Pub Talk and Kings English.docx

Pub Talk and Kings English.docx

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PubTalkandKingsEnglish

PubTalkandtheKing'sEnglish

HenryFairlie

1Conversationisthemostsociableofallhumanactivities.Anditisanactivityonlyofhumans.Howeverintricatethewaysinwhichanimalscommunicatewitheachother,theydonotindulgeinanythingthatdeservesthenameofconversation.

　　2Thecharmofconversationisthatitdoesnotreallystartfromanywhere,andnoonehasanyideawhereitwillgoasitmeandersorleapsandsparklesorjustglows.Theenemyofgoodconversationisthepersonwhohas"somethingtosay."Conversationisnotformakingapoint.Argumentmayoftenbeapartofit,butthepurposeoftheargumentisnottoconvince.Thereisnowinninginconversation.Infact,thebestconversationalistsarethosewhoarepreparedtolose.Suddenlytheyseethemomentforoneoftheirbestanecdotes,butinaflashtheconversationhasmovedonandtheopportunityislost.Theyarereadytoletitgo.

　　3Perhapsitisbecauseofmyup-bringinginEnglishpubsthatIthinkbarconversationhasacharmofitsown.Barfriendsarenotdeeplyinvolvedineachother'slives.Theyarecompanions,notintimates.Thefactthattheirmarriagesmaybeontherooks,orthattheirloveaffairshavebeenbrokenoreventhattheygotoutofbedonthewrongsideissimplynotaconcern.TheyarelikethemusketeersofDumaswho,althoughtheylivedsidebysidewitheachother,didnotdelveinto,eachother'slivesortherecessesoftheirthoughtsandfeelings.

　　4Itwasonsuchanoccasiontheotherevening,astheconversationmoveddesultorilyhereandthere,fromthemostcommonplacetothoughtsofJupiter,withoutanyfocusandwithnoneedforone,thatsuddenlythealchemyofconversationtookplace,andallatoncetherewasafocus.Idonotrememberwhatmadeoneofourcompanionssayit--sheclearlyhadnotcomeintothebartosayit,itwasnotsomethingthatwaspressingonhermind--butherremarkfellquitenaturallyintothetalk.

　　5"SomeonetoldmetheOtherdaythatthephrase,'theKing'sEnglish'wasatermofcriticism,thatitmeanslanguagewhichoneshouldnotproperlyuse."

　　6Theglowoftheconversationburstintoflames.Therewereaffirmationsandprotestsanddenials,andofcoursethepromise,madeinallsuchconversation,thatwewouldlookituponthemorning.Thatwouldsettleit;butconversationdoesnotneedtobesettled;itcouldstillgoignorantlyon.

　　7ItwasanAustralianwhohadgivenhersuchadefinitionof"theKing'sEnglish,"whichproducedsomerathertartremarksaboutwhatonecouldexpectfromthedescendantsofconvicts.WehadtraveledinfiveminutestoAustralia.Ofcourse,therewouldberesistancetotheKing'sEnglishinsuchasociety.Thereisalwaysresistanceinthelowerclassestoanyattemptbyanupperclasstolaydownrulesfor"Englishasitshouldbespoken."

　　8LookatthelanguagebarrierbetweentheSaxonchurlsandtheirNormanconquerors.TheconversationhadswungfromAustralianconvictsofthe19thcenturytotheEnglishpeasantsofthe12thcentury.Whowasright,whowaswrong,didnotmatter.Theconversationwasonwings.

　　9Someonetookoneofthebest-knownofexamples,whichisstillalwaysworththereconsidering.WhenwetalkofmeatonourtablesweuseFrenchwords;whenwespeakoftheanimalsfromwhichthemeatcomesweuseAnglo-Saxonwords.Itisapiginitssty;itispork（porc）onthetable.Theyarecattleinthefields,butwesitdowntobeef（boeuf）.Chickensbecomepoultry（poulet）,andacalfbecomesveal（veau）.EvenifourmenuswerenotwirtteninFrenchoutofsnobbery,theEnglishweusedinthemwouldstillbeNormanEnglish.WhatallthistellsusisofadeepclassriftinthecultureofEnglandaftertheNormanconquest.

　　10TheSaxonpeasantswhotilledthelandandrearedtheanimalscouldnotaffordthemeat,whichwenttoNormantables.Thepeasantswereallowedtoeattherabbitsthatscamperedovertheirfieldsand,sincethatmeatwascheap,theNormanlordsofcourseturneduptheirnosesatit.Sorabbitisstillrabbitonourtables,andnotchangedintosomerenderingoflapin.

　　11Aswelistentodaytotheargumentsaboutbilingualeducation,weoughttothinkourselvesbackintotheshoesoftheSaxonpeasant.ThenewrulingclasshadbuiltaculturalbarrieragainsthimbybuildingtheirFrenchagainsthisownlanguage.TheremusthavebeenagreatdealofculturalhumiliationfeltbytheEnglishwhentheyrevoltedunderSaxonleaderslikeHerewardtheWake."TheKing'sEnglish"--ifthetermhadexistedthen--hadbecomeFrench.AndhereinAmericanow,900yearslater,wearestilltheheirstoit.

　　12Sothenextmorning,theconversationover,onelookeditup.Thephrasecameintousesometimeinthe16thcentury."Queen'sEnglish"isfoundinNash's"StrangeNewesoftheInterceptingCertaineLetters"in1593,andin1602,Dekkerwroteofsomeone,"thouclipsttheKinge'sEnglish."IsthephraseinShakespeare?

