Stephen Fry’s “Planet Word”: Episode 2 – Identity.

Due to a combination of language, semiotics and Stephen Fry’s narration, I’ve become slightly addicted to the series “Planet Word” and, feeling that it will help my understanding of the topics set to be covered in the Philosophical Encounters lecture series, will continue to write about the subjects Fry covers. The second episode, “Identity”, focuses on accents and dialects found all over the world. At the very start of the episode, we are introduced to British poet Ian McMillan who was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. McMillan shows us the extremely subtle variations between different Yorkshire accents, noting Hull, Leeds, Barnsley and Sheffield. Fry posed the questions ‘do accents determine our perceptions about each other? Would you think differently in another language? How does language affect the way we think?’. The main difference that was noted was certain languages’ attaching masculine and feminine descriptions to objects and the world around us. An example was given of the description of a bridge; depending on the language, a bridge could be feminine, described as “elegant, fragile and beautiful”, or masculine, described as “strong and bold”. Fry also learned that Russian/English bi-lingual speakers would express more collectivist values when speaking in Russian while, when speaking in English, the person would express more individualist ideas. The episode also focuses on words that do not translate into the English language. I had previously read about words not found in the English language and the phrase that came to my mind was Esprit de l’escalier; the French word for “a witty remark that occurs to you too late, literally on the way down the stairs“. Fry then posed the idea that some languages are funnier than others, using Yiddish as an example, specifically citing Woody Allen and Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons.

Woody Allen

The episode next focused on linguicide, literally the extinction of language. Fry pointed to the extinct language list and also noted that many languages are still endangered due to linguistic oppression carried out by imperialist regimes such as Spain’s head of state General De-Franco, who aimed to suppress the Basque language. Fry visited native Irish speakers at Connemara, Galway, on the West coast of Ireland, in order to gain a better understanding of linguistic oppression. The buzzle.com article on “The Fall and Rise of the Irish Language” has this to say:

The Irish language increasingly became associated with poverty and backwardness. In the National School system that was established in 1831, children were beaten with what became known as a ‘tally stick’ if they were caught speaking Irish. Far from being upset by this, many parents enthusiastically endorsed it, feeling that the future of their children depended on their ability to speak English. Because of this, Ireland experienced a steady decline in native Irish speakers. It has been estimated that there were five million people living in Ireland at the end of the eighteenth century. Of these, two million were exclusively Irish speakers, one and a half million spoke both Irish and English, and one and a half million spoke English exclusively. A hundred years later, there were only about 600,000 Irish speakers left, with only 3.5% under the age of 10 able to speak the language.

The article goes on to explain how the fall of the Irish language is due to laws that the English enforced in order to eradicate native Irish. However, the Shvoong.com article “The Death of the Irish Language” contests:

…while the Government made valiant efforts to preserve the illusion of a living, breathing idiom, even the favoured areas of the Western seaboard … drifted inexorably toward the tongue of the invader. Again the tale remained the same, for this was just the way in which the language had originally been lost. Though the romanticists would point to English oppression (which certainly had existed) it was solid practicality which had killed the Gaelic tongue. Ireland was a small part of a global Anglophone empire – and to get a job within it demanded English language skills.

Nowadays Ireland, much like Wales, has a TV station dedicated to broadcasting programmes spoken only in Irish. The most popular soap opera is Ros na Rún, in which Fry managed to appear as a cameo. A clip can be seen here:

Stephen Fry appearing on Ros na Rún.

