Baylon, Melvie Mar R.

BLL 105

Language’s Inherent Authority

English primarily started to spread and developed in the course of British

colonization, and immigration of settlers from the British Isles. Of the two, what have

been more interesting was colonization—and its major consequences.

Prior to colonization was the existence of cultural groups. Cultures as have been

defined by the social sciences differs have distinct characteristics different from one

another. Language, beliefs and others make them different. Difference here caused

cultural divide. At the period of colonization, these differences seemed to have been set

aside by the enforcement of the colonizers of their own culture. It was a given that the

British colonizers needed to establish colonizers to their subjects—the pre-colonial

population. The colonizers then imposed their own language to the natives. The contact

of English and the pre-existing language/s of the colonies bring about pidgin which soon

developed to creoles.

This case is vividly illustrated on the context of slave-trade which was started by

John Hawkins—when he captured about 300 Africans and brought them to the American

coast. Pidgin was created, at the least, to bridge the communication gap between the

African slave-traders and slave-masters, and African-slaves and slave-masters. It was not

enough so it expanded and adapted to its environment and bear the creole.
 Control of the inferior was the key to what might be a long-lasting colony. This

was achieved by colonizers minimizing the potential of revolt of the colonized. Slaves

only knew very limited ability of communication to their masters as colonizers might

have the same way to their subjects. Preventing communication here was crucial because

it prevented awareness of what was really going on—the bigger view of colonization.

Language here was seen as an authority or power.

The ‘mother country’ took control primarily in economy and education with

English as the link to its colony. With this dominance in English there had been now a

common language that united different people groups. As education had been available to

the natives of the colonies, not only literacy but a deeper awareness of the colonial

population arose. It might have been a thing of, ‘There is something wrong.’ At this point

natives have been granted access to the dominant language, hence having a sense of

authority. At this point they could be heard.

This awareness, preceded by the unity that was brought by the English language

as a unifying link among natives, gave them the idea that they could stand as one nation

that they are not to be restrained and controlled by these colonizers.