We can have a lot of fun with how languages develop over time:
On Christmas Eve last year, a 22-year-old student called Simon Roper posted a video on YouTube in which he reconstructed the development of the London accent from 1340 to 2006 in a single monologue. In whispered tones, Roper voiced men from 12 generations of the same imaginary family, speaking at 60-year intervals. Their vowels flattened and their monophthongs shifted as they talked of their daily life – of cooking and horses and cold winters – transforming from barely decipherable Chaucerians to cheeky 1930s Cockneys over the course of 16 minutes. His speech was faltering, full of human reality and strangely intense. He wrote the piece in his bedroom during lockdown, and it has been watched two million times.Simon Roper: the 23-year-old reconstructing the past for millions of online viewers - New Statesman
With load more videos here:
For example:
Do Languages Get Simpler Over Time? - YouTube
Here are some more thoughts:
Simpler grammar, larger vocabulary: a linguistic paradox explained | Cornell Chronicle
No comments:
Post a Comment