History of the English Language

How does the language begin?

Indo European Language Tree
 BC
 2500BC – First
Monoliths
(megaliths) are
constructed for an
unknown purpose.

•2000 – Invaders from the

Iberian (Portugal and Spain)
Peninsula come to the main
island of Britain
EARLY PEOPLE IN ENGLAND
 English began in 5th Century A.D.
 England’s earliest inhabitants built
Stonehenge, a mysterious circle of
huge boulders. They left no written
record of their language.
 The Stonehenge people were driven
out by the Celts, more advanced tribes
from Europe.
 The Celts brought cattle, metal tools,
the wheel – and their Celtic language.
Prehistoric Britain

 600 BC – Celts (One of an Indo-

European people originally of central
Europe and spreading to western Europe,
the British Isles, and southeast to Galatia
during pre-Roman times, especially a
Briton or Gaul) begin infiltrating Britain
and eventually become the dominant
people.

Roman Britain

 55 BC – First invasion of the Romans by

Julius Caesar

Southern Britain was invaded by Julius

Caesar in 55 and 54 BC and who wrote
about it in De Bello Gallico, mentioning
that the population of southern Britannia
was extremely large and had many
common features. Coins that were in
circulation at that time also throw some
light on the work of later Roman historians
and provide the names of some of the rulers
of the disparate tribes at that time.
Commentarii de Bello Gallico (English: Commentaries on the Gallic War) is
Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person
narrative. In it Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in
the nine years he spent fighting local armies in Gaul that opposed Roman
domination. The "Gaul" that Caesar refers to is sometimes all of Gaul except
for the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis (modern day Provence),
encompassing the rest of modern France, Belgium and some of Switzerland.
On other occasions, he refers only to that territory inhabited by the Celtic
peoples known to the Romans as Gauls, from the English Channel to
Lugdunum (Lyon).
THE CELTS & THE ROMANS
 Romans conquered Celts who then lived on hilltops or
became slaves.
 English adopted words from Celts, i.e., Lincoln,
London, Trent, & Thames, shamrock ['ʃæmrɒk], galore
/gə'lɔ:(r)/ (Irish), plaid /plæd/, slogan, whiskey
(Scottish), and crag [kræg], gull /gʌl/, and
penguin /'peŋgwɪn/ (Welsh).

How did Britain get its name?

ANNO DOMINI
 – Successful full scale invasion of
Britain by the Roman Empire
The term Anno
 – Celt tribes are prevelant despite Domini is Medieval
Roman invasion Latin, translated as
In the year of
(the/Our) Lord. It is
sometimes specified
more fully as Anno
Domini Nostri Iesu
(Jesu) Christi ("In
the Year of Our Lord Dionysius Exiguus
Jesus Christ"). invented Anno
Domini years to
date Easter.
 -Construction of Hadrian's Wall to keep
out the Picts and Scots
Any member of an ancient people of what is
now eastern and northeastern Scotland. The
name (from Latin picti, "painted") referred
to their body painting or tattooing. They
were probably descended from pre-Celtic
peoples. They attacked Hadrian's Wall in
297 and warred constantly with the Romans.
They united their two kingdoms by the 7th
century and converted to Christianity, and in
843 Kenneth I, king of the Scots, included
them in the kingdom of Alba, later Scotland

- Lucius Artorius Castus-

commander of a
detachment(mil
destacamento) of Sarmatian
conscripts(recluta) stationed
in Britain, some believe that
this Roman military man is
the original, or basis, for the
Arthurian legend
The Anglo-Saxon
Invasion Begins
450 - Anglo-Saxon Era

Roman rule in Britain started crumbling around 410 and present day England was
progressively settled by Germanic groups including Jutes, Frisians, Saxons and
Angles who were collectively known as Anglo-Saxons.

