Jessica Arnold
Elang 324
Cynthia Hallen
12-2-09
Ivanhoe and the English Language
Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe is a classic tale of romance, bravery, and adventure. However, on a deeper, more basic level, it is the story of a collision of cultures. The story is set in 12th century England, shortly after the Norman takeover of the continent. Throughout the entire book, the reader sees the collision caused by two different peoples that have been smashed together and forced to coexist: Normans and Saxons. Much of the struggle between these cultures takes place on the front of language. Cedric the Saxon refuses to accept the French tongue. Brian de Bois-Guilbert cannot stand English, which he considers less dignified. The interplay of these two cultures and two languages paints a vivid picture of a particularly influential time in the history of the English language. It shows how these tongues became not only a way to communicate, but also a part of the identity of the land and of the people. The text of Ivanhoe demonstrates this cultural and linguistic conflict through its characters, through discussions of words themselves, and even through contributing new words of its own to the developing English language.
Before Scott even begins his story, he gives us a background of the state of the language in England at the time of Ivanhoe. “In short,” he says, “French was the language of honour, of chivalry, and even of justice, while the far more manly and expressive Anglo-Saxon was abandoned to the use of rustics and hinds, who knew no other,” (Scott 31). He then begins his tale by introducing the characters Gurth and Wamba, who speak the “inferior” (34) language and serve the Saxon, Cedric of Rotherwood. Cedric is extremely proud of his Saxon heritage and is naturally the strongest proponent of the English language in the entire book. He is so devoted to his tongue that he even argues with his Norman templar guest, Brian de-Bois Guilbert about which language reigns supreme. “I can wind my horn, though I call not the blast either a recheat or a mort,” he says, showing that English is no less able a language than French. “I can flay and quarter the animal when it is brought down, without using the new-fangled jargon of curee, arbor, nombles, and all the babble of the fabulous Sir Tristrem” (65). In fact, Cedric is so opposed to French that he makes sure that his charge, the “Saxon princess” (115) Rowena, does not learn Norman French. Cedric takes care of, fights for and protects Rowena in very much the same way as he does the English language itself. When she is addressed in the tongue which she “possesses not the language in which to reply,” (Scott 116), Cedric answers for her. Cedric and Rowena are emblems of the pride in the English language that offered resistance to the influx of French after the Norman Conquest. They represent those who, at that time, defined themselves so much by their history, and thus their language, that they refused to accept another.
On the other side of the language spectrum, we find the templar, Brian de-Bois Guilbert, who believes that “[t]he French . . . is not only the natural language of the chase, but that of love and of war, in which ladies should be won and enemies defied,” (67). Guilbert, with all the pride of a warrior, a conqueror, believes that his language is supreme in all aspects of life. Even his name – de-Bois Guilbert – is thoroughly French. If Rowena and Cedric are representatives of English, Guilbert stands for the opposing language of the Norman conquerors. This naturally drives a wedge between the templar and Cedric, causing a large amount of mutual enmity throughout the story. Just as Guilbert literally leads the forces of the opposing army in the tournament against Wilfred, son of Cedric, he leads the fight for the French language throughout Ivanhoe. He typifies the language with his pride, his words, and his name just as Cedric’s stubbornness, strength, and earthiness symbolize English.
