Horse 334 - St George's Language

Tommorrow is April 23 this is notable for two things. Firstly it's St George's Day (see Horse 99) which celebrates the triumph of a knight over a dragon but also curious is it the birthday of probably the most famous writer in history, William Shakespeare. There are loads of resources on the man and even study guides on his plays and poetry but precious little on his most important contribution to English - the fact that he wrote in it.

This is going to surprise most of you who have difficulties with the language of Shakespeare but the language he used is actually quite modern. You'll note that most of the rules of grammar he uses are pretty well much the same as our own. Also of note is the number of words he used - critical, leapfrog and dwindle are actually all his invention.You probably think I'm quite daft for holding such a view but bear in mind that quite a lot of the cliches you use were first coined by Shakespeare as well. One foul swoop, vanish into thin air and flesh and blood are all Shakespeare's.

In fact I hold the man in such high regard that I'd consider him and one other historical document the sole cause of why Britain became top empire. Shakespeare wrote primarily between 1590 and about 1615. Also written smack-dab in the middle of that was the Bible as Authorised by King James I. For the first time was a version of the Bible that could be read by common folk. This ensured that printing presses became common and between Shakespeare and The Bible, the rise of literacy particularly in Britain rose sharply, caused in part because there was finally a need for people to read and because someone was finally writing in common language.

Shakespeare's English and the used in The Bible are both in all honesty probably quite vulgar in comparison to the language used by the gentry. The Globe theatre actually charged people to watch their stage plays and people would go primarily to be entertained. Also of note was that the reformation of the church was in full swing and one of the things that it had to do in repsonse to that was actually talk to people in their own language - English.

In fact the ability of English to adapt is evident. It stole words from everywhere it went and left behind the romantic typeface behind, one needs only to look around today to see that English has infected just about every corner of the globe. Is it little wonder that rising literacy rates meant that England, which is in reality a rather small island, could record and learn information?

St George's Day may be the triumph of a knight over a mythical dragon, but also it should be a day to celebrate the triumph of the language over the world.