Looking Beyond The Language

In previous entries, we have discussed the reasons why you should continue to improve your proficiency. You probably know from personal experience why you should: maybe you want to be taken more seriously at work, maybe you want to improve your grades, or maybe you want to be able to lead your team more efficiently. There are many different reasons why you should and, in some cases, why you might even need to. 

But here's the thing and I'm sure you'll agree: learning a language can be both exhausting and repetitive which can eventually lead to you losing interest in it. A few summers ago, I tried to teach myself French. At first it was exciting. I was also reading French literature and the idea of potentially being able to understand the parts in French without having to consult the endnotes kept me motivated.

However, after a few months of very little progress, I decided to take an indefinite break from learning French. And you want to know why?

Because I had just been focusing on the grammatical aspects of the language-- the fundamental stuff that is absolutely necessary to understanding any language. If I had taken enough time to look beyond the French language then perhaps I wouldn't have lost my motivation.

Now, what do we mean by "looking beyond" the language? Well, very simply, it means to look past the basic linguistic stuff like grammar and vocabulary, and focus more on the historical and sociological aspects of the language. When was the language first used? How has it evolved throughout history? How and where is it used today? How many forms of the language are there (i.e. dialects) and which parts of the world speak which forms? 

In this post, we will address each question individually and explain how further inquire into the language may be just what you need to stay motivated while improving your proficiency.

When was the language first used?

Learning about the origins of anything can always be interesting. Understanding how/when something began can often be a great way to understand how or why something is done today.

English has a very interesting history. It was first used sometime between 550 and 1066 AD by the lower-class English peasantry. It is typically known as Anglo-Saxon, and the actual structure of the language was completely different than it is now. We recommend not looking into the specifics of Old English so as not to become confused, but trust us, it was vastly different.

If interested in learning more about its history, check out this post. There's a lot out there about the history of English, and it could be just what you need to stay motivated while improving your proficiency.

How has it evolved throughout history?

Similar to the first question, tracing the evolution of English could also lead to some surprising discoveries. English is commonly divided into three different periods: Old English, Middle English, and Modern English. Some people would even add a fourth period which they refer to as the Early-Modern period. Much like with the origins of the language, we recommend you don't try to learn any of the older forms of English considering each one is, more or less, like its own language.

If curious, take a look at what each different form of English looked like:

Old English (Anglo-Saxon): Beowulf

Middle English: The Miller's Tale by Chaucer

Early-Modern: Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 1 by Shakespeare

As you can see, English has been vastly changed throughout the past fifteen hundred years. Tracing its evolution can be a fun and mind-opening way to stay committed to learning the language.

How and where is it used today?

Less to do with the historical aspects of the language and more to do with the sociological elements, understanding how English is used today and where can be both informative and exciting. English is the most popular language in the world; with 1.39 billion speakers, English is used in several different countries and is even recognized as an official language in some of those.

It is also interesting to note how English is used today compared to how it was used in 500 AD. English today is very much a marker of social status. Many people are going to judge others based on how well they use the language. There are many different kinds of English spoken, and this blends into the following question about dialects, but essentially, the better you can speak and write, the more favorable you will seem to people.

This really isn't fair by any means but it is typically the case. Ever hear the stereotype about the IT guy with an Indian accent? Well, it's not the fact the person's Indian that upset's people, it's the fact that he/she can't express themselves clearly.

Understanding the social implications involved in improving your English may be exactly what you need to stay focused and motivated while improving your proficiency.

How many forms of the language are there (i.e. dialects) and which parts of the world speak which forms?

A dialect is defined as a particular form of a language which is particular to a specific region or social class, and as you probably can imagine, there are a lot of them in English (160, to be exact). For example, the way English is spoken in the New England region of the United States is going to vastly differ from the form of English spoken in India, and will even slightly differ from the form of English spoken in Old England (i.e. the U.K).

Dialects can be so interesting because each one is ingrained in the culture which uses it.

As mentioned above, dialects are often seen as social markers as well. For example, historically, a person who went to Oxford would typically speak and write using a very clear, perfected form of English whereas someone who was of the working class would speak a choppy version of it. 

There is a lot you can learn by exploring the different variations of English, and although it may not help you directly in improving your English, by seeing what's to be gained by improving your proficiency, you may feel more driven than you ever have to improve your English.

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There is a lot of information that can be learned about the English language that has very little to do with the language itself. We get that things like verb conjugations and where and when to use grammatical markers aren't exciting topics. Of course, you need to learn that stuff in order to improve your English fluency, and even your competency, to an extent, but those aren't the only parts of the language you should learn about.

Learning the history of a language--the history of anything really-- makes the language much more engaging because you know why it is the way that it is.

Learning the sociological aspects of a language makes it much more important because you know what different dialects of the language convey, and more importantly, what dialect you should be using to present yourself in the way that you want.

At Level-Up Proficiency, we are committed to helping you improve your proficiency both directly and indirectly; directly meaning all the basic linguistic stuff you need to know to speak and write fluently and indirect meaning all the extraneous information such as the history and sociological factors. While only the direct linguistic information is necessary for learning the language, the indirect information can help you stay motivated and driven towards your goals.

If you have any questions about this post or anything else, feel free to send us an email or send us a message on Facebook!

Ryan M. Shea, English Proficiency Specialist
levelupproficiency@gmail.com
https://www.levelupproficiency.com