Has proper English pronunciation become 'bastardized' in the South and other areas over the ages?

Answer 1

English is one of the most flexible languages on earth, and its position as an international language is strong evidence of that. Because of this flexibility (English is no longer inflected, as it was in centuries past) and the ease with which it takes on words and meanings from other languages, English changes and grows as does any other living thing. Of course, our tendency is to think of England as the birthplace of our language, and indeed it is. But there really is no such thing as "Proper" English, especially in the sense of pronunciation. There is "standard" English, and even then we would have to say that there are "standard Englishes", and not just one. The truth is that even Elizabeth II herself has changed her accent over the years, as evidenced by the many clips and newsreels we can study over the course of her reign. British English is standard English, and US English is a standard English as well. And "proper" English is pronounced the way any group of local speakers pronounces it. When in situations where you must communicate with others from different parts of the US or the world, there are conventional vocabularies and structures that can guide you in the use of "standard English" that should be to everyone's satisfaction. Some theorists consider English to be a "creole language", or "creolized language" based on Danish (arguably the 'mother' of English) and other languages like French, German, Latin, and Frisian. I like this idea. It highlights the perfectly lively nature of our language. English does change, as it naturally will, and there is now a recognized language, Gullah, based on English, and which is native to North America (South Carolina-- see link). There are no "bastardized" accents among people who speak a common language. There are many Englishes. We have a general understanding of what is meant by "Old English" when we hear that term, but it can mean much more than early forms of English in a bygone era. We can contrast several contemporary 'Old Englishes' with as many 'New Englishes' being spoken all over the globe. Basically, If you speak an English that was passed down to you by your caregivers who also spoke English as their native tongue, you speak 'Old English'... even if you are a hearty twenty five. People who are speaking English as a second language, or who can trace their English-learning histories back to people who learned English as a second language, are speaking 'New English'. I can only express a truth here, which I believe is all but universal, even if it keenly embarrasses me to do so. From time to time I weaken, and these concepts of proper, old and new Englishes anger me a little, and threaten me. But when I realize that I am but a moment in the very long life of our brilliant, puissant tongue, I conclude: "Isn't it just like this Titan English to stretch and rise beyond anyone's attempts to hold it back?"