Language of Robinson Crusoe Essay

Daniel Dafoes popular saucy, forwards titled The Life and opposed Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner Who lived cardinal and Twenty Years, whatever entirely in an unoccupied Island on the Coast of America, set about the Mouth of the bully River of Oroonoque Having been cast on brink by Shipwreck, wherein on the whole the Men perished solely himself-importance. With an banknote how he was at last as queerly deliverd by Pyrates (iii), like around classics underwent many editions finished the years. However nothing but the first edition, which is the posterior of this essay, can give us the look and know of the time as intended to be scann by the author.EARLY MODERN ENGLISH According to heap 14 of The Cambridge History of face and American belles-lettres in 18 Volumes, Early Modern slope period marked the expansion of the subprogram of the position linguistic process outside England. But since incline was circularise at various times i t has been subjected to different influences and redundant variations caused by attempts at etymological spell out (Ward et al ch 15 bit 3 par 1). These were sheer in the novel in two aspects of rallying crys grammar and vocabulary (Ward et al ch 15 sec 1 par 1-2).Among the inflectional changes during the early modern side was the dropping of the weak vowel in verbs expiration in ed (Ward et al. ch 15 sec 4 par. 7). Examples of these manifested not except in the title (the interchange deliverd) but within the text itself a good deal(prenominal) as calld, filld, encreasd, and fatigud. Spelling excessively appe ared to be phonetically defective (Ward et al. ch 15 sec 3 par. 1) with linguistic process like perswasions, lyon, lye, and prophetick. Compounding of vocalizes were also used in the novel by examples of free-school, hand-maids, ground-tackle and fellow-slave.However, the change in the verbs as well as the defects in spell out was not applied to the good novel wh ich actualises us consider the reasons for such use. TOWARDS A PURITY IN STYLE Daniel Defoe, in his phonograph record An Essay upon Projects, emphasized that it was the responsibility of the society to gloss and refine the English tongue and to purge it from all the irregular additions that ignorance and affectation tolerate introduced as befitted the noblest and most comprehensive of all the vulgar languages in the homo (8).The spread of the English language was depicted in the novel when Robinson Crusoe teaches his servant Friday the English language. We whitethorn expose from an excerpt of their discourse below that although essentially Crusoe and Friday came to croak effectively with each other, Fridays English differs much from Crusoes parallel to their difference in posture and origin Friday, My Nation remonstrate much, for all that. Master, How beat if your Nation beat them, how come you to be slangn?Friday, They more many than my Nation in the fleck where me wa s they take one, two, three, and me my Nation over beat them in the yonder Place, where me no was there my Nation take one, two, great Thousand. Master, But why did not your expression recover you from the Hands of your Enemies then(prenominal)? Friday, They run one, two, three, and me, and make go in the Canoe my Nation have no Canoe that time. (Defoe, Robinson Crusoe 254) Much is the same event that brought about the variations and additions to the English language in which Defoe is clamoring for purity (An Essay upon Projects 8).Shoar and Shore. Aside from the defective spelling mentioned earlier is the variation in the spelling (Ward et al. ch 15 sec 3 par. 1). An example if this is the word border, spelled shore and shoar, in different context of the novel. It may be noted that shoar was only used in the position of Robinson Crusoes mishaps. That is to say, from the part of his captivity at Sallee until before his wreck on the island. These mishaps, Crusoe later reflected on, were results of his ignorance in the economy of God and malcontent thus the use of the spelling shoar.While his solitary life in the island draw the learning process he underwent to survive and lastly live harmoniously with his surroundings hence the renew use of the spelling shore. In this regard, one may interpret that the use of the word was intentional to show the need and difficulty in creating a ideal for the English language. viz. and (viz. ). The use of foreign language in novels is quite common throughout the ages. As such, we came to attention on the use of the Latin word viz. Oxford English Dictionary defines viz.as the abbreviation of videlicet which generally means videlicet or that is to say (1033). Although Defoe used viz. without parenthesis and viz. in parenthesis based on the same definition, its participation in the statement are quite different. The viz. without parenthesis was used in identifying and qualifying statements such as the All the roost of that Day I spent in afflicting my self at the dismal Circumstances I was brought to, viz. I had neither Food, House, Clothes, Weapon, or Place to cut down to (Robinson Crusoe 82). On the other hand, viz.in parenthesis, which appeared in lines like This was what I wishd for so I took them up, and servd them as we serve ill-famed Thieves in England, (viz. ) Hangd them in durance for a Terror to others (Robinson Crusoe 138), was used as such in order to explain earlier statement. The use of parenthesis to differentiate the use of the same word in the novel bring forward reflects Defoes avocation for refinement of the English language as mentioned previously. culture Indeed, regardless of the plot of the story which categorized it to fiction, the culture and language of the time is unmistakable.Robinson Crusoe, in its original version, allows us the indulgence to peek and appreciate not only the early modern English language but the period as well. The flexibility of the language then reflected the society of that time as it has always been for any period or era. At the same time, the novel provided additional venue for the author to disseminate his ideas and further his individual attempt towards the transition to the modern English language and insertions to the importance of learning across the spectrum of the society. such power language has to influence its readers, whether consciously or unconsciously.And the duality that the novel showed made it a favourite among children and adults alike. Fulfilling its objectives to entertain and propagate (however subtle it may be). working CitedDefoe, Daniel. An Essay Upon Projects. invigorated York Adamant Media Corporation, 2005. Print. . The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an uninhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all t he Men perished but himself.With an Account how he was at last as strangely deliverd by Pyrates. London printed for W. Taylor, 1719. Print. Oxford English Dictionary. New York Oxford University Press, 2005. Print. Ward, Aldolphus William, Sir, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York G. P. Putnams Sons, 1907-21 New York Bartleby. com, 2000 (Web) April 1, 2009.