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NB: even though the English language is a fact in IB, its nature is currently under discussion. The following are the present proposals. I have indented the articles that at present meet with general approval. Comments are welcome regarding the remaining proposals. I have indented all the articles that meet with general approval. The remaining ones should still be commented on as they require resolution. Elemtilas

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Basis 3 Spelling Conventions 4 Grammar 5 Vocabulary 6 Example Texts 7 NOTES

Introduction

There have been a couple of (competing) proposals regarding the English language in IB that have not been fully integrated and resolved. Most of the differences have been grammatical in nature. I am combining the proposals and noting any difference of opinion.

Basis

1a. *Here's* Standard English was based on the London and East Midlands dialects. I propose keeping the same *there* (while other dialects would still be more evident *there*- not just confined to what we now call "accents").

1b. The basis of *here*'s English is the London dialect. *There*, there exists a three-point axis: London, Yorich and Edinbro. This would represent both Modern English and Modern Scots with a middle-ground as well. Obviously, London would have considerable prestige, but the other standards might have taken on roles of literature or science (remember, it's the Scots that invented all the cool things the Enlgish put to use in building their Empire!).

Spelling Conventions

2a. Final [k] is regularly spelled ck, aside from more recent French loans in -ique. E.g. musick, apologetique.
This item is being weakly contested: A third proposal calls for all final [k] to be spelled -que.
I don't much care for all final [k] being spelled like in French. This would involve words like roque, bloque, smoque, schmuque, brooque, etc. Yuque! I don't mind some French loans being spelled with -ique, though, I really can't see all being spelled that way.

2b. Final [S@n] from Latin/Romance tion/cion is regularised to cion (the opposite direction to *here*). E.g. emocion, nocion, evolucion, facion.
Query: What about words in xion (flexion or fleccion) and sion (succession or succescion or succecion)?

2c. Likewise, -ize remains so, not -ise

2d. Under influence from Brithenig, -gh- was spelled -ch- in many cases. In modern useage some words still retain this spelling, e.g. nicht, knicht, *but* nigh, sigh (not nich, sich).

2e. [EI], spelled ai is changed to ey, e.g. eytch "aitch". I would not mind this at all if medial [EI] is spelled ei. Thus, "þe meiden mey sey what she will..." etc.

2f. [sk] is spelled as either sk or sc, not sch, which is used for some words beginning in [S].

2g. Latinization of spellings was not as popular, thus: "iland", "doute", "scoole", "viteyle", "autour". Thus the pronunciation of some words is affected: "teatre", "anteme", not the pretentious "theatre" or "anthem".

2h. On the other hand, words borrowed directly from Latin or Greek tended to retain their diphthongs: "encyclopaedia", "oestrogen", "praefect". In other words, what has long been the case in Britain!

2i. <-er> is <-re>, apart from in the comparative of adjectives. Much as is the case in Britain *here*.

2j. Thorn and edh are realised differently among the different standards. Word intially, they are spelled Th/th in Edinbro; TH/y in Yorich; TH/þ/th in London. Medially, they are spelled with a "th" digraph. Only initially and sometimes finally do we find the letter "þ". Like *here*, there is no spelling distinction between [T] and [D].
This is being weakly contested: initial and final [T] are spelled with a wye; medial [T] is spelled with a D.
There is no historical precedence for spelling final [T/D] with a wye, though. This would tie up a useful letter, and forms like -y & -ly would require respelling. 2j is one of the first things discovered about IB English (QAA if not QSS). Since the letter thorn, þ, survives into Modern English in IB, I suspect that *here*'s convention of "y" for initial "þ" will not exist; or if it does, it will be because the printer ran out of þ blocks!

2k. [hw] is realised as Quh/quh in Edinbro and WH/wh in Yorich and London.

2l. Common nouns are (frequently) capitalised, especially in higher registers a la German. There is precendence in English, but the practice died out in the 18th century, in the US at least.

Grammar

3a. The neuter "it, it, its" is still "hit, him, his".

This is being weakly contested. Clarification: I think the H on "hit" should disappear as per *here*; I have no particular problem with "it, him, his" though! Stricken & withdrawn upon review.

