The term **”spoken English”** doesn’t have a single inventor or creator, as it’s more of a natural evolution of the English language itself. However, the **concept** of spoken English as distinct from written English has evolved over time, largely influenced by linguistic development and the historical spread of English.
### Here’s a brief historical breakdown:
1. **Origins of English**: English itself originated from a mixture of Anglo-Saxon (Old English), Norman French, Latin, and other European languages, beginning in the early medieval period (around 5th to 12th centuries). In those early times, **spoken English** was the primary form of communication, as literacy rates were low and books were rare.
2. **The Rise of Literacy**: Written English started becoming more formalized in the 14th and 15th centuries, particularly with the spread of the **printing press** in the 15th century (thanks to Johannes Gutenberg). This is when written English began to be standardized, and distinctions between spoken and written forms of the language started to become more apparent.
3. **The Evolution of Spoken vs. Written Language**: By the 16th and 17th centuries, scholars and grammarians like **William Shakespeare** and **Samuel Johnson** were refining written English, which led to a divergence between spoken and written language forms. Spoken English was more flexible, informal, and regional, whereas written English became more standardized and structured, particularly in formal contexts.
### The Term Itself:
* **Spoken English** as a specific term likely became common as educational systems around the world began to formalize the teaching of English in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly as English spread globally due to colonization and trade. The term was used to distinguish between the **spoken** and **written** forms of the language.
* It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when the term was first used, but it’s likely a natural progression of language development and teaching.
### Notable Figures in Language Development:
* **Noam Chomsky**, a 20th-century linguist, contributed significantly to the study of language, including spoken language, with his theories on grammar and syntax, though his focus was more on language structure rather than the specific term “spoken English.”
* **Henry Sweet**, an English philologist in the 19th century, was important in the study of phonetics (the sounds of spoken language) and was a key figure in the development of the understanding of spoken language.
In short, while **spoken English** as a term didn’t have a single inventor, the distinction between spoken and written English became clearer as the language evolved over centuries. The spread of English worldwide and the formalization of education likely contributed to the widespread use of the term.