An essay on ”Cachau Bant: Mind Your Language”
For many years the English Empire ruled the world, which is why the English language is spread all around the world today. This has meant that more countries have lost their native language over time. They did not only lose the country’s language but also a part of their culture. For example did Wales lose their language in favour of the English, which the article Cachau Bant: Mind Your Language from 2013 by the freelance writer and journalist Tom Law, deals with.
The article originally appeared on the website Sabotage Times, an online magazine that is meant to create public debate. In the article, Tom Law is very critical of the way in which English has eradicated many languages and he refers to England in a very condescending tone with hatred and contempt. As an example it is seen on page 2: “It was done by England and it continues to tear the country apart, affecting every aspect of Welsh life.” (p. 2, ll. 74-76) Here are the Englishmen interpreted as tyrants because they, in Law’s optic, tore the country apart. Tom Law is from Wales, which can be an explaining factor for his anger about the distribution of the English language. The intention by writing this article is to draw attention to native languages as Welsh and to create a debate that can make a change.
In the article, Law tries to put another perspective on the matter by making up a fictional scenario, where everybody speaks German instead of English. In the example he tells about the class differences between those who speak German and those who speak English only and also about how annoying it is to a German speaker to hear “…people drone on about their language.”(p. 2, ll. 60-61) Law invents the scenario so that the English can put themselves in his and other Welsh people’s place and understand his views as a Welsh citizen.
Additionally he explains the unfairness of the situation from a historical aspect and how it all started. The English began to fear the Welsh people, because they started to stand up for their rights, Law claims: “The country in the 19th century was viewed by the English as being a dangerous and lawless land – Wild Wales. It was a fear fuelled by the growth of Welsh working class radicalism;” (p. 3, ll. 164-168). The quote puts the English in a bad position as if they wanted to stop the growth of Wales and it puts the Welshmen in a reasonable position and gives a positive view of a people who wants to fight for their culture and justice. England saw the Welsh population as “wild and barbaric people” (p. 3, ll. 176-177) and as the solution to the problem, England felt that they had to make sure that Welsh was eradicated. The eradication caused nothing good for the Welsh people but in contrast, according to Law, inferiority and shame about their language.
Law’s way of writing about the falling use and interest of native language is an often used method in the field of journalism, namely by using sarcasm and irony. The sarcasm and irony is seen several places in the article, for example when Law writes: “English is a dominant language… It’s a source of national pride – a gift to the planet. It helped to civilise the fuzzy wuzzies and spread culture and joy throughout distant lands.” (p. 1, ll. 6-11) It is very clear by Law’s argumentation that he does not think that English is a gift to the planet, and not a qualified way to spread culture and joy. Beyond the use of sarcasm, Law has used the appeals logos and pathos to substantiate his argumentation and his opinions. Logos is used in several places in the article, for example in this part: “Because back in the 1840s, around 80 percent of people living in Wales were Welsh speakers, many of them spoke no English at all. Fast forward to the recent 2011 census and that number has dropped to below 20 percent.” (p. 2, ll. 77-82) By using logos he appeals to the receiver’s rationality through facts and statistics. Furthermore the article is flooded with the use of pathos, which appeals to the feelings of belonging. A good quote to show the use of pathos is this: “The Welsh language has declined so rapidly because the English placed a pillow over its face and smothered it. It has taken around 150 years to complete, there have been occasional bouts of kicking and thrashing against, but it’s pretty much job done.” (p. 2, ll. 120-126) The quote emphasizes the Welsh feelings and it is loaded with negative words to sympathize with the Welsh population.
The aforementioned quote also portrays the use of imagery in the article very well. The English did not literally put a pillow over someone’s head but it creates a terrible picture inside the reader’s head and in this case it makes the reader sympathy with the Welsh people.
The tone of the article seems to be rather formal because of the many long and well-structured sentences, which typically are a sign of a more formal style of writing, but due to the use of everyday-terms as bollocks and give a toss it also have a hint of informal, colloquial language. In addition, Tom Law uses rhetorical questions through the article. For example in the introductory paragraph: “How would you feel if you were made to speak German?” The rhetorical questions are used to make the reader stop up and really consider the respective matter. Another technique that Law uses is repeating some of the sentences. An example of this is his reference to “the local fish and chip shop” which is mentioned on page one in one context but also on page two in another context. The effect by repeating a sentence in a text is among others that the reader gets even more attentive on what the writer wants to express.
English is a language spoken in many parts of the world and it is one of the most widely used languages, but during the dissemination of languages, have some lost their language for the benefit of English. To Tom Law and certainly also many others it is a lost piece of their culture and their national legacy when England “stole” their language. To make the future bright for everyone the world needs more people as Tom Law to protect, preserve and maintain the cultural heritages.