To give students a better sense of the kinds of things that you can do, here is an example of a group task report submitted earlier for this module. This is by no means a kind of a model answer. This report achieved a reasonable grade (a better-than-average grade), but not the best. It is also not the worst, obviously.

What do I like about this? It appears to have been well prepared, and clearly organised. The members have obviously done a fair amount of work, particularly in looking up the lexical items (under the section core and peripheral items). The writing, though not flawless, was usually to the point. Some of it was quite interesting and funny. I also liked how the members pointed to parts of the text for comment, rather than talk about things in a general fashion.

Do I have problems with this? Certainly. I think it is almost unforgiveable that the members should refer to the language in Romeo and Juliet as Middle English. This is clearly wrong. It is early Modern English. They also contrast it to Standard English. The choice of the term is confusing. Clearly, the contrast should refer to temporal variation, and it would be much better to make the contrast between Early Modern English (in Romeo and Juliet), on the one hand; and (Standard) Present-Day English on the other. The English in Romeo and Juliet represents Standard English around 1600. The group said that Colloquial Singaporean English was included to 'add colour'. Surely it must do more than just 'add colour', otherwise it will not be relevant.

Although most of the analysis was all right, there were some mistakes. 'Forbear this outrage' is described as a passive construction: it clearly is not one. I also did not like the fact that after the list of words were given (in the core and peripheral section), there was no discussion at all.

There are other comments from me in the report. These will be in square brackets, and in brown (like here).

Analysis of an extract in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

Contents
Objective
Introduction
Extract from Romeo and Juliet
Translation into Standard English
Translation into Singapore Colloquial English
Analysis
    1. Conversational Style
    2. Language Structure
    3. Language Style
    4. Core and Peripheral Words
Conclusion
Distribution of work
Difficulties Encountered

Objective

Our objective in this project is to look into the differences between old Shakespearean English (or middle English) and Standard English. We will be analysing and highlighting the features of English in a chosen extract taken from the play ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Examples of some of the features include the source and usage of core and peripheral words, borrowed words and non standard grammar features. To further add some colour to the project, we will be translating the chosen extract not only into Standard English but also into Singaporean Colloquial English. [See comments above: the label Middle English is wrong here; the lable Standard English is unhelpful; the reasons for including the CSE version not justifiable.]

‘Romeo and Juliet’ was written by William Shakespeare in the 16th century and has been dramatised worldwide ever since. [The usual convention is not to use inverted commas for names of books, plays, etc. Instead, underline or italicise: Romeo and Juliet]The play is set in the streets of Verona, one of many Italian cities ruled by a Prince and under his protection. It revolves around a feud between two families, the Montagues (Romeo, son of Montague) and Capulets (Juliet, daughter of Capulet).

The chosen extract is taken from Act 3, Scene 1. In this scene, Mercutio and Benvolio (friends of Romeo) are walking through the streets of Verona when they meet Tybalt (cousin of Juliet) and some other Capulets. Tybalt picks a quarrel with Mercutio and insults Romeo. Romeo refuss to answer Tybalt’s insults because by secretly marrying Juliet, he has become Tybalt’s cousin. Mercutio, however, fights Tybalt and receives a death would when Romeo tries to stop them. [Very useful section which introduces the play the the audience and mentions the key characters in the extract. You might need to remember that cousin in Shakespeare simply means relative.]

 Tybalt
Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford
No better term than this – thou villain
 

Romeo
Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee
Doth much excuse the appertaining rage
To such a greeting. Villain am I none.
Therefore farewell, I see thou knowest me not.

 Tybalt
Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries
That thou has done me, therefore turn and draw.

 Romeo
I do protest I never injured thee,
But love thee better than thou canst devise,
Till thou shalt know the reason of my love.
And so good Capulet, which name I tender
As dearly as my own, be satisfield.

Mercutio
O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!
Alla stoccata carries it away.
Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?

Tybalt
What wouldst thou have with me?

Mercutio
Good King of Cats, nothing but one of your nine lives, that I mean to make bold withal, and, as you shall use me hereafter, dry-beat the rest of the eight. Will you pluck your sword out of his pitcher by the ears? Make haste, lest mine be about your ears ere it be out.

Tybalt
I am for you

Romeo
Gentle Mercutio, put they rapier up

 Mercutio
Come sir, your passado.

Romeo
Draw Benvolio, beat down their weapons.
Gentlemen, for shame, forbear this outrage.
Tybalt, Mercutio, the Prince expressly hath
Forbit this bandying the Verona streets.
Hold Tybalt. Good Mercutio.

