that lives in in us. Each generation have a time point of important that one can speak on. Having tradition gives us that sense of what right and the safeness of what family stand for. The fact that this can be done will help create a long-lasting set of memories that will live in the heart of family forever. As you can see there are an out number of factors that makes the self-identity of an individual. In addition to having family traditions, culture is a main reason to finding self-identity. .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547 , .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547 .postImageUrl , .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547 , .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547:hover , .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547:visited , .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547:active { border:0!important; } .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547:active , .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547 .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4e48cd585994a069e41581a03ce73547:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Trigger Effect (movie review) EssayAs a child growing up you’re surround among family and friends. Personal values come from what we are taught as children. Our parents wants was best for their kids so they teaches us the values of respect, honor, and beliefs. I was always told be careful of you environment and watch the company you keep. If you enter into a negative surrounding this could affect ones self-esteem. A person’s identity can involve person trade such as looks, beliefs and fears. A person’s identity may not always stay the same. It can be much to change from the person itself; however people have many ways and choices of choosing the source of their identity. As a child I use I grew up with a family tradition and a cultural legacy. My family has a tradition that we pull names every year around Christmas time. We have a certain day and time every year that we meet up and pull names for gifts. This has been a tradition for many years in our family. Because of the concisely of what our family has did, it has trickle down for many generations. The cultural side of our family is that we are church Pentecostal. My grandparents and their parents before them all were raise to be Pentecostal. Everyone in our family from many generations has been under the serves of Pentecostal. Don’t get me wrong we all serve the same God, but it’s just a different way of serving him. Pentecostal has been a part of my life every sense I was born. My mother has all always kept me in the church. Every day I use to complain about going to church and why was it so important to go. After I got older it became very clear to me that being Pentecostal or any other type of region was to be close to God. It was a safe haven too many and it was important to know just how much we was loved by God. Having his holy spirit was truly the only way to eternal life. Traditions and Cultural legacies are important in many ways and only your belief in them makes the differences on how you receive it.