Revised Paper: History of the English Langauge

The History of the English Language

By: Ana Jimenez

The history of the English language started when three Germanic tribes arrived and invaded Britain during the 5^th century AD. The tribes were the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes. These tribes crossed the North Sea from what today is called Denmark and Northern Germany. During this time, the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language, but most of the Celtic speakers were pushed west and north by the invaders; mainly into what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. “The Angles came from “Englaland” and their language was called “Englisc” - from which the words England and English are derived.” (What is English? http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm)

The Germanic tribes that invading all spoke similar languages, which later developed into what we call now old English. Old English did not sound or look like English today. “People who speak regular English today would have great difficulty understanding the old English of back then. Actually, about half of the most commonly used words in Modern English have Old English roots.” (What is English? http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm) The words be, strong and water, for example, derive from Old English. Old English was spoken until around 1100.

In 1066, the Duke of Normandy invaded and conquered England. The new conquerors, which were called the Normans, brought with them a kind of French. This became the language of the Royal Court, and the ruling and business classes. “For a long period, there was a kind of linguistic class division, where the lower classes spoke English and the upper classes spoke French. In the 14th century, English became dominant in Britain again, but with many French words added.” (What is English? http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm) This language is called Middle English. It was the language of the great poet Chaucer, but it would still be difficult for native English speakers to understand today.

Towards the end of Middle English, a change in pronunciation started, with vowels being pronounced differently. From the 16th century the British had contact with many peoples from around the world. This meant that many new words and phrases entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was now a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. Printing also brought standardization to English. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the language of London, where most publishing houses were, became the standard. In 1604 the first English dictionary was published.

“The difference between the two styles of English was vocabulary. Late Modern English has many more words, coming from two principal factors: first, the Industrial Revolution and technology created a need for new words and second, the British Empire at its height covered one quarter of the earth's surface.” (What is English? http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm) The English language adopted foreign words from many countries.

Today, American English is influential due to television, media, trade, technology, and popular music. Although, American English is the type we use in America, there are different type of English used around the world including Australian English, New Zealand English, and South African English.