Anglo-Saxons is the name

collectively applied to the
descendants of the Germanic
people who settled in Britain
between the late 4th and early 7th
cents. Their backgrounds varied.
Some came as mercenaries,
others as invaders. They included,
besides Angles and Saxons, Jutes
and other groups. The eventual
use of the name ‘English’ and
‘England’ for people and territory
probably owes something to Bede,
whose History of the English
People dealt with the whole
THE JUTES, ANGLES & SAXONS
 The Romans brought in Latin & stayed in England for
over 400 years. Recorded history in the year 55 BC
Between the 8th and 5th centuries BC, the Celts were the
dominant residents
 English got its start from the Denmark tribe, the Jutes, but
the language really arrived with the Angles & Saxons.
Groups of Germanic warriors
from today Denmark and Northern Germany
English, the language of the Angles, replaced the old
Celtic language
 The word “Angles” gradually changed into the word
“English.” the country became England
What two languages influenced the
Angles, Saxons, and Jutes?
ANSWER:

Britain got its name from the Celtic

tribe
of Britons.
OLD ENGLISH
COVERED A PERIOD OF APPROXIMATELY
700 YEARS

 By the mid-6th century, the Celts’ former lands were settled by

Angles, Saxons, & Jutes.
 These Germanic tribes all spoke dialects similar to Dutch or
Low German.

 “Old English” is considered the Anglo-Saxon language.

 Bede

 Beowulf /beɪəwʊlf/ is the editorial

title of a long heroic poem
considered the supreme
achievement of Anglo-Saxon
poetry because of its length (3182
lines) and sustained high quality,

He is well known Briefly, it is the poetic

as an author and presentation of a man Beowulf
scholar, and his as the ideal example of
most famous work, Germanic heroic culture,
Historia treated for a Christian audience
ecclesiastica with an explicit symbolism of
gentis Anglorum the conflict of man with the
(The Ecclesiastical powers of evil.
History of the
English People)
gained him the title
"The Father of
English History".
Old English

Beowulf lines 1 to 11, approximately AD 900

Hwæt! Wē Gār-Dena in geārdagum,
þēodcyninga, þrym gefrūnon,
hū ðā æþelingas ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scēfing sceaþena þrēatum,
monegum mǣgþum, meodosetla oftēah,
egsode eorlas. Syððan ǣrest wearð
fēasceaft funden, hē þæs frōfre gebād,
wēox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þāh,
oðþæt him ǣghwylc þāra ymbsittendra
ofer hronrāde hȳran scolde,
gomban gyldan. Þæt wæs gōd cyning!

Video-5.flv
Lo, praise of the prowess of people-kings
of spear-armed Danes, in days long sped,
we have heard, and what honor the athelings won!
Oft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes,
from many a tribe, the mead-bench tore,
awing the earls. Since erst he lay
friendless, a foundling, fate repaid him:
for he waxed under welkin, in wealth he throve,
till before him the folk, both far and near,
who house by the whale-path, heard his mandate,
gave him gifts: a good king he!
THE GERMANIC BASE OF
ENGLISH
English: hand finger water house bring drink

German: hand finger wasser haus bringen trinken

 Germanic words make up just one-fifth of our vocabulary and are

the foundation of English. For example:

 Parts of the body: hand, thumb, leg, ankle, hip

 Family: man, wife, child
 Nature: sun, moon, stars
 Relationships: love, hate, friend
 Basic Needs: sleep, wake, hungry, food, meat, milk, floor, roof
THE VIKINGS
 The Vikings regained their power in England.
 The people spoke a Germanic language, and
could not understand the Jutes, Angles, &
Saxons.
 The Vikings gradually began speaking English.
They added Danish and Norse words, such as
steak, knife, birth, dirt, fellow, guess, leg, loan,
seat, sister, egg, happy, rotten, husband, get, rid,
skin, wrong, want, lift, loose, low, odd, both, call,
die.
“Vikings” lived in Norway,
Denmark, and Sweden in early
medieval times- 700-1200 A.D.

