The document discusses the evolution and standardization of the English language, highlighting the influence of various cultures such as the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and Normans throughout British history. It emphasizes the role of the printing press in making written language accessible to the general public and mentions Samuel Johnson's contributions to language standardization in the 18th century. Additionally, it touches on the linguistic variations within the U.S. and the academic field of linguistics that studies these differences.

2. Standards are formal agreements about
how language is used that make
communication possible.
What if you received a
text from someone
who…
•spoke a different
language?
•used language of a
different social
group?
Might you not fully
comprehend?

3. How did standard English develop?
When did standardization of English
happen?
Where did it happen?

4. In the beginning there was lots of stuff to do for people to find out how they were going
to organize themselves as a group a maintain

5. Great Britain stands apart from the rest of
Europe because it is separated by water.
These seas can
be very
dangerous, but
some crossed
them to settle or
conquer at
different
points in early history.
WHO? ……

6. The Anglo Saxons, in 5th century,
clashed with the Proto-Celtic people
already living there.

7. The Vikings came in the 8th and
9th centuries…

8. …and William the Conqueror
came with the Norman-French in
the 11th century.

9. As each culture came to Britain, it
changed the language in some form or
another.
That is just the beginning of the history
of the English language and how it
came to be one of the most irregular
and patch-worked languages in the
world.
English spoken in the U.S. has also
been profoundly impacted by African
Americans, who were originally brought
to America by Europeans as slaves.

10. Renaissance (or rebirth) was the time period in Europe
after the Middle Ages. It was a time of great progress in
technology and science that also saw major flowering of
art, culture, and language.
The printing press had a lot to do with these changes. It
made the spread of information so much easier than before.
The printing press did for the 15th and 16th centuries what
the internet did to recent times.

11. Before the printing press, writing was mainly
for the elite or wealthy. The printing press
brought an of books (and hence
information) that became available to the
general public. This gave rise to many new (and
different) forms of writing.
For the purposes of academia, people felt the
need for certain ground rules so that people
from different places could still read each
other’s writing.

12. Samuel Johnson is widely accepted as having a
major impact on the standardization of the
English language through his
A Dictionary of the English Language (1755)
Before this, it was common to see different spellings of the
same word. In fact, a writer might use different rules for
different situations, but this caused confusion in academia.

14. We can see (and hear) how people speak
differently today based on where they’re from
and who they are talking to.
Let’s listen to some variations present within
North Carolina that differ from the academic
standard.
 Sample of urban African American
speech
 Sample of Appalachian speech

15. To someone unfamiliar with a type of
language, it may seem funny or
confusing.
One great way to understand and
appreciate different cultures is to study
the rules that govern the type of
language that they use.
Within academics, this type of study is
called Linguistics.

16. Picture References
Proto-Celtics
http://john844.org/images/proto-kelts-hallstatt-culture
Anglo Saxon
http://www.englisc-gateway.com/bbs/topic/30061-eu-to-conquer-anglo-saxons-and-jews/
Vikings
http://www.englisc-gateway.com/bbs/topic/30061-eu-to-conquer-anglo-saxons-and-jews/
William The Conqueror
http://sd-10807.dedibox.fr/show_items-feed=ba8d5c65e50c3e5536b41225cf1c4296?page=1
Picture for confusing text message
http://www.visualphotos.com/image/1x8706253/confused_man_reading_text_message
Gutenberg’s printing press
http://mallorykeeler.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/the-gutenberg-press-1440s/
Samuel Johnson
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/aug/09/biography