My partner is a great blog reader and is constantly sending me links to amazing articles. When I came across this article, it inspired me to write my first blog entry. The article argues that textbooks for Germanic languages learners should not be written using English but rather a modified English called Anglish. This suggests that if English is more similar to other Germanic languages, then we will be able to better understand them.
What then is Anglish? If you have clicked the link before, you might now realize that Anglish can be described as English with no influence from other languages. Think about what English would sound like if it weren’t for the Latin (and Greek!) word-stock acquired through Christianity’s introduction and the Norman Invasion. This is what Anglish looks like.
The author of this blog claims that textbooks with Anglish in the facilitation text would be better. English speakers would have a learning advantage due to the large number of Germanic words, which the author claims English learners once enjoyed. The learner would first be taught Anglish, and then introduced to the target Germanic languages through Anglish explanations.
I had to go through several stages of reactions when it came time for me to accept the proposal. My initial reaction was, “Gee! You want to learn German, but now you need to learn this second type of English?” Why would you do that? It would be too overwhelming for most language learners.” In my experience as a teacher, I believe it is best to avoid translating, at least for intermediate or advanced students. It is not a good idea to base a learning foundation entirely on a system that uses translation. After rereading the article and moving past my initial reaction, I decided that historical linguistics was something I enjoyed. I could see Anglish as a great tool to study language history, and perhaps facilitate learning a new language.
After spending a day thinking about Anglish as well as doing some research, it doesn’t seem like a very useful strategy for bridging the gap for English-speaking learners of Germanic languages. However, I think it could be an entertaining unit or lesson that illustrates the relationship of the two languages. It could also inspire students learning more about historical and cultural linguistics, and how languages change over the years.