3b. The northern <-s> never became the standard 3rd person ending, instead <-eth> was retained. (maybe??)
3c. The second person singular ending <st> became <s>.
These are being contested: The general non-past ending on all persons in all numbers in all weak verbs is -es. -en is the plural ending for strong verbs. Stricken & withdrawn in light of later discussion. There is a zero ending for preterite-presents (owe, dowe, can, man, may, etc) and most irregulars (will, nill, do, go). Be resists the levelling trend. Thus: I sings, thou sings, she sings, we sings, ye sings, they sings; I will, tha will, she will, we will, ye will, they will; I am, thou are, he is, we are, ye are, they are. Et r.

3d. <-s> is the posessive ending (invariable for number), not <-'s> or <-s'>. This is being weakly contested: I don't like this one. Surely there can be some distinction *there* between poss.sing/poss.pl/non-poss.pl.?

• Explanation: This was chosen to make IB English distinctive from *here* but not totally unrecognisable in shape. On the other hand, the proposals as they stand pretty much assure that English is pretty unrecognisable! ;) It reflects the state of Middle English -es/-es orthography and modern pronunciation where there is no distinction. There are some possibilities, however. The old possessive plurals in -e and -ene could be extended (especially in the South, where they were more prevalent). So you might have "He filled þe catte box with sand þe morning" -- rather like *here*, where we juxtapose two uninflected words where the one possesses the other. "A Winter day was neuer so lovely" etc. "Þe Welshen press have done their utmost to discredit þe new Prime Minister." Such would mark a levelling of sorts; perhaps an ending like -en could be regularised into certain sets of words but not the majority, which would have -es. There is also the "X his Y" / "X her Y" formula that shows up here and there in IB English. Of course, there are also various zero termination forms *there*: zero plurals (deer, fish); zero possessive (for Pete sake); etc. This was also one of the first things discovered about IB English.

3e. More irregular plurals were retained in the Standard, e.g. shoon "shoes", eyren "eggs". This article is OK, but such plurals as "shoon" might be markedly dialect in nature. Perhaps in stead of "eyren", the -r plural could survive (at least in dialect) with "eyer", "childer".

3f. Reflexive "me" is still more common than "myself", e.g. "I have gotten me a new etymologickal dictionary". NB: This is really the middle voice, rather than a reflexive pronoun. Note also that the verb heit (vij) retains its zero ending middle termination: I heit, tha heit, she heit / I hight, tha hight, she hight. When active, it has the usual endings: "he heits þem and þey comes to him".

3g. "gotten" remains the past participle of "get" in England (as it is in America).

3h. Fronting is still the most common form of questioning: "knows thou my name?", "does thou...." is seen as more marked.
3i. Likewise "I know not" is more common than "I don't know".
3j. "my/mine" and "thy/thine" are still found in complementary distribution before consonants and vowels: "my shoon" *but* "mine oxen".
These are being weakly contested: These sound vèry stilted. I suggest that they are found in higher registers of the written language (good literature, etc.) rather than in everyday speech and writing.

3k. There is an orthographic differentiation between -ng (gerund) and -nd (participle). Both are almost certainly realised as [n] in speech, like *here*.

3l. The second person singular pronoun is tha / thee; the plural is ye / you (youse is found regularly in Edinbro for all numbers and cases). Other dialects may show some variation as well.

3m. There was until very recently (perhaps 19th century) distinction of i (unaccented) / ich (accented). It is still found in dialect and the Bible; but has disappeared / is disappearing in standard dialect.

3n. A reduced form of them, "em" (<hem) exists. I.e., without a 'postrophe.
This is being contested: If hit/him is accepted, this "em" should become "hem".

3o. Plurals of weak nouns end in -es or -s and is generally pronounced /Es/.

3p. The Dutch usage of using accent marks for emphasis was borrowed. A proposal for which accents should be used: accent acute on all orthographic A [a & e]; accent acute on E [i], accent grave on E [E @]; accent acute on I [aj i], accent grave on I [I]; accent acute on O [o], acent grave on O [a C]; accent acute on U [ju u], accent grave on U [V]; accent acute on all vocalic Y (optional); accent marks only on first member of a diphthong.
This is being weakly contested: This one is certainly a stretch!

3q. Double adjectives + noun are split a la French, and the postposed adjective is inflected for number: "ye ancient Tongues Romaniques" = the ancient Romance tongues.
It has yet to be determined which register(s) this occurs in. I would suspect a higher register.

Vocabulary

4a. I propose throwing out all Irish, Gaelic or Welsh words (except those directly related to culture, e.g. ceilidh) and replacing them with Brithenig, Kerno, (Breathanach) and Scots equivalents.