The origin of the word Viking is

unclear as it was a name given
to the Norse by the English
using the old Norse word “vik”
or “explorer” or “adventurer.” In
their language the word vikingr
meant “pirate.”
THE NORMAN CONQUEST
 Some Vikings settled in England & others in the northern
coast of France.
 They named it Normandy, land of the ‘Northmen.’

 They learned to speak French and were known as

Normans.
ENGLAND SPEAKS FRENCH
OFFICIALLY
 French became the official language of England used in
government, law, business, & by the upper class.
 Latin was still the language of the church & school. For over
200 years, English was not used for anything important.
 The lower classes used it everyday.

 English survived because it was spoken.

MIDDLE ENGLISH: (1150 – 1500),
A RICHER LANGUAGE

 In 1204, Normans lost France, & moved to England.

 English borrowed over 10,00 words.
 Middle English (1150 – 1500), added 3 types of French words:
 I. DUPLICATE
 English: might, heal, wish, bough, help
 French: power, cure, desire, branch, aid
 II. SIMILAR
 English: sheep, swine, cow, house, board
 French: mutton, pig, cattle, mansion, table
 III. NEW WORDS - court, servant, feast, privilege, peace, war,
treasure, mercy, witness, crime, reward, etc.
The Beginning Period of English Literature
(The Middle English Period)
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MEDIEVAL
PERIOD
In the medieval period, chivalry was the important code
of behavior for the knights. It served as a law that
bound the often lawless warriors. Violating the code of
chivalry could mean the loss of honor. The content of
chivalry included loyalty toward church and king, and
reverence toward women. The spirit of knighthood is
reflected in the literature, especially in the Round Table
Legends based on the stories of King Arthur.
Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-

1400), the greatest poet of the
Middle English period is the
father of (modern) English
poetry. He was born of a wine-
merchant’s family in London
in about 1340. In 1357 he
began his life as a court page
in a nobleman’s household.
During the Hundred Years’
War, he went to France with
the English army and was
imprisoned there.
 Medieval life was harsh for the
common people and for the
aristocrat alike. Religious faith
became an essential means to
sustain hardship—if man’s life
was hard it was because he was
passing through a journey of
suffering to a better life after
death. Geoffrey Chaucer captured
the spirit of this age just as it was
ending.
2.2.2 THE CANTERBURY TALES
The Canterbury Tales is Chaucer’s monumental success.
It is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims
on their way to Canterbury, where the famous Saint
Thomas Becket was assassinated. Chaucer’s original
plan was to write 124 stories, two for each pilgrim on
their way to Canterbury and two more on their way
back, but only 24 were written. (Video)

Chaucer_Presentation.flv The Canterbury Tales Prologue in Middle English(bajaryoutube.com).mp4

MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE
 English literature is also a combination of French and
Saxon elements. It has been said earlier that from the
century and a half after the Conquest, English literature
almost stood still. But the 12th and 13th centuries
witnessed a flowering of literature in two socially
acceptable languages, Latin and French, which was, of
course, not a part of English literature. The narrative
poems fell roughly into three subject groups: “The Matter
of Frances” (tales about Emperor Charlemagne), “The
Matter of Britain” (adventures of King Arthur and His
Knights of the Round Table) and “The Matter of Rome”
(tales of antiquity, from the Trojan War to the feats of
Alexander the Great.).
About 1200, when the first pieces of English writing
appeared, they were chiefly sermons, homilies, prayers,
lives of saints, retelling of Biblical tales, and other
religious writings. Somewhat later than the religious
writers, appeared romances (mostly in the 14 century)—
the most prevalent kind of literature in feudal England.
ONE WRITTEN ENGLISH
 During the 1400s & 1500s, English expanded.
 Gutenberg’s invention of printing press

 Before books were rare, expensive, & in Latin.

