History of the English

Language
55 B.C. the Romans invaded the island
Latin had little influence but within the walls
 History of the English Language

• The Celtic element

• The language spoken by the Britons developed
into
• Welsh ----------- Wales
• Gaelic ------------ Highlands in Scotland
• Erse ------------ Ireland
• Breton------------ Brittany (in France)
• Manx ----------- Isle of Man (but dying out)
 The Celtic element
• Place names:
• Avon -------------------- river
• Esk, Ex, usk, Ouse, Aire--------water
• Dun ------------------- a protected place
(Dundee)
• -llan ------------------- holy (Llangollen)
• 410 A.D. the Romans left Britain

• Angles, Saxons, and Jutes came

 History of the English Language

• Where does English come from?

• English comes not from the Britons but from
the Angles who made Britain Angle-land

• Where did Saxons, Angles and Jutes come

from?
• Angles from Schleswig
• Saxons from Holstein
• Jutes from Jutland
http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
 History of the English Language
• What language did they speak?
• The language they spoke belonged to
the Germanic speech family

Germanic
Family
 History of the English Language

• The Germanic family is a branch of a

larger family: the Indo-European which
comprises most of the languages in
Europe and India.
 History of the English Language

• Where did these tribes settle?

• Jutes ----- Kent, Southern Hampshire, Isle
of Wight.
• Saxons --- Southern England, South of the
Thames.
• Angles --- North of the Thames

• They named Britain Englaland (land of the Angles

• An early account of these invasions can be found
in Bede´s Eclesistical History of the English People
 History of the English Language

• What language did they speak?

• Each of these tribes spoke a different form of
their common language.
3 (4) different dialects developed in England:
1. North of the Humber: Northumbrian
South of the Humber: Mercian
2. Southern England: West Saxon
3. Jutes: Kentish
• At first it was the Northumbrian with its
centre at York that developed the highest
standard of culture
• In the 8th C this leadership passed to Mercia.
• In the 9th c Wessex (802-839) began to
extend its influence. West Saxon kings
managed to maintain their power and under
Alfred 8871-889) Wessex attained a high
degree prosperity and enlightment.
 In ðeosse abbudissan mynstre wæs sum broðor syndriglice
mid godcundre gife gemæred ond geweorðad, forþon he
gewunade gerisenlice leoð wyrcan, þa ðe to æfestnisse ond
to arfæstnisse belumpon , swa ðætte swa hwæt swa he
of godcundum stafum þurh boceras geleornode, þæt he
æfter medmiclum fæce in scopgereorde mid þa mæstan
swetnisse
ond inbryrdnisse geglængde ond in Engliscgereorde wel geworht
forþ brohte.
Ond for his leoþsongum monigra mona mod oft to
worulde forhogdnisse ond to geþeodnisse þæs heofonlice lifes
onbærnde wæron.
• In this abbess's monastery was a certain brother particularly
glorified and
• honoured with a divine gift, in that he fittingly was accustomed to
make songs,
• which pertained to religion and virtue, so that whatever thus he
• learned of divine letters from scholars, those things he after
• a moderate space of time he brought forth, in poetic language
• adorned with the greatest sweetness and inspiration and well-made
in
• the English language. And by his poem-songs the spirits of many
men
• were kindled to distain of the world and to service of a heavenly life.
• (848-901) Under Alfred the Great, West
Saxon became pre-eminent.
 The periods in the History of
English
• The dividing lines of these periods are
arbitrary.
• 450 - 1150: Old English Period
• 1150 – 1500: Middle English Period
• 1500- : Modern English Period