The text that was used in this blog post comes from the second act, fourth scene, lines 175-195 of the play Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare. In this part of the scene Romeo is speaking to the nurse in order to deliver a message to Juliet saying that if she goes to Friar Lawrence that afternoon they will be married.
This particular passage of Romeo and Juliet can be found to be difficult for the layman to read and understand as it is ripe with outdated words and those that have changed meaning since they were first penned. The second learning outcome is exquisitely displayed in this passage as it demonstrates how language can change so drastically over time. The second learning outcome is unique in the fact that it is a constant in languages all over the world. Change comes from the use and lack thereof of in the day to day language. A prime example comes from the 179th line. “What wilt thou tell her, Nurse? Thou dost not mark me.” This quote uses words such as thou and dost that are no longer used in the modern day to day language. While widely used in their time period the words have changed to “you” and “does” respectively. Another example of how the English language from the time of Shakespeare to the present is in the 195th line of the scene when Romeo says “Farewell. Be trusty, and I’ll quit thy pains.” This sentence would not make perfect sense today as the word “quit” has changed meanings. Today it means to stop or give up on something, while in Shakespeare’s day it was meant in this instance “to reward”. The words may change with spelling, pronunciation and meaning, but the one constant in the equation is that languages are malleable and forever changing. This is the basis of the second learning outcome where in this passage of Romeo and Juliet it is easily visible.
Word Count:266
Romeo and Juliet is an excellent source to refer to when demonstrating language changes that evolve over time. The point that ‘languages are malleable and forever changing’ is key to this analysis and is validated through various examples from the text.
ReplyDeleteDaniel brings to light the fact that language can change in more ways than one. It does not only change a few words or a certain part of a language, but usually the whole of the language itself. This, as he writes, includes spelling, pronunciation, and meaning. For example, Shakespeare’s use of ‘dost’ and ‘thou’ are models of how spelling and pronunciation change over time, but with the retention of the original meaning. Additionally, the example of the change in meaning of ‘quit’ from stopping or giving up to the previous definition of rewarding illustrates how words can change definition without spelling or pronunciation. These examples and points very accurately describe the third learning outcome.
-Melissa Kahl