(Tybalt under Romeo’s arm, wounds Mercutio)

A follower
Away, Tybalt! [exit Tybalt and followers

Mercutio
I am hurt.
A plague o’ both houses! I am sped.
Is he gone and hath nothing?

Benvolio
What, art thou hurt?

Mercutio
Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch; marry ’tis enough.
Where is my page? Go villain, fetch a surgeon.

Exit Page

Romeo
Courage man, the hurt cannot be much.

Mercutio
No, ’tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church-door, but ’tis enough; ’twill serve. Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man. I am peppered, I warrant, for this world. A plague o’ both your houses!

Translation into Standard English

Tybalt
Romeo, there is no better word to describe the love I have for you – you are a villain.

Romeo
Tybalt, the reason that I have to love you will excuse the anger caused by such a greeting. I am not a villain. Therefore farewell, I see that you do not know me.

Tybalt
Boy, this shall not disregard the hurt that you have inflicted on me; therefore draw your swords.

Romeo
I swear that I have never injured you, but love you more than you an ever imagine; until you know the reasonfo my love. And good Capulet, the name I care for is as dearly as my own, be satisfied.

Mercutio
What a dishonourable, submissive coward! Tybalt wins the day. Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you fight?

Tybalt
What do you want with me?

Mercutio
Good King of Cats, I want nothing but one you’re your nine lives which will be at my disposal as you shall use me in the future to beat up the rest of your eight lives. Will you draw your sword? Hurry, before I use my sword to cut your ears.

 Tybalt
I am ready.

Romeo
Dear Mercutio, put your sword away.

Mercutio
Come, fight!

Romeo
Benvolio, beat down their weapons with your sword. Gentlemen, for shame, stop this violence. Tybalt, Mercuito, the Prince has specifically forbidden the exchange of blows in the street of Verona. Stop Tybalt. Good Mercutio.

(Tybalt under Romeo’s arm, wounds Mercutio)

A follower
Flee, Tybalt. [Exit Tybalt and followers

Mercutio
I am injured. Curse both houses! I am badly wounded. Did he escape unhurt?

Benvolio
What, are you hurt?

Mercutio
Yes, yes, a scratch, a scratch; truly it is enough. Where is my page? Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.

(Exit page)

Romeo
Be brave, it cannot be that painful.

Mercutio
No, it is not as deep as a well, nor as wide as a church-door; but it is enough, it will do. Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a dead man. I am finished, for sure, in this world. Curse both your houses!

Translation to Singapore Colloquial English

 
Tybalt
Romeo, I super hate you – you villain. [This doesn't sound very CSE to me!]

Romeo
Wah, Tybalt, for the reason I got to love you, I’m not angry for such a greeting. Me not villain, you know. Can see you don’t know me. Ah bye-bye lah, bye-bye lah.

Tybalt
Oi, like that will nto reduce the hurt you cause me. Come lah, fight.

Romeo
What hurt? I didn’t do anything! In fact, love you much than you imagine. Aiyah, you don’t understand one lah.

Mercutio
Wah lau, what a coward! Ailay, don’t let Tybalt win leh! Tybalt, you catch rat one, I challenge you – fight lah.

Tybalt
What you want?

Mercutio
What you to die lah, what else. Now got nine lives also no use, meow!

Tybalt
Really as ever, who scare who?

Romeo
Aiyah, Mercutio, forget it. Don’t fight.

Mercutio
Why not? Fight, must fight.

 Romeo
Benvolio, stop them with your sword. Hey guys, for goodness sake, stop it. Ay, you two, the prince had once said no fighting in the street of Verona. Come on, stop this shit.

(Tybalt under Romeo’s arm, wounds Mercutio)

A follower
Run, Tybalt. [Exit Tybalt and followers

Mercutio
Damn, I’m hurt. To hell the two of you. Shit, I think I’m hurt, real hurt. Did he escape unhurt or not?

Benvolio
Aiyo, you hurt ah?

Mercutio
Of course, lah. Just one scratch and that’s enough. Where’s my page? Go, idiot, get a doctor.

(Exit page)

Romeo
Come on, don’t be weak. It’s just a scratch. Never mind one.

Mercutio
My injury does not seem so bad but it’s enough to kill me. Ask for me tomorrow, I’m be a dead piece of shit. I sure die one, comfirm. To hell, both of you.

Analysis of the chosen extract

 Conversational style
 

This extract is taken from a play in which the characters are conversing in Middle English. [See above] The mode of communication in this extract is verbal and two-way. The tenor of this extract involves equals, specifically between enemies. The field in this conversation is the feud between the two families. There are many instances of implicatures, in which the hearer or reader is assumed to know the details.

