“Pandemic’s Linguistic Dynamic” [Reflections On Nicholas Ostler's Book, Empires Of The Word - A Language History Of The World, Harper Perennial, 2005 - preface; and Pandemic Series #3]
Pandemic’s on – what’s that I see?
Three factors – shifts linguistically
In ways we don’t think to observe,
But once we do, a future’s heard.Take population growth as seen
Pandemicly – where we’ve all been –
For shrinkages occurred before,
Then shifts in language even more.Since 1492 there’s been
A shift in New World we live in –
Disease swept over continent
Before the settlers inland went.Now English is the spoken tongue –
With deaths, the local language-fund
Of richness dating back in time,
Was snuffed out – few old tongues we find –Are spoken still – that’s not unique –
For settlers new, of whom we speak,
Faced those same microbes years before –
Survivors then bashed in these doors.Then take pandemic view of trade –
Three months – world quarantine has laid
Old ways of global trade down low;
New shifts could now the future show.The Chinese, Russians, send their planes
Of key supplies – still need remains
For tools to fight pandemic here;
All this makes new trade-highways clear.Prestige then shifts as we’re helped out
By Chinese, Russians – “There’s no doubt
They stepped up to the plate today;
How nice of them to help this way”.He says we’re not all sentiment
When these occur – like tools they’ve sent –
If we start learning Chinese tongue
In wake of this, it starts as fun –Then takes a life here of its own,
As Internet and mobile phone
Connect us up to Chinese folks,
And we say thanks, and start to joke.Love breaks down walls for all of us;
A crisis opens doors; for fuss
That threatens life for one and all
Must be defeated through the walls.So take a look – perhaps you’ll see
Dynamics he lists here as three –
That’s population, trade, prestige –
As we view world pandemicly.Thanks Lord for this.
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