As the British Library plays host to the first ever exhibition to explore the English language from Anglo-Saxon runes and regional dialects to modern day rap and texting, I’m thinking about how my own use of language has changed through the years – especially since moving to the UK from the States.
According to practically everyone I ever encounter, I long since lost my southern accent. However, I still use a number of words and phrases that are often received with head scratching bewilderment on this side of the pond. One term that I have to try really hard not to use is “fix” – not as in “to repair” but meaning “to prepare” (as in, “What would you like me to fix for dinner?”). It’s a Southernism that I heard all the time growing up. It feels and sounds natural to me. But folks in New York didn’t even understand what I was talking about when I lived there.
Now, when I go back to visit family and friends in Georgia where I’m originally from, I’ve got to put the brakes on several British expressions that just don’t sound right or have quite the same effect as they do here. The best example I can think of is probably the word “lovely” – something I say all the time here in London but really doesn’t translate in the same broad, colloquial way.
Aside from the stranger in a strange land aspect to my daily dealings with language, it’s fascinating how my work can influence how I communicate. As a freelance writer juggling projects for a sometimes dizzying variety of clients, I need to switch the tone of my writing several times – even within the confines of an hour sometimes. From channelling the persona of a cartoon bunny to that of an avid sports fan (neither of which I am) to tapping out my own opinion about a hotel, restaurant or work of art, I (hopefully) have learned to switch linguistic gears while making sure I write with sincerity and clarity. But honestly, I’m usually just making it all up as I go along.
Anyway, what I think I’m saying is that I’m a muddled mess when it comes to English. However, the British Museum’s Evolving English exhibition promises to be well organized and thoroughly thought out.
Placing iconic books and manuscripts alongside everyday texts and media to show the social, cultural and historical strands from which the language has been woven, I’m keen to check this exhibition out! Luckily it’s on until early April. So, there’s still plenty of time. Highlights from Evolving English include the only surviving manuscript of Beowulf, Shakespeare ‘quartos’, the King James Bible, Dr Johnson’s dictionary and recordings of famous speeches by Churchill, Gandhi and Mandela will be on view along with early examples of advertising posters, lists of slang, early newspapers from around the world, trading records, comics (!!!), adverts, children’s books, dialect recordings, text messages and web pages. Find out more at the British Library website.
