Radio 4’s 'Accent week'

This week Radio 4 is having an ‘accent week’ to celebrate linguistic diversity in our county. It is achieving this by each day reading the evening news in a different accent, which is different from normal programmes broadcasted in RP or more standardized English.

Having listened to this, I thought that Accent Week may be an annual event, however, I found that this is a one off, prompted by recent news stories on freedom of dialects. In particular, OFSTED commented on the northern accent of a teacher at Whitelands Park Primary School (Thatcham) and since then she has been told to “sound more Sothern”. This has sparked an array of different viewpoints, I have quoted some of these and have given my opinion below:

“It is the most extreme form of discrimination and bullying” 

I completely agree with this; being instructed to change your accent is a form of regionalism where people are prejudicing against a specific area. I have considered that the comment may be against human rights and I found that in Article 1-3 of the United Nations Charter it says that we need to encourage fundamental freedom “without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.” Therefore, we need to allow people to talk in different languages (or in this case dialects) to reach equality.

“It’s difficult for the children…Sometimes I find it hard to understand people from up North”

This may be true, but I am sure that if the northern accent affected her teaching in any way she would have decided to tone down her accent herself, without any need of outside stimulation. There is no proof that the teacher’s teaching was affected so we should not assume that this is the case.

“We’re all English at the end of the day”

The English language varies a lot between different areas in Britain and I think that this variation ought to be celebrated. I think accents and dialects are very important and it is a piece of your identity, therefore no one should be instructed to change this.

The publication of this story has made similar stories come into the press. For example, very recently, Colley Lane Primary school pupils were given a list of regional phrases that they were forbidden to say in school, for example ‘ay?’ instead of ‘pardon?’ Teachers justified this when they stated it is “getting them ready for interviews”, but I do not think that this is acceptable.

People should have the right to express themselves in whichever dialect they like so as long as this does not interfere with their work, I cannot see a problem in regional accents. However, cases like this are becoming more frequent. In my secondary school there was a scouse teacher who had been to speech therapy sessions to learn RP so that she could act and teach. However, I think that this should be their own choice and not be expected of all teachers.

 

Italian

Although our group did not speak any Latin during our time in Rome, we did learn to speak some basic Italian. It struck me how similar Spanish and Italian are – in fact, 82% of vocabulary is similar and the sentence structure is very alike. Their definite articles are also clearly related:

Spanish: El, la, los, las

Italian: Il, lo, la, l'

These similarities are due to their Latin root, therefore anyone studying Spanish/ Latin will be more able to understand basic written and spoken Italian.

Here are some ‘must know’ Italian phrases if you are planning on visiting Italy:

English	Italian
Hello/ good morning	Buongiorno
Good afternoon	Buon pomeriggio
Good evening	Buonasera
Excuse me	Mi scusi
I do not speak much Italian	Non parlo molto bene italiano
Goodbye	Ciao/Arrivederci
Yes/ No	Si/ no

History of Italian:

Standard Italian dates back to the 12^th century however linguists are able to see how Vulgar Latin formed the separate language in 900AD.

In 1200, we can view this change by looking at Dante’s epic poetry, known as Commedia. This group of poetry was based on Virgil’s Aeneid and Cicero’s work; however, he used a distinct language. These poems were read across Italy and for a long time, his dialect was considered the ‘canonical standard’ of higher class Italian. Dante was from Florence and even today, the dialect of Firenze is the official Italian language.

Italian was influenced greatly by historical events, for example, the conquest and Italian occupation of Napoleon helped to spread the language. After this, Italian was known as ‘lingua franca’ which was used as a Latin substitute across much of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. Despite this, only 2.5% of the population of Italy spoke the standardised language in 1861.

The popularity of Italian has been partly due to its role in music as it is considered the universal language of music and is written to demonstrate tempo and directions on sheet music. Due to this, musicians all around the world understand Italian and this may encourage them to learn more of the language.  

The language itself:

Italian is a member of the Romance and Italic languages and derived diachronically from Latin. However, Italian contrasts other Romance languages in the way that it retains a difference between short and long consonants, like Latin.

The Italian alphabet consist of only 21 letters as 〈j, k, w, x, y〉 are not counted although they exist in loanwords such as ‘weekend’. The letter (h) is generally silent, especially when at the beginning of a word, i.e. ‘ho’ (I have). The (h) has been changed to (g) in many cases, for example I pull is ‘traho’ in Latin but ‘traggo’ in Italian.

The map below shows the population density of Italian speakers across Europe. The darkest purple means ‘lingua madre’ which are mother tongue speakers or L1 whereas the other shades show that Italian is a learned language (L2). This shows that although the vast majority of native speakers live in Italy itself, quite large proportions of Europeans learn language as a second language. Italian is still common in Africa and America due to a high Italian influence and immigration.

The Latin Language

This Rome trip showed me how useful Latin really is. We we’re able to translate signs, inscriptions and this enabled us to learn a lot more about the history than many other tourists.

Latin is fascinating as there are many English words derived from it, therefore we can see how our language developed. But we can also see how our language changed, for example we no longer have cases and we have practically ceased to use the subjunctive mood.

But why else should students learn Latin? It is a fascinating subject which allows students to read classical literature, allowing them to learn about Roman customs. For example, Ovid’s poem 3.2 (as mentioned in previous post) was a ‘set’ poem for AS-level Latin. This one poem taught me so much about the races: about seating arrangements, the chariot races and Roman Gods and Goddesses. But not only did it do this, but the way Ovid wrote the poem encouraged me to explore these themes further and learn more.

