Welcome, species, mutton, fact, absurdity: these are all examples of words that English has “borrowed” from other languages. English is a complex language and its ability to “borrow” words from many different languages has made it very diverse. Within this diverse collection of languages that have influenced English, none have had as important an influence as French. In the beginning, English was a simple, strictly verbal language with few words. This all changed during the middle period when the Normans invaded England. During their rule, their spoken and written French was heavily influential on the still strictly verbal language that was English. This resulted in an increase to the English vocabulary and the formation of modern day prefixes and suffixes. The English language has progressed from a primitive form of communication with few words to the vast and every-changing language it is today, a feat that would have been impossible had the Normans not invaded.
In the early stages of the development of the English language, English or “Englisc” as it was called was a very basic and purely oral language. “Englisc” was the language of the Celts, who inhabited what is now modern day England, until it was invaded by Julius Caesar in 55 BC. Unlike many other regions that were conquered by the Roman Empire, Latin was not pressed upon the inhabitants of England. If the Romans had thought that England was worth controlling, modern day English would be a Latin-based language. When the Romans left England for the last time in 450 AD, “the Celts felt themselves increasingly vulnerable to attack”(“Old English”), so they invited the leaders of the Jutes to settle on the eastern coast. At this time, while the Jutes were coming to England:
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Works Cited
“Before English (Prehistory - c. 500AD).” The History of English. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
< http://www.thehistoryofenglish.com/history_before.html >
“Old English (c. 500 - c. 1100).” The History of English. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
< http://www.thehistoryofenglish.com/history_old.html >
“Middle English (c. 1100 - c. 1500).” The History of English. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
< http://www.thehistoryofenglish.com/history_middle.html >
“Early Modern English (c. 1500 - c. 1800).” The History of English. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
< http://www.thehistoryofenglish.com/history_early_modern.html >
“Late Modern English (c. 1800 - Present).” The History of English. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
< http://www.thehistoryofenglish.com/history_late_modern.html >
S. Junkin “History of the English Language” British Scholar. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 2009.
Raffel, Burton. and Alexandra H. Olsen Poems and Prose from the Old English, (Yale University Press)Robert Bjork and John Niles,
The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. Ed. J. A. Simpson and E. S. C. Weiner. 20 vols. Oxford: Clarendon, 1989.
Upham, A. H. (1913). English "femmes savantes" at the end of the seventeenth century. The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, 12(2), 262-276.
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May, Robert. “Lesson 6: The Early Modern Period.” English 110S Course Notes. Queen’s University. Kingston. Summer 2010. Course Manual.
Bunyan, John, and L. Edward. Hazelbaker. The Pilgrim's Progress in Modern English. Alachua, Florida: Bridge-Logos, 1998. Print.
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*All primary documents from this text come with this preface in mind (especially that which I have bolded): In this volume, as in its predecessor, I have tried to keep both footnotes and editorial comment to a minimum, the only real problem occurring with documents written in the emerging literary English of the period. With most of these I have used modern versions, but one or two I have left in the original, to instance the spelling and form of the language. With these some notes have been necessary, but by and large they are intelligible with a little effort, and should be interesting to read. Such mistakes, as exist are of course, mine.
Watt, T. (1991). Cheap Print and Popular Piety 1550-1640. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Baker, Peter. "The Electronic Introduction to Old English." The Electronic Introduction to Old English. Version 3rd Edition. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwel, n.d. Web. 28 May 2014. .
Mitchell, Bruce and Robinson, Michael A Guide To Old English, fifth edition 1992 , Blackwell Publishers , Oxford .
22 of Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900. Rpt. in Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag.
Yerkes, David. English Language, Grolier's Multimedia Encyclopedia, 1996. Yerkes, David. Middle English, Grolier's Multimedia Encyclopedia, 1996.
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 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).