• In line 16 and 18, Tyablt is referred to as a ‘rat-catcher’ and the ‘king of cats’, this is because the meaning of Tyablt’s name is the ‘Prince of cats’; therefore we can see that the actual name is not used; the character Mercutio is relying on implicatures to convey the mocking of Tybalt’s name.
• In line 12–13, the reader is required to know the background story so as to comprehend the exact meaning of Romeo’s words. There is a reason why Romeo would want to love the name of his family’s enemy, the Capulets.

The use of old English words like thou, thee, doth, thou hast, thou art, thy, is evident throughout the whole extract. In Standard English, the words used would be you, you, you do, you have, you are, your, respectively. [Clearer to say that thou, thee, etc. are archaic, rather than that they are old English words.]

 
In the chosen extract, the negative form of verbs are very often separated with the object placed in between the verbs.

• In line 5, Romeo says, ‘Villain am I none’. In Standard English, this sentence would be spoken as ‘I am not a villain’. [I think you can actually do this in today's Standard English in a more dramatic situation.]
• In line 6, Romeo says, ‘thou knowest me not’. In Standard English, this would be ‘you do not know me’. Therefore we can see that English in the 16th century was spoken with the negative word, ‘not’ placed at the end of a phrase or sentence.

Passive sentence structures are often used to bring out an active point.

• In line 1, Tybalt’s words, ‘the love I bear thee can afford’ simply implies that he hates Romeo, but instead of outrightly saying that he hates Romeo, Shakespeare makes use of the passive structure to bring out the actual meaning of the sentence. [I don't see a passive construction here.]
• Another example is in line 28, Romeo, in an attempt to stop the fight, says, ‘Gentlemen, for shame, forbear this outrage’. What Romeo could say, in the active form, is simply, ‘Gentlemen, stop this fight!’ Shakespeare, once again, uses a passive sentence to illustrate the meaning. [I don't see a passive construction here.]

There are instances of words used in which the implied meanings are contrary to the actual definitions of the words.

• In line 1, the ‘love’ that Tybalt talks about actually refers to the ‘hate’ he has for Romeo.
• In line 16, when Mercutio asks Tybalt to ‘walk’, he is actually challenging Tybalt to a fight, and not to literally walk.
• In line 37, when Mercutio talks about a ‘scratch’, this actually refers to a wound that is serious enough to kill him, it is not just a simple scratch.

There is use of borrowed words in the extract.

• Line 15: Alla stoccata and line 26: Passado. These two words are common words used in fencing. As fencing was popular during the Shakespearean time period, the use of these words reflects the trend of the society at the point of time. (The meaning and source of borrowed words will be explained in greater detail in the analysis on core and peripheral words.)

Conclusion

We started out looking at the differences between Middle English and Standard English. Middle English has rich, distinctive features using words which offers [should be offer because of the plural noun features] both emotional and visual impact, enabling the reader to imagine what he is reading. Frequent use of metaphors also helps to illustrate the background of the story, painting a vivid picture of the feud between the Montagues and Capulets. In Standard English, nobody speaks in this manner. In fact, if anyone were to attempt doing so, there might not have been an audience patient enough to listen. Conversation in Standard English is more direct and precise, and naturally shorter. In this case, there is more frequent usage of core words, which makes it easier for readers to understand. [If, by Standard English, you mean Present-Day English, then I think this is a very big claim, and this does not seem clearly substantiated by the analysis. For example, there was not statement that said that X % of the Shakespeare's text was non-core compared to Y % of the Present-Day English text.]

 However, it is noted that these two types of English are not entirely different. They still rely on unspoken implications, sometimes making the conversation more intimate or private. Nevertheless, it has been an interesting and refreshing experience, looking at such a great piece of work by William Shakespeare.

Distribution of work
 

VVV: Core, peripheral words/ checking up the sources of lexical items/ some typing

WWW Analysis/ some typing/ conclusion/ write-up on difficulties encountered, introduction/ overall editing

XXX: translation to standard English & SCE/ some typing

YYY: Identifying non-standard grammar features/ contents page/ some typing

ZZZ: analysis/ some typing/ introduction/ objective of project/ overall editing

 Although all of us had a specific area of focus, we managed to come together for brainstorming, throwing a bit more perspective on the project as a whole.

Difficulties encountered

 
Translation to Standard English was not as simple as we imagined it to be. It was not always easy to find a direct translation of a phrase without changing the order of Subject, Verb, Object (SVO). It was also frustrating to find that some of the beauty of Shakespeare’s style had to be compromised. The intensity of emotions could also have been lost due to the elimination or replacement of certain words. The humour originally intended (again achieved through usage of certain words) might not be prominent after translation.

Comments © Peter Tan 1999

Any comments to me?

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