I find it fascinating that standard English, the language we use I have chosen to focus on the Victorian era, specifically on the impact the Industrial Revolution had on the English language. To 'fix' language so that it no longer varied (Graddol, Leith and Swann 1996:157). 'regulated', as classical Greek and Latin were believed to have been (Barber, 2000: 203).Ĭommentators like Swift wanted to protect English against the charge of 'barbarism'. The eighteenth century when there was a growing feeling that English needed to be 'ruled' or The standardisation of spelling was just one aspect of a more generalĪttempt to regulate the language, an attempt especially prominent in the second half of Languages: 'self-acting mill' 'power looms' 'steampress' and 'cylindrical steampress' (Bragg,Ģ004 239) to name a few. These are some of the words thatĪppeared at the Great Exhibition, some plain English and others coinages from other For example, in 1851 at the Great Exhibition theĮnglish language showed the world what it made of the machine age and how trade termsĭenigrated by Johnson now powered the languageĪs empathetically as Tyndale's Bible (Bragg, 2004: 238). Indeed, Bragg notes that the Industrial Revolution displayed a new vocabulary. The Industrial Revolution, which began early in the eighteenth century when British society began to move away from a cottage industry towards an industrial society, had, as Melvyn Bragg points out, a major impact on language (2004: 238).
Page numbers unless otherwise indicated refer to Chambers Dictionary of Etymology (2000). Dates in parentheses following words indicate the years of their first recorded use. Thanks to Dr Catherine Watts, Principal Lecturer, School of Language, Literature and Communication, University of Brighton, for recommending this essay.
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