Also, Latin is a very logical subject. At the end of the day, with many school subjects, if you learn the content, you should do well in an exam, however even if someone learns the grammar and vocabulary, people still need to approach texts with ingenuity and a firm basis of their own language. In fact, studying Latin does teach people about their own language two as it improves the English vocabulary greatly, especially about analysing texts.

Learning Latin is also a different approach to languages. When learning modern languages, there is a huge focus on speaking, which people may not like. Since Latin is based more on translations and interpretations rather than innovative responses, it widens the audience of language learners.

To conclude, although the study of Latin may not directly be used in a students’ future, it will improve their native language and will help to create an inquisitive and “intellectually rigorous kid”¹.

 

As William Harris wrote:

"From another point of view, the study of Latin does foster precision in the use of words. Since one reads Latin closely and carefully, often word by word, this focuses the student's mind on individual words and their usage. It has been noticed that people who have studied Latin in school usually write quite good English prose. There may be a certain amount of stylistic imitation involved, but more important is the habit of reading closely and following important texts with accuracy."

As quoted from the National Review:

"I will say at once, quite firmly, that the best grounding for education is the Latin grammar. I say this not because Latin is traditional and medieval, but simply because even a rudimentary knowledge of Latin cuts down the labor and pains of learning almost any other subject by at least 50 percent."

¹Sourced from: http://www.theguardian.com/culture/charlottehigginsblog/2009/may/24/latin-in-schools (Accessed 23/11/2013)

Rome Visit

Day 1 continued

Circus Maximus – Although on first glance this just looked like a grass park, once we knew that it was in fact the circus Maximus, we instantly began to imagine what it would have looked like. This area would have contained an amphitheatre where chariot racing took place. Ovid wrote about his experience in Poem 3.2, ‘At the races’:

Let it be me, hurled from the starting gate,

I’d be the brave rider pressing the horses onward,
now I’d give rein, now touch their backs with the whip,
now scrape the turning post with my nearside wheel.
If I caught sight of you as I rushed by, I’d falter,
and the slack reins would fall from my hands.

(Translation from http://poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/AmoresBkIII.htm#_Toc520536658, lines 9-14).

Baths of Caracalla - These baths were the second largest thermal baths in Rome and were built under the reign of Emperor Caracalla in 214AD. The baths would have been a very popular place during Roman times as it brought a sense of unity and leisure. The building itself contained many different resources, including a public library and gym!

There were three individual areas to the baths themselves: a frigidarium (cold room), a large pool tepidarium (medium temperature) and a caldarium (hot room).However, there was also a roofless ‘natatio’ where mirrors reflected sun into the pool.

The baths were still in use during the 1800s, however, there has been a large amount of damage to the buildings so only ruins remain. It did not help that the site was destroyed further by an earthquake in 2009.

Keats’ grave – John Keats was buried in Campo Cestio, a peaceful protestant graveyard near the centre of Rome.  Although we were unable to go inside the cemetery (the visiting times of ‘closes at dusk’ were very ambiguous), we got a sneak peak in through the gates.

Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art—

Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
 Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
 Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
 Of snow upon the mountains and the moors—
No—yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,
 Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
 Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever—or else swoon to death.

 Trevi Fountain – In a small square, surrounded by cramped buildings remains the beautiful fountain. It was designed by Nicola Salvi and construction began in 1732 (and finished thirty years later).

It is tradition to throw a coin into the fountain in using your right hand over you left shoulder whilst making a wish. This was a key part of the film, ‘Three Coins in the Fountain’, and it is thought that 3000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day, which is used to fund a homeless trust helping the needy in Rome.

Spanish Steps – This monumental staircase has the title of the widest stairs in Europe!

The Piazza di Spagna lies at the bottom, which contains a small early baroque fountain. In the piazza contains the former house of John Keats, but is now a museum. The steps lead up to the church of Trinità dei Monti, built in the 1600s.

Day 2 – Vatican City

The Vatican city is a ssoverign state of its’ own right and is around 100 acreas, enclosed by walls. Less than 1,000 people live in the Vatican however many people visit daily and it is incredibly busy. The city is full of fascinating museum, grand buildings and stunning gardens but my favourite part was the Sistene Chapel (Sacellum Sixtinum).

Before entering the chapel is a maze of different and beautiful rooms containing artefacts and historical items. One of these rooms was very long and decorated with a mixture of ancient maps, including one of ancient Italy. The chapel itself consist of one huge room with an alter on one side. The walls are decorated with a mixture of frescos, including around 460m² of Michael Angelo’s frescos. The most famous of his paintings is positioned centrally on the ceiling and is called ‘the creation of Adam’.  I quote Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832):

"Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving."

Day 3 – Ostia Antica

Ostia Antica used to be a port, essential for transporting goods to Rome. By the 2^nd century AD over 100,000 people lived in Ostia and many of their houses, shops and mosaics remain intact to see.

On the main cobbled road through the town (Decumanus Maximus), we were able to see  deep marks made by the four-wheeled wagons (carrucas) used for transportation. We were also able to see the stones which were used in the bakery and the workings of the cleaners. The main attraction in the town is the well preserved amphitheatre. This has enough seating for 3,500 people and the stage is still standing. Whilst we sat in the amphitheatre, our Latin teacher and a group of brave students recited some Cicero from the stage (in Latin of course) to show us the acoustics as how easy it was to hear them.

This town is a fantastic place to visit to see how Roman life really was – as many said, it is a ‘better version of Pompei’.