HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
I.
Early People of Great Britain
A. Cave dwellers (dating as far back as 15,000 B.C.)
B. Approx. 1700 B.C. early inhabitants erected Stonehenge
II.
The Celtic Invasion
A. Peoples came from France
B. Immigrants from north & west
C. Pictographs = stone carvings as communication/language
D. One tribe called “Brythons” (Britains)
E. Emerged from Bronze Age Civilization
F. Druids = primitive polytheistic religion of magic and human sacrifice
G. Oral tradition = songs/poems down through generations; carry traditions & culture
H. ~30 words left in English from Celtic today (mostly place names)
I. Celtic ≠Irish
III.
The Roman Invasion
A. Romans traded with Britain
B. Caesar entered Britain in 55 B.C., in 43 B.C. officially named part of Roman
Empire
C. Romans first brought Christianity to Britain
D. Celts driven into hills or forced into slavery
E. Hadrian’s Wall – built to fortify Romans against Picts & Scots (wore blue faces in war – sound
familiar?)
F. Romans credited with furthering civilization – built roads, walled cities, villas, etc.
G. 410 AD (400 yrs later) Romans abruptly left when Rome was sacked by barbarians – Britain now
unprotected!
IV.
Germanic Invasion
A. Germanic = root of English language!
B. 410 – 600 AD time period
C. Invading seafaring tribes come from Germany’s coast
D. Drove Celts west to Wales
E. 3 prominent tribes – Angles, Saxons, Jutes
i. Angles gave England its name = Angleterre
ii. Tribes ruled by a king chosen by council of elders
F. Language = Anglo-Saxon, though Germanic tribes spoke different dialects
G. Wyrd – pagan belief that the ever-present dangers of death by accident (at sea) or warfare gave a
grim or desolate view of life.
H. Worshipped ancient Germanic gods
I. Beowulf serves as common, fictitious hero (scops down the tale)
V.
Impact of Christianity
A. St. Augustine made it permanent in 597 when he became the first
Archbishop of Canterbury (Catholic capital of England)
B. Christian monks brought writing and education (a monk wrote down Beowulf!)
C. King Alfred the Great (872-899) promoted education, culture, and political stability
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HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
VI.
Viking Invasion
A. Second wave of Germanic invaders
B. Scandinavians or Vikings plundered and burned British towns along coast
C. Called Norsemen if from Norway and Denmark
D. 899-1044 – unending battles between Danes and A-S
E. 1014 – Canute crowned as first Viking King of England
F. 1042 – crown returned to A-S – Edward the Confessor
VII.
Norman Invasion - 1066
A. Signaled the end of Old English
B. Battle of Hastings – William the Conqueror of France defeated King Harold II
C. French became official language of gov’t, law, business, & education (aristocracy)
D. Feudal system of gov’t = divisive class system
E. Normans seized all properties and political positions
F. A-S forced to become lowest class / serfs
G. English language survived as language of the peasant class – used daily
VIII.
Medieval Period & Rise of Middle English
A. Normans lost land in France and soldiers left Britain to defend homeland
B. Black Plague
C. Rise of Middle Class (societal/economic changes)
D. Oxford became center of learning
E. William Caxton (a printer) standardized form and spelling of
English
F. Blending of Old English and French
G. Chaucer wrote Canterbury Tales – in ENGLISH (snub to French)
IX.
The English Renaissance – Modern English
A. Began in 1500
B. Rediscovery & addition of Latin/Greek words
C. Modern English became language of the King James Bible and Shakespeare
D. English becoming accepted in cultural circles
E. Shakespeare coins about 1500 words
F. English becomes language of trade, commerce, and exploration
X.
English into the 21st Century
A. Approx. 480 million people today speak English as a first or second language
B. Today’s English is derived from:
i. 1/5 Germanic
ii. 3/5 Latin, Greek, French
iii. Other languages
C. Technology’s influences are already felt
i. new words, words used in new ways, etc
ii. speed of communication is in real time, thus intermingling of languages/cultures
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