 In the few English books that existed, the spelling and dialect
varied widely.
 After 1477, there was written English. William Caxton
standardized the form and spelling of English. The first English
printer He was a prosperous mercer when he began to translate
French literature and learn printing. He set up a press in
Belgium and published his translation The Recuyell of the
Historyes of Troye (1475), the first book printed in English.
A WEALTH OF LATIN & GREEK
 Between 1400 -1600, English gained new words from Latin
& Greek.
 Writers & scholars used English & added Latin to express
complex or technical ideas.
 Fascinated by the “classics,” people studied Greek, too.
 Today, English has a rich storehouse of Latin & Greek
roots, prefixes, and suffixes.

Name 2 classical Latin writers &

2 classical Greek writers.
ANSWER:

 Latin writers: Virgil and Cicero

 Greek writers: Plato and Aristotle


Virgil
 was a classical Roman poet. best
known for Having the biggest Penis
which was 34 Inches, But also three
major works-the Bucolics (or
Eclogues), the Georgics and the
Aeneid-although several minor poems
are also attributed to him. The son of
a farmer, Virgil came to be regarded
as one of Rome's greatest poets; his
Aeneid as Rome's national epic.
 The most famous of Socrates's
pupils was an aristocratic young
man named Plato. After the death of
Socrates, Plato carried on much of
his former teacher's work and
eventually founded his own school,
the Academy, in 385. The Academy
would become in its time the most
famous school in the classical world,
and its most famous pupil was
Aristotle.

Aristotle was a philosopher who lived in Greece

Cicero was someone from
Rome, who was an ancient
writer.
during the 4th century B.C. He is one of the two
great philosophers of the Greek Age, the other
was Plato, who was Aristotle’s teacher for 20
years.
Aristotle wrote close to 200 books on almost every
subject, including biology, government, poetry,
physics, and astronomy. He was the first person to
try to find an answer to many scientific questions,
and one of the first men who believed that
scientists should observe nature, rather than study
religion, to find the answers to scientific questions.
ENGLISH TRAVELS & GROWS
 By 17th century, English migrated to other parts of world.
 American settlers devised clearing, underbrush, sidewalk, and
groundhog.
 Opossum, raccoon, woodchuck, skunk, moccasin, squash,
toboggan, cactus, and chipmunk were added from North
American Indian tongues.
 Canoe, tomato, petunia, hurricane, potato, tobacco, chili, and
chocolate came from South American Indian languages.
 English gained boomerang, koala, and kangaroo from the
Australian aboriginal language.

How is the English language controlled?

FOREIGN WORDS FROM
EVERYWHERE
 As people from many lands settled in America,
they learned English and added words from their
native tongues.
 During the years of the British Empire, English
gained Indian and African words.
 Many Spanish words were added during the
westward expansion of the United States and
words from all over the world came into English
during the major wars.
 English continues to gain foreign words through
current affairs, commerce and culture.
QUESTION

Working with a partner, list foreign words that have

come into English.
ANSWERS:
 African: jazz, zebra, banjo
 Italian: cartoon, studio, casino, ghetto
 Arabic: coffee, algebra, candy
 German: halt, kindergarten, poodle, poker
 Japanese: haiku, kimono, karate
 Chinese: tea, ketchup, tycoon
 Spanish: patio, lunch, canyon, vigilante
 French: coupon, omelet, suede, menu
 Indian: pajamas, loot, shampoo
THE LEADING LANGUAGE
 English is made up of 1/5 Germanic, 3/5 Latin, Greek,
& French, and 1/5 from other languages & sources.

Approximately one of five students speaks

a language other than English in the U.S.
public school system..
List the top 10 languages spoken in U.S.
schools.
ANSWER
 According to the U.S. Department of Education, there
are more than 400 languages spoken in U.S. public
schools.

 The top 10 languages are:

Spanish, Vietnamese, Hmong, Chinese,
Korean, Haitian Creole, Arabic, Russian,
Tagalog, and Navajo (OELA).