The "no Scottish Gaelic" element is being contested: it is quite sensible that Welsh should be replaced (being nonexistent) and that Irish Gaelic be eliminated (v. little contact between languages) -- but Scottish Gaelic is in contact with English (through Scots at least) and should not be eliminated.

Thus, the words to be replaced: menhir, corgi, coracle, metheglin, galore, trews, brogue, pillion, bog, cairn, gull, glen, bard, crag, craggy, dolmen.

Kerno has maynsers, drewqy, korracks, methyckllens, co lewoer, treves / breics, calleys, pileyàn, mareiss / bucks, caràn, goueyledns, glans (bank, shore), bards, crags, craggow, tauwalmagans. I'm sure Brithenig can easily match the list, though they might have more of a Latin slant (fewer surviving Old Celtic forms).

4b. I would rather that English *there* nòt relegate its more elderly words to the rubbish heap. The English mathomhouse is powerful wondrous in its richness, opulence and its plutonian wealth. It is verily and truly said that English is the allermightiest in its potency and strength of lexis; it is lithe, nimble and graceful at every turn of phrase. Scalds have to scrape the scuppers of their native Scandinavian to scoop up their scant measures, while our bards have barely a brawl or a battle to best their poetic broth. Whatever is chosen, let's make sure English is every bit the wonder *there* it is *here*, if not more!

Example Texts

5a. Southron English (in the vicinity of London):

THe epistelles of Jesu Cryste and Abgare, Edesses Kinge.

chap. I Abgare, Edesses King, gretes Jesu Cryst, ye gode sauveour þat be at Jerusalem. THey telles me aboot hou þa heales fowk withouten either leechdom or ony herbes. THey telles me hou blind men becomes hale; hou lame men arises and wawkes; hou þa clenses lepres; hou þa castes oot deofles; hou þa gifes health to þem long sine sick; and hou þa raises ye dead; all þese thinges dumbstriken me so that i leves either þa bes God oot fra heovene, þat does these thinges, or either þa bes Goddes son. THus, i writes thee, axen that þa come hithres to cure my illness, for i am long sine sick. THey telles me that some Jews hates þee and that þey laughes at thee. My citee be sma, but clene, and big enough for us two.

chap II. King Abgare! it is gode for þee that þa leves on me, quha þa has neuer saghe. It is writ that þey þat seghes me ne leves not on me; and that þey þat ne saghe me neuer leues on me, and þey lives. As to that dele of þy letter axend me to gang thidres til Edesse, i maun tell þee: I swore a grete oath that i fulfill all my charges in this cuntrey, and then be num up to Him þat sent me hithre. Then, quhen i rises, i shall send þee oon of my appostles þat will hele þee and giue þee life, to þee and all those with þee.

chap III. This epistel was sent to Jesu Criste at Jerusalem by Abgar, Edesses Kinge, through his footman Ananias, axend oure Lhord to gang til Edesse.

Spencer þe Rover

THese word were composed by Spencer þe Rover
who travelled thro England and most parts of Wales
He had been so reduced, which caused great confusion
And þat was þe reason he went on þe roam

In Yorkshire, near Rotherham, he had been on his rambles
Being weary of traveling, he sat down to rest
At the foot of yon mountain þere flowes a clear fountain
With bread and cold water he himself did refreshe

It tasted more sweeter þan the gold he had wasted
More sweeter þan honey and gave more content
But þe þoughts of his children, lamentand and cryand
Brought tears to his eyn which made him lament

THe night fast approachand, to þe wood he resorted
With woodbine and ivy his bed for to make
THere he dreamt about sighing, lamenting and crying
Gang home to thy fambly and wandering forsake

Twas the fifth day of November, ich have a reason to remember
WHen first he arrived home to his fambly and wife
THey did stand quite astounded, surprised, dumbfounded
To see such a stranger once more in their sight

His children came around him with their prittle prattling stories
With their prittle prattling stories to drive care away
Now þey are united like birdes of one feather
Like bees in one hive contented they'll stay

And now he 's alivand in his cottage contented
With woodbine and roses growand all around the door
He 's as happy as þose þat have þousands of riches
Contented he'll stay and gang rambland no more.

(Traditional English Folksong)

5b. Dumnonian English - "Y Borders":

“Aas þa ben ta Mounta, boay? If þaasna ben ta Mounta, þaasna livet!”

NOTES

The texts are all written using Padraic's proposal. They will be updated once a final compromise / decision is reached.

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