Bloody 'ell guv'nor – Loredana consults her inner monologue.
This winter the British Library is putting on a major exhibition revolving around the English language. As an in-depth exploration, Evolving English is comprised of extensive research, ranging from the development of the language to its interpretations from around the world. So in the spirit of this I’m going to have a little self-indulgent, unashamed rant because after all, what could be more English?
It’s time for me to tell you some home truths that you already know; 1. People judge you on the way you look whether you like it or not. 2. People judge you on the way you talk. And if they haven’t guessed already by looking at you, as soon as you open that pretty little mouth of yours, presumptions are made about your class, upbringing, sexuality and level of intelligence.
I speak as an easy target because I’ve been named ‘The Cockney Nut Job’ by some (posh) friends, been accused of sounding like I come from 1940s London (probably down to my unintentional use of the proclamation 'cor' as in “cor bloody ‘ell”) and pointed at for being from Essex. May it be known, I am not from Essex. As well as this, my brothers, cousins and I have grown up hearing words from the Italian dialect our grandparents speak intermixed with English, and to our surprise we've found out slowly and painfully that these words don’t actually exist in the English language.
Basically what I’m saying is that the way you perceive Evolving English is down to your personal experiences with your own accent. Because in a country where your voice is vitally important, sometimes it's how you sound that determines whether you fit into certain groups or not.
In Britain you can make a guess about someone's upbringing based on how they talk – even though there are dialects, there is still a standardised 'posh' accent. In other countries, by and large, dialects just tell you what part of the country someone comes from rather than determining their class. It's interesting to see how the British Library looks upon this, as different accents and dialects are explored in their development over the years. As a multimedia exhibition there will be sound recordings starting from the 1800s up to the present day where you can discover how language has changed. You might even want to hear a modern day girl talking about her 'gap yah' in today's version of RP...riveting, or maybe just watch Gap Yah on YouTube? Though in all seriousness, comparing this to a 1920s version of RP might be more than a little amusing.
If you're expecting to go along and have a good moan about the state of English today then meet your new mate, Jonathan Swift. In 1712 he wrote a letter to the English government about the state of the language around in his day, and you can read his carefully measured outburst at the exhibition. And then you have a century and a quarter before the invention of text messaging, a poem that includes phrases such as “I wrote 2 U B 4” – practically ancient. That explains why parents that haven't got the hang of predictive text still do it then.
History buffs can see the earliest surviving copy of Beowulf, and for all you spelling sticklers there's plenty of examples of how words have evolved – you can even have a peek at the first ever dictionary. With projections around the gallery walls, your attention will be drawn to interesting lone words – the word 'dandiprat' is being added to my list of ever growing insults.
The exhibition’s made up of seven parts all taking on a different aspect of the English language. At the end of it you can record your own voice for linguists to study in the future. Recordings will be collected from all around the world so they can get a picture of English in the 21st Century. Well some people like hearing the sound of their own voice…I don’t. Maybe a little like Jonathan Swift I prefer reading my own voice. So I'm going to go get some elocution lessons now – ta ta!
Click here to see what's on at the British Library.
Click here to read Tom's review of Magnificent Maps at the British Library.
Click here to see all London exhibitions.
Click here for things to do in London.
Return to Spoonfed's London Art homepage.
Image Credits:
Modern Flash Dictionary by George Kent, 1835.
Paragon of Alphabets, 1815.
Images courtesy of the British Library Board.
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