Middle English (1100 AD to 1500 AD)
The year 1066 is one of the most important years in the history of the English language. This is the year that the Normans invaded England. The Normans were a group of people who lived on the other side of the English Channel. Though the people of the area originally spoke a variation of the Scandinavian languages, eventually, the group learned French as Edward the Confessor brought French language into his court in Normandy. In January 1066, the English king died without an heir, so the Norman king at the time, William the Conqueror decided to invade England and by December of the same year, he was crowned King of England. Within 30 years of his crowning, most of the land was owned by the Normans as William
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These towns usually had wealthy landowners living in lesser populated areas between the larger towns. By the end of the 14th Century, French was the language of the educated, especially lawyers, the churches, and the courts, but English was the language of the people. By the 1500s, when another shift occurred, Middle English was an amalgam of French and English, with French as the language of style, substance, and education, but English was the language of the people and of the written word. There are several interesting texts that display Middle English in all of its glory. They include The Canterbury Tales, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Piers …show more content…
The factors included the printing press, education, desire and means of communication, language awareness, and specialized skills and knowledge. As these educated, well-read people who wanted to communicate realized that there needed to be consistency in the language, so in the mid-1500’s, the Elizabethans developed a common spelling practice (with some variations). One of the first rules of spelling was the role of the final e in words like made, fine, and hope. One of the most influential people in the standardization of the English language was Richard Mulcaster who argued that phonetic spelling would not work for English, so he developed many of the rules that we continue to use today. He dropped unnecessary letters in words like ledd, grubb, or putt. He also developed the difference between words that ended in -ie or -y. While over 7,000 of his spelling suggestions were adopted, there were others that were
William conquered England out of anger towards King Harold and the Witan (a committee that backed the kingship of Harold). He used anger and clever strategies to fight the Saxons in England and take over in the Battle of Hastings. In source 9, it shows the Normans charging the Saxon ranks with extreme force and anger. This validates that William I was conquering England with anger and force.
Throughout this semester we have had to write many types of essays. Although this is a college English class there is still room for improvement. I made much improvement during the semester of the class. I was able to identify my weaknesses. I learned how to make improvements to the areas I was having problems in. Although each essay we did was different I was able to begin with one essay and throughout the semester turn it into two other essays. I was able to change my style of writing to fit the type of audience I was working with. I will continue to work on my writing and keep improving it.
The United States is made up of multiple cultures and race, but that’s not all, we also have different Englishes. While the main language in the US is English, people use different Englishes. What I mean by different Englishes depends on what group of people one is talking to. One English can be known as sophisticated English referring to talking to a professor. As opposed to the English we use with our friends. Everyone has a unique way of communicating. In the United States, after people learn English they realize they go from using one English to using different Englishes without knowing, in order to communicate, whether it be with parents, professors, or your own pets.
October 14th of the year 1066 two armies faced each other near the town of Hastings. 10,000 Norman troops under the command of William of Normandy faced 8,000 Anglo-Saxon soldiers led by Harold the current king of England.
Learning is one of the most important concepts that I hold dear to my heart. In order to advance in life that is something you must be able to do. I have learned many different things from various places, but in this year alone, I have learned a tremendous amount of material in honors English 1301. Not only did my professor, Mrs. Minkel, give me the tools needed to make successful scholarly papers, although it came with some challenges, she also provided her students with the tools needed to be a great student overall.
1066: The Year of the Conquest, written by David Howarth, tells of one of the most important dates in the history of England. In 1066, William the Conqueror and William of Orange fought the historical Battle of Hastings. The outcome of this battle lead to many changes to the English people. The Norman people became assimilated into the English way of life. Howarth proceeds to tell the tale of the Battle of Hastings through the eyes on a common Englishman.
There are a multitude of understandings and interpretations of the concept culture. A common definition may be a, “cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving”(Hofstede). An explanation that may be used to discuss the culture of the Middle Ages. Furthermore, it may be used to examine the changes in key aspects, such as, religion, gender roles, and social norms during the time period of approximately the 500s to the 1500s.
As its name suggests, Middle English is the language that was spoken in the country of England around the 12th to 15th centuries. Middle English became the prominent language in England near the end of the 11th century shortly after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror in 1066. Unlike England's preceding language, Old English, Middle English evolved into much more of a written language. There were many writers and educated English scholars who worked to translate Old English texts into the new Middle English language. There were also writers, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, who used the Middle English language to write new works which employed new and creative literary techniques. One such work, The Canterbury Tales, is a work that has been recognized as having an extreme significance on the development of the Middle English language. This work is argued to be the greatest literary contribution to the Middle English language and is credited with popularizing the language among literary scholars. However, despite its historical influence on the Middle English language, the significance of the work is less seen today because of the evolution of Modern English. As a result, it is important to investigate the origins of this work and in so doing, make an effort to realize the overall importance of reading the text in its original Middle English language.
