Pride and Prejudice: English in the 19th century
One particularly interesting feature of Jane Austen’s writing is the language she uses in her novels for dialogue as well as narration and explanation. The language of Jane Austen’s characters illustrates much more than just the story in which they are involved. Rather, it is a complex depiction of the English that Austen herself was using, as well as her family, friends, peers, and society as she saw it.
I will discuss aspects of the language used in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice, which was published in 1813. Pride and Prejudice includes wonderful examples of the language used by real people in the 19th century as well as insights into the lives of ordinary English citizens of the time. The language Austen uses in this novel can be seen as a slice – a snapshot – of the English that was used during her lifetime, granting us access to view a small portion of the history of the English language.
Pride and Prejudice tells the story of the five Bennet sisters, the daughters of a country gentleman living in Meryton, Hertfordshire, England at around the same time the novel was written. It specifically focuses on the affairs of Elizabeth Bennet, the second oldest Bennet daughter, and tells the story mainly from Elizabeth’s point of view. The Bennets are by no means part of high society or the upper class, but are also not poor or underprivileged. The novel deals with issues of love, education, marriage, moral appropriateness, etiquette, and pride; Mrs. Bennet has the utmost concern for the marital welfare of her daughters in an economically unstable world, while some of her daughters are more concerned with falling in love and the adventures they’ll have along the way. Elizabeth herself is a playful girl, though level-headed, who is considerably more socially aware than the rest of her family. Throughout the entire story – falling in love and being betrayed and experiencing scandals and having grand adventures – the language Austen uses gives great insight into the way English was used at the time.
Much of the language in Pride and Prejudice is a bit foreign to speakers of Modern, 21st century English. For the most part, (native) speakers of Present-Day English can decipher the meaning of Austen’s language, but strange vocabulary and phrases as well as irregular word order and sentence structure illustrate the somewhat dramatic changes that the English language has experienced in the past 200 years.
Vocabulary
For example, characters say “three-and-twenty” mean meaning twenty-three and “tomorrow fortnight” to mean two weeks from tomorrow (180). After a festive ball, the Bennet women return home to find Mr. Bennet peacefully reading a book. Austen describes him with this phrase: “With a book he was regardless of time,” meaning he had no worry or concern about the passing time (183). Here we see a slightly different use of the word “regardless;” in Present-Day English, “regardless” is usually used in reference to specific circumstances or situations, not a specific person (e.g. “Regardless of the classes you’re taking, you still need to get a job). However, Austen uses it to describe Mr. Bennet’s state of mind, which shows that the “regardless” in Present-Day English has probably undergone a bit of generalization.
Another word usage in Pride and Prejudice that differs from Present-Day English is found on page 273. After Lizzy has read a letter from Mr. Darcy detailing his side of several complicated events, she feels a “contrariety of emotions.” While the word “contrariety” is still a part of the English language (meaning something contrary or of opposite character; a contrary fact or statement), it is certainly not commonly used anymore. This is representative of vocabulary usage changes that have occurred since Jane Austen’s time.
Another usage example that is quite widespread in Pride and Prejudice is “shall” instead of “will.” This is most likely a difference between British and American English customs; in British English, “shall” is still commonly used. In Present-Day American English, “shall” is hardly ever used except in set phrases like “Shall we go?” while “will” is (almost) always to communicate the future tense. In Pride and Prejudice, however, “shall” is used in phrases like “I shall depend on hearing from you” and “That you certainly shall.” These differences could also embody changes in English in general, not just cultural differences. Yet another example of older vocabulary is the word “profligacy,” meaning reckless extravagance, which Austen uses to describe a particularly unlikable character’s behavior.
Phrases
Phrases and sayings are an integral part of the English language. Whether they be idioms or just convenient ways of getting a point across, common phrases are often representative of a language as a whole.
After Mrs. Bennet discovers that Mr. Bennet has already gone to visit Mr. Bingley, the new gentleman in town, she exclaims, “How good it was in you, my dear Mr. Bennet!,” instead of saying “How good it was of you,” or a similar phrase that would be used in Present-Day English (181).