Thatwouldbetheconfirmationthatitwasingeneraluse.Heusesitonce,whenMistressQuicklyin"TheMerryWivesofWindsor"saysofhermastercominghomeinarage,"...herewillbeanoldabusingofGod'spatienceandtheKing'sEnglish,"anditringstrue.

　　13Onecouldhaveexpectedthatitwouldbeaboutthenthatthephrasewouldbecoined.Afterfivecenturiesofgrowth,o1ftusslingwiththeFrenchoftheNormansandtheAngevinsandthePlantagenetsandatlastabsorbingit,theconqueredintheendconqueringtheconqueror.Englishhadcomeroyallyintoitsown.

　　14TherewasaKing's（orQueen's）Englishtobeproudof.TheElizabethansblewonitasonadandelionclock,anditsseedsmultiplied,andfloatedtotheendsoftheearth."TheKing'sEnglish"wasnolongeraformofwhatwouldnowberegardedasracialdiscrimination.

　　15YettherehadbeensomethingintheremarkoftheAustralian.Thephrasehasalwaysbeenusedalittlepejorativelyandevenfacetiouslybythelowerclasses.OnefeelsthatevenMistressQuickly--aservant--issayingthatDr.Caius--hermaster--willlosehiscontrolandspeakwiththevigorofordinaryfolk.IftheKing'sEnglishis"Englishasitshouldbespoken,"theclaimisoftenmockedbytheunderlings,whentheysaywithajeer"Englishasitshouldbespoke."Therebellionagainstaculturaldominanceisstillthere.

　　16Thereisalwaysagreatdanger,asCarlyleputit,that"wordswillhardenintothingsforus."Wordsarenotthemselvesareality,butonlyrepresentationsofit,andtheKing'sEnglish,liketheAnglo-FrenchoftheNormans,isaclassrepresentationofreality.Perhapsitisworthtryingtospeakit,butitshouldnotbelaiddownasanedict,andmadeimmunetochangefrombelow.

　　17Ihaveanunendingloveaffairwithdictionaries-Audenoncesaidthatallawriterneedsisapen,plentyofpaperand"thebestdictionarieshecanafford"--butIagreewiththepersonwhosaidthatdictionariesareinstrumentsofcommonsense.TheKing'sEnglishisamodel—arichandinstructiveone--butitoughtnottobeanultimatum.

　　18Sowemayreturntomybeginning.Evenwiththemosteducatedandthemostliterate,theKing'sEnglishslipsandslidesinconversation.Thereisnoworseconversationalistthantheonewhopunctuateshiswordsashespeaksasifhewerewriting,orevenwhotriestousewordsasifhewerecomposingapieceofproseforprint.WhenE.M.Forsterwritesof"thesinistercorridorofourage,"wesitupatthevividnessofthephrase,theforceandeventerrorintheimage.ButifE.M.Forstersatinourlivingroomandsaid,"Weareallfollowingeachotherdownthesinistercorridorofourage,"wewouldbejustifiedinaskinghimtoleave.

　　19Greatauthorsareconstantlybeingaskedbyfoolishpeopletotalkastheywrite.Otherpeoplemaycelebratetheloftyconversationsinwhichthegreatmindsaresupposedtohaveindulgedinthegreatsalonsof18thcenturyParis,butonesuspectsthatthegreatmindsweregossipingandjudgingthequalityofthefoodandthewine.Henault,thenthegreatpresidentoftheFirstChamberoftheParisParlement,complainedbitterlyofthe"terriblesauces"atthesalonsofMme.Deffand,andwentontoobservethattheonlydifferencebetweenhercookandthesupremechef,Brinvilliers,layintheirintentions.

　　20Theoneplacenottohavedictionariesisinasittingroomoratadiningtable.Lookthethingupthenextmorning,butnotinthemiddleoftheconversation.Otherwiseonewillbindtheconversation,onewillnotletitflowfreelyhereandthere.Therewouldhavebeennoconversationtheothereveningifwehadbeenabletosettleatonethemeaningof"theKing'sEnglish."WewouldneverhaygonetoAustralia,orleapedbackintimetotheNormanConquest.

　　21Andtherewouldhavebeennothingtothinkaboutthenextmorning.Perhapsaboveall,onewouldnothavebeenengagedbyinterestinthemusketeerwhoraisedthesubject,wonderingmoreabouther.Thebotheraboutteachingchimpanzeeshowtotalkisthattheywillprobablytrytotalksenseandsoruinallconversation.

（fromTheWashingtonPost（华盛顿邮报）,May6,1979）

NOTES

1.Fairlie:

HenryFairlie（1924--）isacontributingeditortoTheNewRepublicaswellasacontributortootherjournals.Heisauthorof:

TheKennedyPromise;TheLifeofPolitics;andTheSpoiledChildoftheWesternWorld.2.TheWashingtonPost:

aninfluentialandhighlyrespectedU.S.newspaperwithanationaldistribution3.pub:

contractedfrom"publichouse";inGreatBritainahouselicensedforthesaleofalcoholicdrinks

4.musketeersofDumas:

characterscreatedbytheFrenchnovelist,AlexandreDumas（1802--1870）inhisnovelTheThreeMusketeers

5.Jupiter:

re