When I first moved to Newport, I was amazed to hear of a TV station broadcasting programmes in the Country’s native language, such as the Welsh channel S4/C, which is aimed at those who have Welsh as their first language. Being from England, I had never thought of the concept and I was surprised that such an idea would ever be mainstream, but the more I thought about it, the more I supported the idea. I feel I have somewhat adopted the theory that Stephen Fry holds; that language is primarily what defines us as people. I feel that language is something which should be nurtured and protected, instead of being oppressed. There is a certain beauty about the spoken word and the range of accents, dialects and sentence structures on Earth should be celebrated, not eradicated. This is why I was surprised to hear about L’Académie française, a body made up of so-called “Immortals” that advises on changes to the French language. The body itself holds no power over the government or the public, but the changes they make to the language are usually adopted regardless. The academy was featured in “Identity” and Fry interviewed Professor Marc Fumaroli, who currently holds seat 6 of the academy. Fumaroli had the following to say:

[Referring to the rejection and oppression of minority languages such as Occitan and Basque in France]: “But, you know, what they have lost is not too much and in compensation they have been participated to one of the most wonderful conversation possible, the conversation in Paris, the conversation in the great towns of France” … “In a period where the “Globish” English is so invading, it is superfluous I think to take so much care of these local languages that are not leading anywhere”

Personally, I was shocked to hear such a blatant disregard for the spoken word, especially when the language is already endangered. Fumaroli blames the English language for “invading“, but this is exactly how language changes and develops; cultures borrow words, sometimes leading to slang words, from other languages in order to constantly update their own language. Fumaroli also noted, on the subject of having an official language spoken throughout the whole of France;

“Not only an official language, but an agreed language that is agreed, by cultured people”

This statement shocked me. To assume that only members of the academy are “cultured people” seems, to me at least, both arrogant and disrespectful. Does language not constitute a large portion of a society’s culture? Is there not an endless stream of history, art, cuisine and music attached to a language such as the Basque or Occitan? The Basque region, between the borders of Spain and France and home to the Basque people, has a rich heritage attached to the Basque language. In “Identity“, Fry finds the language tied to the preparation of food, possibly due to the tradition of exchanging recipes through word of mouth. In a Michelin three-star restaurant, Fry learns that to be Basque is to speak the language and eat the food; an identity can be found in the language and the cuisine tied to it.

Basque Cuisine

We are also introduced to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) which, while France is officially a signatory, their constitution forbids the Country from respecting the Charter in regards to the French languages. We are then told about the re-invention of the Hebrew language and its involvement with the creation of the state of Israel. Fry states that the Hebrew language had literally died out after the diaspora and the second World War, only being remembered in the Torah. With the creation of the state of Israel, there needed to be a centralised language for the state in order to create an identity for the Jewish people. The Hebrew language was literally re-invented, with new words being created for modern concepts such as cars, including borrowing words from the English language. Hebrew now uses modernisations of ancient words in describing objects around us. Fry then compared this centralised state language to the languages of Kenya, where over 65 different languages are spoken, depending on the area. The episode explains that Swahili would be spoken in the town, as it is the official state language, while English is taught in schools and, depending on the tribe, another language still would be spoken, giving Turkana as an example.

Stephen Fry ends the episode by quoting French president Clemenceau:

[After being asked the difference between a patriot and a nationalist] “A patriot loves his country, while a nationalist hates everyone else’s”

The episode introduced me to the idea of an identity being attached to a language and, from the introduction of Ian McMillan, I felt proud of my background. Being from Yorkshire myself, I could instantly relate to the culture that McMillan was referring to, especially when mentioning Barnsley, Leeds and Sheffield. Personally, I couldn’t help but feel that Fry definitely had a point relating to identity. I wouldn’t count myself as a patriot or a nationalist, but I do love the County that I’m from and there is definitely a feeling of pride when thinking about Yorkshire. It is this idea that Fry chases after, claiming that an individual’s language, accent or dialect is an intrinsic part of them. Again, the series proved incredibly interesting and Fry’s passion for language is what really drives the documentary, along with the various characters he meets; A Yorkshire poet, Yiddish comedians, Irish fisherman, Occitan musicians, Basque chefs, French academics and a Turkana tribe. I am eagerly awaiting the third instalment, in which Fry explores the use of swearing in language. Meanwhile, if you’re also following the series, you might be interested in reading this article written by Fry, expanding on his work in the television series.