In Ivanhoe, Sir Walter Scott also deals with the battle between French and English terms that was occurring at the time. As he so artfully shows, there was some conflict between the use of the Norman terms and the Saxon. On occasion, there were French words whose meanings did not even exist in English. Cedric’s assertion that “I can wind my horn, though I call not the blast either a recheat or a mort” (65) is one example of this. He is referring to the fact that there are some things for which his language simply does not have some of the specific words that French possesses. However, English, as Cedric argues is perfectly capable of functioning without these frivolous extra words. He demonstrates his ability to circumvent the French words to humorous effect. One other particularly amusing instance of semantic collision between French and English in Ivanhoe comes from a conversation between Gurth and Wamba, Cedric’s servants, who share his dislike for the Norman tongue. Wamba says:
Nay, I can tell you more . . . there is old Alderman Ox continues to hold his Saxon epithet while he is under the charge of serfs and bondsmen such as thou, but becomes Beef, a fiery French gallant, when he arrives before the worshipful jaws that are destined to consume him. Mynherr Calf, too, becomes Monsieur de Veau in the like manner: he is Saxon when he requires tendance, and takes a Norman name when he becomes matter of enjoyment. (36)
Here, Wamba remarks on the fact that Saxon terms for animals only apply so long as the animals are alive and need tending. The French terms take over once the animal becomes a cut of meat. In this speech, we witness the inevitable merging of the two tongues – a fact that Cedric is doing his very best to fight. But, even though Cedric may be “displeased” that the speech of his Saxon friend contains “the Norman word melee,” (104), there is nothing that he can do to reverse the process. The futility of Cedric’s efforts is further shown by the fact that Ivanhoe was written long after the time in which it is set. William the Conqueror had already led the Norman invasion of England and his language, as Sir Walter Scott very well knew, had already scored a number of triumphs. Just the fact that Sir Walter Scott knew French terms shows that, in some form, they had been adopted and had survived. Ivanhoe does a marvelous job of showing the semantic battle over meanings that occurred between the French language and English, along with the slow and steady incursion of French terms into the general vocabulary of the people of England.
In addition to his in-depth illustration of the evolution of the English language, Sir Walter Scott also added to the language in his own way by inventing and using new words in Ivanhoe. Two words in particular are interesting to examine: freelance, and conditioning. It is almost surprising that Ivanhoe is the first source in which a word so seemingly modern as “freelance” is known to have appeared. Although Scott originally used the term in the context of “a type of military adventurer, typically of knightly rank, who offered his services to states or individuals for payment, or with a view to plunder” (“freelance” def. 1), the word has evolved today to be used in such common phrases as “freelance journalist” and “freelance professionals.” The meaning of the compound has changed. It is no longer the literal meaning of someone who sells their services in a military situation, or their “lance,” to anyone who wishes to employ them. Today we use “freelance” to describe anyone who is self-employed. This generalization of the meaning of the term has taking place over a long period of time, stretching from Sir Walter Scott’s day to our own. Although we no longer mean literal “lances” when we use the phrase, the term has stuck and evolved through various meanings and contexts.
“Conditioning” is another word that appeared first in Ivanhoe (“conditioning” def. 3) Originally, Sir Walter Scott used the word to describe something that was provided on a condition. In Ivanhoe, he uses it in the sentence, “That good grey gelding, whom I heartily wish upon his legs again, conditioning his master lay there houghed in his place” (421). In the history of “conditioning,” we see once again a situation in which the word has evolved, changed from its original meaning, but still remained in the language. Scott used the term in absolute sense – “conditioning” referred directly to the conditions that the word implied. However, the word today has evolved to a more abstract meaning, referring to the state of something or perhaps bringing something into a better or more preferable condition. Once again, though (like in the case of “freelance”) generalization has significantly changed the meaning of this word, Sir Walter Scott set this specific evolution in motion and through it added to the vocabulary of the English language.
Ivanhoe is more than simply a story of romance. It is a tale of two cultures and of two languages. Scott paints a careful picture of pride and of stubbornness as Cedric and Brian de-Bois Guilbert, proponents of English and French respectively, fight for their native tongues. At the same time, however, the reader sees that both sides must ultimately fail. Scott writes from the perspective and with the knowledge of a future English speaker. Even as he wrote this conflict, he knew that, in the end, the languages would come to a sort of compromise and combine into the English of his day. Scott shows this very carefully in Ivanhoe, pointing out the unstoppable influx of French terms into the language, but also the strength that would ensure the survival of English. In many passages in Ivanhoe, we see the war over meaning that occurred when new, French terms tried to assume meanings for which English words already existed, or at least adequately covered. In addition to showing the historical evolution of the language, Scott added to it himself, through introducing a few particularly viable new words and phrases into English vocabulary, some of which we still retain. The significance of Ivanhoe in the course of the development of the English language can hardly be overstated. Through showing and adding to the development of English, Sir Walter Scott made an impression that will not soon be forgotten.
Works Cited
"Conditioning." Def. 3. Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford English Dictionary Online. Oxford, 1989. Web. 24 Nov. 2009.
"Freelance." Def. 1. Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford English Dictionary Online. Oxford, June 2008. Web. 24 Nov. 2009.
Sir, Scott, Walter. Ivanhoe. New York: Signet Classic, 2001. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment