To get back to the point I was trying to make, BBC English is more or less what your typical modern Shakespearean actor is using (not counting the various attempts to "modernize" his plays). From what I understood from the lecture, it's not likely to be mistaken for *any* Elizabethan dialect.
Guy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Eric Crouch" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "lutelist List" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 3:27 AM Subject: [LUTE] Re: Surviving in Eliz. England. > You may have found it on the internet, but I don't think it is > correct. English had several major linguistic divisions that would > have persisted strongly into Elizabethan times. For example the > English of the south east which became standard English was much more > influenced by Norman French than the English of the Northern and > North Midland counties of England which showed strong influence from > Scandinavian languages. > > Eric Crouch > > On 13 Jan 2006, at 03:31, Peter Oljelund wrote: > > > Hello Everyone > > > > Interesting subject! > > > > I found this text on the internet: > > > > "Elizabethian English did exist in England and the original form is > > still > > spoken in parts of the United States--particularly in the more > > isolated > > parts---which is more and more these days becoming almost none > > extant. It > > was the common language which everyone understood over regionalist > > speech. > > Just as today we in the United States all speak a common form of > > English > > which everyone or nearly everyone understands but regional English > > such as > > Valley Girl Speech ("He was just so gorgeous"--note the 'just > > so'--everything is 'just so' in Valley Girl Speech') with such > > expressions > > that are not quiet slang but not quiet acceptable standard English > > predominate. Likewise we have Cajun English (a combination of > > French and > > English), Gullah (a language and culture of Black South > > Carolinians) which > > is basically the African Language of Sierra Leone with a little > > English > > thrown in and Spanglish which is a combination of English and > > Spanish. We > > also have dialects that can tell one instantly where one is from--- > > parts of > > North Carolina still sound as if they were from Scotland or > > Elizabethian > > England or England (the Rev. Billy Graham sounds like this), Parts of > > Charleston, South Carolina have an Upper Class English that sounds > > like they > > are from London,England; people from Brooklyn, New York and Ohio as > > well as > > parts of Southern California (the way they say "you do" is an instant > > giveaway) Mississippians have a dialect of the Old South of very > > slow speech > > often imitated poorly by Hollywood actors (Example is in Gone With > > the Wind) > > that I call "Under the Mag-NOL-yâhs" . People who speak this way > > often give > > the false impression that they are retarded and severly deficit in > > intelligence because often it takes them forever and a day to say > > what they > > are going to say since they mull over what they say before they say > > it. > > Aside from foreign influences; American English has been heavily > > influenced > > by the languages of American Native peoples from Micronesia > > (Chomorro tribe > > of Guam and the Mariannas) and Polynesia (Hawaiians) to the > > Continental > > aboriginal Tribes and > > the Inuit (Eskimo) of Alaska and Canada. The language has been much > > enriched > > by these peoples for instance the Inuit have more than 20 words for > > snow and > > ice ---with each word meaning a different type of snow or ice > > type---words > > which English did not have until enriched by theses peoples. > > > > However, Radio and Television as well as modern speaking machines have > > rapidly put to an end most regionalism as well as modern > > transportation. > > American Africans of color no longer speak as they did in the 1950s > > and > > earlier as in George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess--original version > > although > > they often can be identified sight unseen over the telephone just > > as some > > Orientals can be. One hears less easily identifiable speech because > > Television, Radio and the Movies have removed much of the isolationist > > qualities that created and preserved regionalist speech. > > > > In England this is also true. It was once possible to easily > > identify the > > village, town or city one was from. No longer. The Anglican > > Archbishop of > > Ireland came to speak at my Parish bringing with him some English > > friends > > who sat beside me. When they heard me speak they tried to identify the > > Village I was from, settled on Oxfordshire and finally asked me if > > I was > > from Oxford and if I was related to this peer or that peer of the > > realm as > > they though I looked like them. I told them "No I am not from > > Oxford and > > have lived in the United States since birth (except for travel) and > > as for > > as peerage is concerned that died on the the fields of Flanders during > > Elizabeth I reign when the Duke was killed in battle as he was > > single and > > had no direct heir." They were amazed as was another friend from > > Wales who > > had been away so long that she had become throughly American. When > > she went > > back for a family reunion in Wales--when met people who sounded > > like they > > were from a Northumberland Village to her but were really from > > Rutland. > > " > > > > No new solo Terzi or solo Bachelar CD plans from anyone? > > > > (Except for David´s, hopefully this year, much awaited forthcoming > > Terzi-CD.) > > > > > > All the best > > > > Peter > > > > > > > > > > > > * * * * > > http://www.peteroljelund.se > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Mobile +46 (0) 70-403 41 48 > > > > > > > > > > > > > >> From: "guy_and_liz Smith" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> To: <[email protected]>, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Surviving in Eliz. England. > >> Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 19:17:21 -0800 > >> > >> I'm sure Elizabethan England had many local dialects, just as it does > >> today. > >> But most countries have something that's considered the nominal > >> standard > >> dialect. IIRC, she was referring specifically to the accent that > >> would have > >> been used by by the "sophisticated" levels of society (the court, > >> the upper > >> end of the merchant class, etc.), something like BBC English is > >> the nominal > >> standard today. > >> > >> Guy > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> To: <[email protected]> > >> Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006 5:24 PM > >> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Surviving in Eliz. England. > >> > >> > >>> > >>> Given the multiplicity of 'English' accents in modern england, is > >>> there > >>> any reason to suppose Elizabethan England would have had but one > >> dialect? > >>> London had a significant immigrant population as well as > >>> itinerants from > >>> wales, scotland, ireland, various areas of france, islands off > >>> scotland > >>> more norse than scots, frisia - not to mention the midlands, > >>> northumberland, cornwall etc. > >>> -- > >>> Dana Emery > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> To get on or off this list see list information at > >>> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >>> > >> > >> > > > > > > > > > >
