Downloaded 22 times
Uploaded byKhalid Hasan
History of English Language By Moninoor Rashid
This document summarizes the evolution of the English language from its Proto-Indo-European roots through the various stages of Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English, and Modern English. It traces influences on English from Celtic, Latin, Norse, Norman French, and later global expansions. Key events included the Anglo-Saxon invasion and settlement of Britain in the 5th century AD, Christianization and the influence of Latin in the 7th century, the Norman conquest in the 11th century bringing influence from Norman French, and the standardization of English and introduction of the printing press in the 15th-16th centuries.
More Related Content
Similar to History of English Language By Moninoor Rashid
History of English Language By Moninoor Rashid
- 2. England beforethe English (55 BC-450AD) Old English (450-1150) Middle English (1150-1500) Early Modern English (1500-1700) Present-day English (1700-Today)
- 3. One ofthe leaves is our language, English. The branch it has come from is West Germanic, which grows out of Germanic, which comes from the roots of The Indo-European family of languages.
- 4. Debatable Proto-Indo-Europeantribes (6000 years ago) later spilt into a number of branches, including the Germanic branch this population then expanded/migrated eastward, westward and northward and thereby came to inhabit most of Europe and parts of Western Asia.
- 6. About 500B.C. — Britain was invaded by Celtic tribes and ruled for about 500 years. 100-44 BC — Julius Caesar took several attempt to invade Britain. 43 AD.—Emperor Claudius conquers Britain except for Scotland where the Celtic Scots and non-Indo-European Picts reigned sovereign. Occupy Britain for nearly 400 years. 100-44BC
- 7. Founded cities Built walls, baths, roads, theaters Intermarried with Celts. Place names—Lancaster, Manchester, Winchester, London, Bath Latin becomes the prestige language of education and social life
- 8. Roman Empireis threatened by invading Germanic tribes. 410 AD—Emperor Honorius summons all Roman troops back to Rome. Celtic tribes in Britain are left defenseless against future invasions.
- 9. Celtic languages—thenative language of the people. Latin—the language of Rome was the prestige language. ◦ Education ◦ Government ◦ Written language
- 10. With theRomans gone, a power vacuum existed. The Scots and Picts advanced southwards and the weak Celts could not keep them back. Germanic tribes from the mainland soon began to fill that vacuum. 450 AD By this time Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Frisians have a firm foothold in Britain. Celts are conquered and/or driven out. By 600A.D. the victory was complete.
- 12. What weknow as English today begins with these Germanic invasions. Englaland and English was born. England Englaland Angle land The word English comes from Angles Old English, or Anglo-Saxon, is an early form of German.
- 13. Kent Essex(East Saxon) Sussex (South Saxon) Wessex (West Saxon) Mercia (angeles) Northumbria (Angeles) East Angeles
- 14. Four dialectsemerge Northumbrian Mercian Kentish West Saxon
- 15. Most importantOE dialect Most OE literature is in West Saxon Dialect of King Alfred (AD 899) Dialect of government and church
- 16. 597 ADRoman Church sends St. Augustine to England England is Christianized
- 17. Latin isthe language of the church Latin once again becomes prominent in education Latin is the written language of the time
- 18. Various dialectsof Old English All these dialects are forms of German These dialects also adopt some words from Celtic languages and from Latin
- 19. Most powerfulpeople of their time 793 AD. Vikings invade England Eventually, Vikings control much of England ◦ The Vikings, usually referred to as ‘Danes’ ◦ This area is called the Danelaw Anglo-Saxons continued to control much of the south Alfred the Great put up resistance them and eventually forced the Viking troops to surrender in 878.
- 21. Various dialectsof Old English These dialects continue to be influenced by Latin and Celtic They are also now influenced by Scandinavian languages
- 22. Anglo-Saxon words:to, and, for, in, man, wife, child, fight, love, sleep, eat, house, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Latin words: altar, monk, preach, priest, hymn, noon, candle, offer Viking words: lift, take, give, husband, sky, dirt, skull, leg, rotten, crawl, clasp
- 23. 1066 AD.William the Conqueror invades from Normandy, France Brings 600 ships and 10 to 12 thousand men Defeats King Harold at the Battle of Hastings
- 25. William theConqueror was French He did not speak English French now becomes the language of the government and aristocracy For the next 300 years all English royalty speak only French Common folk speak English Church speaks Latin and French
- 26. Common folkspeak English, which is slowly simplifying its form (losing tense and verb endings, etc) English is also adopting many, many French words Upper class folk speak French Church speaks French and Latin Latin and French are also written languages
- 27. The MiddleEnglish period begins with the Norman conquest at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Middle English is mixed of two languages: Norman French (aristocrat) and English (common folk). Norman French Influences on English vocabulary and spelling - New words duplicated old English words or both were existed till today. i.e. hearty (OE) and cordial (F), and house (OE) and mansion. By the 13th century approximately 10,000 French words had come into English.
- 28. French Words:action, adventure, marriage, power, vision, beef, venison, honest, prefer, master, court, crown Almost half of modern English vocabulary comes from Latin and French
- 29. • Royalties andgovernment officials began speaking French • English became language of the poor (peasants, butchers, maids, servants) • Also the language of poets and writers • English kings began marrying Norman women • More people adapted French language, causing the decline of English usage
- 30. In 1362AD.the Normans decided to adopt English as their official language and, Parliament was opened in English. This parliament was situated in Westminster, London, a process of standardisation of English had begun.
- 31. Grammar issimplified Fixed word order is developed ◦ Word order dictates meaning Chaucer first major writer to use English
- 32. Two majorfactors that influenced the language and served to separate Middle and Modern English were the Great Vowel Shift and the advent of the printing press.
- 33. The GreatVowel Shift was a change in pronunciation that began around 1400AD. During the next two centuries there was a great influx of people into the London region and the different dialects began to affect the pronunciation patterns of the standard. Modern English speakers can read Chaucer with some difficulty, Chaucer's pronunciation would have been completely unintelligible to the modern ear.
- 34. The vowelshift as a process which led to long vowel sounds being raised and diphthongised. Chaucer's Lyf (pronounced /lif/), for example became the modern life.
- 35. The lastmajor factor in the development of Modern English was the advent of the printing press. William Caxton brought the printing press to England in 1476. Books became cheaper and as a result, literacy became more common. The dialect of London, where most publishing houses were located, became the standard. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the first English dictionary was published in 1604.
- 36. • Began writinghis sonnets and novels • Created words, such as critical, leapfrog, majestic, pedant, and dwindle • Created clichés, such as flesh and blood, and vanish into thin air
- 37. Modern Englishis essentially an expanded version of Early-Modern English, that is, the vocabulary of Modern English is substantially larger due to Industrial Revolution and British Colonialism. Same as Early Modern English, but has richer vocabulary BRITISH EMPIRE • Colonized many nations • Words were borrowed (i.e. pajamas and shampoo from Hindi, tycoon from Japanese, and sauna from Finnish) and added to the English vocabulary • Other words have Latin or Greek roots (i.e. biology, oxygen) WORLD WAR I AND WARLD WAR II • American soldiers collaborated with British soldiers • Military slang words were created • blockbuster, nosedive, camouflage, radar, roadblock, spearhead, and landing strip