When discussing the arrival of a strange new gentleman in town, Mrs. Bennet says “We are not in a way to know what Mr. Bingley likes…,” meaning that their family was not in a situation that would allow them to know Mr. Bingley personally [emphasis added]. This phrase is certainly not used frequently in Present-Day English – at least not in Standard American English – and is indicative of the changes that have occurred in the English language in the relatively short space of 200 years.
Word Order and Sentence Structure
Aside from the considerable differences in vocabulary usage and colloquial phrases, the word order and sentence structure used by Jane Austen are often markedly unlike those regularly used in Present-Day English.
When describing the preparation that was taking place before an important visitor arrived, Austen says “...already had Mrs. Bennet planned the courses that were to do credit to her housekeeping” (182). The more modern word order would instead place the adverb “already” next to the verb “planned” and the auxiliary verb “had” directly after the subject, creating instead “Mrs. Bennet had already planned...” This change in word order is the result of years and years of people simply speaking English; there was no specific point in time when it was decided this rule would change. Rather, word order often changes gradually as we have seen it change here.
Much of the language in Pride and Prejudice that is unfamiliar to speakers of Present-Day English would be considered much more formal English than modern speakers would normally use. For example, after Elizabeth reads Mr. Darcy’s detailed letter, she reflects: “How differently did everything now appear in which he was concerned!” (275). The inverted word order in this sentence is not altogether uncommon in Austen’s English, and while it is still very understandable English, most ordinary people speaking Present-Day English would never put those words together in that order.
The examples outlined here are just a few of the hundreds in Pride and Prejudice that all characterize the stage of English that Jane Austen used and loved. Although clearly intelligible to speakers of Present-Day English, it differs it significant ways and is key to understanding the history of the English language.
Phrases
Phrases and sayings are an integral part of the English language. Whether they be idioms or just convenient ways of getting a point across, common phrases are often representative of a language as a whole.
After Mrs. Bennet discovers that Mr. Bennet has already gone to visit Mr. Bingley, the new gentleman in town, she exclaims, “How good it was in you, my dear Mr. Bennet!,” instead of saying “How good it was of you,” or a similar phrase that would be used in Present-Day English (181).
When discussing the arrival of a strange new gentleman in town, Mrs. Bennet says “We are not in a way to know what Mr. Bingley likes…,” meaning that their family was not in a situation that would allow them to know Mr. Bingley personally [emphasis added]. This phrase is certainly not used frequently in Present-Day English – at least not in Standard American English – and is indicative of the changes that have occurred in the English language in the relatively short space of 200 years.
Word Order and Sentence Structure
Aside from the considerable differences in vocabulary usage and colloquial phrases, the word order and sentence structure used by Jane Austen are often markedly unlike those regularly used in Present-Day English.
When describing the preparation that was taking place before an important visitor arrived, Austen says “...already had Mrs. Bennet planned the courses that were to do credit to her housekeeping” (182). The more modern word order would instead place the adverb “already” next to the verb “planned” and the auxiliary verb “had” directly after the subject, creating instead “Mrs. Bennet had already planned...” This change in word order is the result of years and years of people simply speaking English; there was no specific point in time when it was decided this rule would change. Rather, word order often changes gradually as we have seen it change here.
Much of the language in Pride and Prejudice that is unfamiliar to speakers of Present-Day English would be considered much more formal English than modern speakers would normally use. For example, after Elizabeth reads Mr. Darcy’s detailed letter, she reflects: “How differently did everything now appear in which he was concerned!” (275). The inverted word order in this sentence is not altogether uncommon in Austen’s English, and while it is still very understandable English, most ordinary people speaking Present-Day English would never put those words together in that order.
The examples outlined here are just a few of the hundreds in Pride and Prejudice that all characterize the stage of English that Jane Austen used and loved. Although clearly intelligible to speakers of Present-Day English, it differs it significant ways and is key to understanding the history of the English language.
Works Cited:
Austen, Jane. Jane Austen: The Complete Novels. 1st. New York: Random House, 1981. Print.
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