Amerikaanse Taalbeweging: Verskil tussen weergawes

: ''"As an independent nation our honor requires us to have a system of our own, in language as well as government. Great Britain, whose children we are, and whose language we speak, should no longer be our standard, for the taste of her writers is already corrupted, and her language on the decline. But if it where not so, she is at too great a distance to be our model, and to instruct us in the principles of our own tongue...Several circumstances render a future separation of the American tongue from the English necessary and unavoidable.. Numerous local causes, such as a new country, new associations of people, new combinations of ideas in arts and sciences, and some intercourse with tribes wholly unknown in Europe, will introduce new words into the American tongue. These causes will produce, in a course of time, a language in North America as different from the future language of England as the modern Dutch, Danish and Swedish are from German... We have therefore the fairest opportunity of establishing a national language and of giving it uniformity and perspicuity, in North America, that ever presented itself to mankind. Now is the time to begin the plan"''.<ref> H.L. Mencken: The American Language: An inquiry into the development of English in the United States. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965, bl. 10.</ref>

 

Die ''Harper's Magazine'' van Mei [[1920]] skryf: "''Americans who try to write like Englishmen are not only committed to unnatural pose, but doomed as well to failure, above all among the English,... Let us sign a Declaration of Literary Independence and formally begin to write, not British, but Unitedstatish. For there is such a language, a brilliant, growing, glowing, vivacious, elastic language for which we have no specific name...Whatever we call it, let us cease to consider it a vulgar dialect of English, to be used only with deprecation. Let us study it in its splendid efflorescence, be proud of it, and true to it. Let us put off livery, cease to be the butlers of another people's language, and try to be the masters and the creators of our own''".<ref> H.L. Mencken: The American Language: An inquiry into the development of English in the United States. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965, bl. 77.</ref>

Nie alle Amerikaners was ten gunste van 'n spellingsverandering nie. Baie Amerikaners het selfs gevoel dat hulle 'n beter Engels praat as die Britte, maar dan het ook vele gevoel dat daar twee tale gepraat word, en omdat dit te moeilik sou wees om korrekte Engels aan te leer sou dit beter wees om die geskrewe taal by die gesproke taal aan te pas. Hierdie opbloeiende taalpatriotisme het 'n hoogtepunt bereik gedurende [[1923]], toe daar in 'n aantal Amerikaanse state gepoog is om, 'Amerikaans' die amptelike taal van die staat te maak. Die bekendste pogings was die in [[Illinois]], [[North Dakota]] en [[Minnesota]], alhoewel die term ''Amerikaans'' nog ongedefinieerd was.

 

Jay McCormick, 'n republikein en lid van die Huis van Afgevaardigdes, het 'n wetsontwerp by die Amerikaanse kongres ingedien, wat egter nie aanvaar is nie. Sy voorstel het soos volg gelui:<ref> H.L. Mencken: The American Language: An inquiry into the development of English in the United States. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965, bl. 82.</ref>

 

Die doel van die Amerikaanse Beweging was om eers amptelike goedkeuring vir hul nuwe taal te verwerf, en daarna norme vir die taal te ontwikkel.

 

Daar is heelwat leenwoorde, asook eie skeppinge, wat hul weg in die 'Amerikaanse taal' gevind het. John Russel Barlett se "Glossary of words and Phrases Usually Regarded as Peculiar to the United States" vermeld ongeveer 3,725 terme in [[1848]], Maximilien Scele de Vere se "Americanisms" vermeld ongeveer 4,000 in [[1872]], John S. Farmer se "Americanisms Old and New" vermeld ongeveer 5,000 terme in [[1889]], Sylva Clapin se "New Dictionary of Americanisms" vermeld ongeveer 5,250 terme in [[1902]], en R.H. Thornton se American Glossary" vermeld ongeveer 3,700 terme in [[1912]].<ref> H.L. Mencken: The American Language: An inquiry into the development of English in the United States. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965, bl. 36.</ref>

 

Die talle ontlenings wat in die Amerikaanse taal opgeneem is, is baie meer as waarmee Afrikaans pronk. Die tale wat 'Amerikaans' help vorm het, was die volgende: [[Duits]], [[Nederlands]], [[Sweeds]], Deens-Noorweegs, [[Yslands]], [[Jiddisj]], [[Frans]], [[Italiaans]], [[Spaans]], [[Portugees]], [[Roemeens]], [[Tsjeggies]], [[Slowaaks]], [[Russies]], [[Oekraïens]], [[Serwo-Kroaties]], [[Lets]], [[Poolster|Pools]], [[Fins]], [[Hongaars]], [[Gaelies]], [[Arabies]], [[Grieks]], [[Chinees]], [[Japannees]], [[Armeens]], [[Hawais]] en ten slotte Sigeuners.<ref> H.L. Mencken: The American Language: An inquiry into the development of English in the United States. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965, bl. 617-697.</ref>

 

Daar was in Amerika 'n hele aantal persone wat voorstelle gemaak het vir 'n eie Amerikaanse spelling. Hierdie voorstelle is voorgelê aan die 'Independent Federal Language' vir oorweging.<ref> H.L. Mencken: The American Language: An inquiry into the development of English in the United States. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965, bl. 379-415.</ref> Die bekende Benjamin Franklin het in [[1768]] sy voorstel gepubliseer in "A Scheme for a New Alphabet and a Reform Mode of Spelling." Hy wou onder andere ses nuwe letters tot die alfabet toevoeg en die c, w, y en j uit die alfabet skrap. [[Noah Webster]], wat uiteindelik daarin sou slaag om 'n breuk tussen 'n Amerikaanse en 'n Engelse ortografie te bewerkstellig, het in [[1789]] voorgestel dat alle 'silent letters' moes wegval, en dat die spreektaal ook die skryftaal moes word. Dus ''bread, head, give, breast, built, meant, realm, friend'', moes gespel word as ''bred, hed, giv, brest, bilt, ment, relm, frend''. En die woorde ''mean, near, speak, grieve, zeal'' sou verander na ''meen, neer, speek, greev, zeel''. Ook ''laf'' i.p.v ''laugh'', ''dawter'' i.p.v ''daughter'', ''tuf'' i.p.v ''tough'', ''blud'' i.p.v ''blood'', ensovoorts.

 

Die Amerikaanse Beweging het as voorbeeld gedien vir die [[Afrikaanse Beweging]]. Die Amerikaanse Beweging was egter uiteindelik onsuksesvol en het die beweging na [[1925]] 'n langsame dood gesterf. Die Amerikaanse elite was gekant teen die koms van 'n eie inheemse Amerikaanse kultuurtaal.

 

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