Customer Reviews

The Prodigal Tongue: Dispatches from the Future of English

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One might say that the English language is like a weed...it roots itself and takes over. "The Prodigal Tongue", Mark Abley's terrific new book, investigates where English stands today, through a multi-cultured and societal approach. It's a revealing portrait.

Abley looks at the spread of English around the globe...Singapore, Japan, etc., and includes the Americas where black and Latino influences loom large. It's not so much language diversity that the author seems intrigued by, but the fractured nature of it. He mentions a fact that often Quebec films have French subtitles (Swiss audiences have long had German subtitles, too) which might suggest that not long in the future this may be a standard feature in America, given the changing nature of English in our own backyard.

Perhaps the most dynamic section of "The Prodigal Tongue" has to do with cybertalk. There is certainly a generational split as the typed word has taken on its own meaning, far from the understanding of most of us, who happen to be around the author's age, as am I. This is a highly recommended book, especially for Abley's breadth of inquiry and suppositions of how new words and phrases will continue to propagate.

Mark Abley reports on the transformation and use of English, but by the time the reader reaches the end of the book he will be left wondering what English is. he will most certainly, doubt whether there is such a thing as "Standard English" anymore. Right in the first chapter he introduces us to a group of young school children who uses words that they know and the adults don't - and most of those words are not in any dictionary. That sets the tone for the rest of the book. 30 to 40 years ago guardians of "Standard English" and "BBC English" were a strong, stern army protecting the language of the Empire. They are now dispersed and fighting a losing battle against Japlish, Singlish, Manglish and even English itself. He quotes a British teacher in Singapore, "We spend most of our time trying to teach standard British grammar to people who never use standard British grammar outside the classroom."

With the connection of the internet, Mongolians are chatting with Jamaicans and Japanese in English - or what appears to be English. The continued spread and transformation in the use of English indicates that eventually, "English" may just be a synonym for "Earthlish" and the last English grammarian with have found peace in the grave. "The Prodigal Tongue" is a well-researched, well-written, but depressing book to those who think that they can convert the world to speaking good English. It does not seem like the world is receptive to their efforts. The point left to be pondered (Abley is neutral) is, is that a bad thing? The language is spoken by and for the generation that uses it. I must confess that nostalgia for "BBC English" drives me to tears; partly because even the BBC does not speak BBC English anymore.