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Evolution of the English language to modern English
How English has changed over time
Evolution of the English language to modern English
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Recommended: Evolution of the English language to modern English
The language of English is widely used and spoke over many different geographic areas. English has literally changed from one type of language to another all within the last 1500 years or so. There are many different reasons for the great changed the English language has went through as well as how it was even started and created. These reasons include influences from other languages such as Germanic and Latin, social history, and many others that I will discuss later.
Around 3,000 years ago the Celtic people landed in Europe and the Celtic language was widely spoken over that country. Because there were many Celtic tribes, it made it very easy for Celtic language to be very influential over England/ Britain. The Celtic language expanded so much it reached areas like Scotland, Wales and Ireland. It didn’t stop there, about 1,000 years later
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Around that time, because of the political power it had the Roman Empire ruled most of the continent of Europe and after it collapsed, the Romans removed their troops leaving the Latins and their language being spoken over the European continent. Latin had a very influential impact on the Celtic and Germanic language. The influence became so great it ended up being very influential to the English language. The language of English is referenced to have been started in about 449 when the Germanic tribes and their language settled on the British Isles. It is believed to be a Germanic dialect but English has adopted a large variety of their words from many different other languages.
One of the earliest forms of English was called Old English. The Old English period is when the language was created, with the arrival of West Germanic settlers which included Angles, Saxons and Jutes in the southern
According to Wiki, one theory states, “The Anglo Saxon originated from from Frisia. Afterwards, the script was used throughout England.”
...ine because of technological advances. As Orwell states in his essay “Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble. If one gets rid of these habits one can think more clearly” (446). These bad habit are speaking in text speak instead of proper English. In past centuries we have fought great battles, now we unite against new enemy, the enemy of improper English.
The United States is made up of multiple cultures, race, and languages. Many people come from Mexico or Asian parts of the world, like China in search for a better life. One of the struggles many people have when coming from a different country is the language, in this case English. Everyone has a unique way of communicating. In the United States, after people learn English they realize they use different Englishes without knowing, in order to communicate, whether it be with parents, professors, or your own pets.
Enter the Normans, in 1066 the Norman Duke William (under the belief he had the “right to rule England [England lecture]) invaded and defeated the Anglo-Saxon king. At this time the general population had come to speak Englisc (or some dialect of it), while the Norman invaders spoke a dialect of Old French (which would later come to be called Anglo-Norman) and kept written records in Latin [Kahane 186]. Gradually, there was a shift in the vernacular (from Anglo-Norman to English) as well as a shift in the written language (from Latin to Anglo Norman) [England lecture]. In order to maintain distance and further the effects of bilingualism, various phrases and words were imported from French to Anglo-Norman, as were expressions from Latin (as a sort of revival of the language.)
Old English literature flourished during the time the Anglo-Saxons ruled Britain from 450 AD to 1066 AD. Old English was first oral, but later used a runic alphabet written on manuscripts. Old English, is of course, related to our modern English, but is referred to the language and literature spoken and written in England. Works such as Beowulf and The Wanderer are priceless and timeless pieces of literature almost like a time capsule telling us about the history, society, and
As we mentioned above, one of influences that has made changes in English language over time is foreign
This period was characterized by foreign invasions and political instability as well as internal struggles within Britain. Hence, the presence of people from various parts of the world resulted in the conglomeration of several languages, cultures and dialects. Old English was a versatile and polished language. It has a verse style and exhibits “artistic maturity and unity”. It had Germanic and pagan roots as well as Augustinian character.
Early Modern English Period takes place between Middle English Period and Modern English Period. Early Modern English Period begins in the 15th century and ends in the late of 17th century. Early Modern English is used by English colonies, Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England. The language comes from Germanic and Anglo Frisian. In this period origins of words are Yiddish, German and Italian. William Coxton is the one of the most important man of the period because he leads in the spread of printing and making a lot of translations, he contributes communication between languages. The other important man is Shakespeare. In the 16th century reformation is occurred and in the 17th century Francis Bacon starts new science. These events have affected evolution and development of language.
The final shift towards their evolution, and the big culture bomb, started with the Norman invasion of Britain; this battle caused an influx of culture into a mainly homogenous society. It started in 1066 when William the Conqueror won at the Battle of Hastings (Delahoyde 1), took the British crown by force, and brought French language and its influence into the quaint British countryside (McIntyre 12). This French influence gave the final shove and created the next step towards a modern language; it provided a stepping-stone into becoming a more advanced society with a more advanced language. Without the French, there would be no evolution from Old English to Middle English.
The English language arose from the early Anglo Saxon inhabitants in ancient England and spread to Scotland and other European countries via the British Empire and later to the United States through colonial political and economical influences. It later dispersed to other parts of the world through these same influences to become one of the leading languages of the world. It has over the years developed by adopting different dialects to create a language, which is the standard lingual Franca in many countries. The rapid growth of the English language and its adoption by different cultures across the globe is sufficient ground to make it the global language.
The beginnings of English can be found in the occupation of England from the 5th century by north and west German ethnic groups who brought their 'indigenous dialects' (Seargeant, P. 2012, p. 1). The Oxford English Dictionary defines English as 'Of or related to the West Germanic language spoken in England and used in many varieties throughout the world' (Seargeant, P. 2012, p. 7). Invasion in the 9th century by Scandinavians, who settled in the north of England and the establishment of Danelaw in 886 AD defining the area governed by the Danes in the north and east, had a marked effect on the language spoken there (Beal, J. 2012, p. 59). These periods are known as Early and Later Old English (Beal, J. 2012, p. 50).
... language. The earliest forms of French was called Old French and lasted until the fifteenth century. Modern day French was developed from the dominant dialect in the twelfth and thirteenth century in central France, around Paris. Norman French, located in northern France, spread to England in the eleventh century and became known as Anglo-Norman as it developed in England but English eventually dominated and wiped it out. Occitan was spoken in the South and developed greatly during the Middle Ages until the North overtook them in the early thirteenth century. Occitan can still be found in southern France today (Fortson 258). Spanish
The development of the English language was a combination of cultural, political, social and religious events that each playing their own part shaping the modern English language spoken today as a first language by 400 million people . As Baugh and Cable convey to us in A History of the English Language; ‘It understates matters to say that political, economic, and social forces influence a language’. Although it cannot be identified exactly when the inhabitants of Britain began to speak English, there are some sources that give an insight into the nature of the forces that played a role in its foundation such as: the four medieval manuscripts;
To understand how English became the lingua franca for the world one must begin by understanding the colonization influence of the British Empire, beginning with the Americas in the early 1600’s. Once the language itself had been somewhat established in Great Britain, although not necessarily agreed upon, the next obvious step was to take the language and the culture to new parts of the world and colonize. The British Empire set out to the Americas in two vastly different manners, yet both had major influences on the language of what soon would become America.
Why has particularly English as a language become a global language? Researching this topic, answers to this question can be found in a global power the British Empire and the USA had during the history, especially since World War II (David Crystal, English as a Global Language, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2003). Most of the improvements which are essential for the mankind have their roots in English speaking areas and that is why English is dominating the globe in medical research, technological innovation and rock ‘n’ roll.