The Middle Ages encompass one of the most turbulent periods in English History. Starting with the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest. When Duke William of Normandy, better known as William the Conqueror effectively took all of the lands from the Saxon English and gave them to French nobles. there were some points that took my attention the
There have been many influential influences to the English culture throughout its hundreds of years of existence, but there was one man who arguably was one of the most important figures to have ever changed the course of English culture forever. This man was no inventor who sparked a new age, nor an artist who introduced a romantic theme. Shockingly, this man was not even of English descent, but rather a conqueror from a foreign land. He is most well known as William the Conqueror and the date 1066, is remembered as the year of his arrival to Anglo-Saxon England when he began the famous Norman invasion. This alien invader to the British island was a Duke in the northern region of France. To be more specific, he was the Duke of Normandy, a province of France whose culture was descended from the Norse influence of Vikings. In a series of tactfully genius military battles, William the Conqueror captured the English throne. Few figures in history can boast of conquering an entire nation and even less can claim that they kept control and influenced their new lands. After his invasion and being crowned king of England, William began to dig into England like a tick and his Norman culture spread. William had pulled off an amazing feat through his invasion in England and as well as his earlier life when he rose to power in Normandy which allowed him to embark on such rigorous campaign.
The duration of Early Modern English took place during the English Renaissance, and hence the amazing evolutions that occurred within it (Myers 166). After the Renaissance came the Age of Reason, and it is during this time that the language becomes recognizable to today (Smith 9). The most common example of Early Modern English is the fact that Shakespeare wrote in it, and it poses the most similarities to Modern day; the language moved from a synthetic one to a more analytical one, and relied less on inflectional endings and more with word order to convey information (Durkin 1). Early Modern English is the premise for the ever-evolving language that millions speak
Several European immigrants are reported to have arrived in America during the 19th century and early 20th century. Notably, the first wave of these European immigrants is believed to have begun in the late 1820s largely sustained by the unrest in Britain. This wave of migration went on for almost a decade highly attracted by the dreams of creating a model utopian American society. This is in turn closely associated to some extent with the development of the American English. European immigrants immensely contributed to the development of American life and more specifically American English. Today, American English has become an omnipresent phenomenon in every aspect of the American society. British English, the main source of American English
The attitude towards literature in the 17th century was divided among society. There was the opinion of the religious leaders who believed that literature was corrupted. Literature in their eyes will lead society to regress. On the other hand, we have writers such as Philip Sidney, Thomas Browne, and Francis Bacon who argued that literature was beneficial to society. In hindsight, we can see that the religious leaders were wrong. History serves as perfect evidence as to how literature helped society advance in positive ways instead of regressing. Philip Sidney was best known for his literature piece, The Defense of Poesy. Sidney believed that literature unlike history allowed societies to make connections with reality, as well as allowing
The settlement of the British Isles by north Europeans followed by Norman French paints the backdrop to this essay which will focus on the period between the early 15th and 17th centuries, when a 'standard' English evolved. It will show that modern-day English is very different to that first introduced to the British Isles, but by identifying changes through time, its continuity can be demonstrated. Finally, it will suggest that present day English is in a position analogous to that which existed before the Norman invasion, when there were many varieties and dialects, and that this may lead to its decline as a global language, due to decreasing intelligibility.
During the sixteenth century, the Globe Theater was a magnificent structure that housed the most famous plays. For a writer to have his work performed at the Globe was considered an incredible accomplishment. Shakespeare’s originality set him apart from others during his time and led him to the Globe Theater, where he came upon a tremendous amount of success. As with the rest of England, the Globe Theater flourished during the Elizabethan era, also known as the “Golden Age” representing ideals such as prestige, fame, and achievement. From this time period, notable politicians, orators, tacticians, and musicians evolved into more prominent figures of society. William Shakespeare has influenced the literary world today, although he lived many centuries ago. Much of Shakespeare’s life is unknown, but he developed his success in London, England where he became an actor and playwright. Through the Globe Theater Shakespeare was able to show some of his greatest works and make himself a household name. (William Shakespeare 1).