History of the English Language

1. History of the English Language

2. History of the English Language • A language develops over centuries of time; as it develops, it changes. We have no idea when English language started.

3. The Stonehenge People

4. Around 1900 B.C., Stonehenge was built. The Stonehenge people had a language; however, they left no written records. These people left a remarkable monument to their culture in the form of huge stone circles with cap stones. These guide stones align with the sun during solstices. Dictionary skill: Solstice

5. Huge stones were moved from miles away, raised to a vertical position, and capped with huge stones. The method used to transport and raise the stones is uncertain. Stonehenge stands today as an awesome accomplishment; although, many stones have been removed and used in other structures.

6. Stonehenge Cap stone

7. Celtic People TheCelts immigrated to England in the 5th century B.C. and drove out the Stonehenge people. The Celtic tribes wandered widely from Spain to Russia and Britain. Therefore, the Celtic language was spoken over a vast area of the European continent. Pronunciation guide: Celt (hard c, K)

8. A Druid was the priestly class in ancient in Celtic polytheism societies. Dictionary skills: polytheism

9. Celtic Tribes The Celtic tribes spoke a language that survives today in Scotch Gaelic, Irish, Welsh, and Breton. It also survives in the names of many places in Britain. There is a town with the following Celtic name: Lian \ vire \ pooll \ guin \ gill \ go \ ger \ u \ queem \ drop \ ooll \ llandus\ illo \ gogo \ goch!

10. This village has the longest train station name in the world! The name of the village means: St Mary's Church by the white hazel tree near the fierce whirlpool by the Church of St. Tysilio of the red cave. It was reputedly invented by an innkeeper during the last century to drum up more trade from train travelers. Dictionary skills: reputedly

11. The Romans In 43 A.D., an army of 40,000 Roman soldiers invaded Celtic Britain and made it part of the Roman Empire. During the 400 year Roman rule, the Romans introduced Christianity, Latin, built roads, established Roman laws, and kept the fierce Picts and Scots on the north side of Hadrian’s Wall.

12. The Romans Internet skills: Who was Julius Caesar? Who was Claudius? Who was Boudica(also spelled Boudicca)? Who was Hadrian?

13. BBC History of BritainTime Line http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/timelines/british/index.shtml

14. Hadrian’s Wall Hadrian’s Wall was built across the narrow part of England to keep the Pics and Scots from invading the south. Hadrian’s Wall

15. Romans spoke Latin. * Roman soldiers were also engineers and built roads to link Rome with the Roman Empire. Roman Soldier *Internet search: BBC, Why is it important to the way we speak that Romans spoke Latin?

16. The Romans The Romans (Italy) Romans soldiers came from the area we call Italy today. Rome is still the capital city of Italy. After serving in the army, many soldiers married Celtic women and settled down in England. Rome

17. Britain was the western edge of the Roman Empire. England Italy

18. End of Roman Rule 410 A.D. The Romans began to pull her legions out of Britain in 410 A.D. after 400 years of Roman rule. Rome was crumbling from the attacks of the barbarians. The Celts were left without the protection of the Roman army and had no weapons to defend themselves.

19. After the Romans left, the Picts and Scots came south into England. Scandinavia Scandinavia Bands of Vikings came south from Scandinavia.

20. After 400 years of having Roman protection, the Celts were civilized, peace- loving, and accustomed to Roman laws. They had not needed to fight for a long time. They needed help against the Pict, Scots, and Viking raiders.

21. The Jutes A Celtic chieftain, Vortigern, had a plan. He hired Jutes, a Germanic tribe, to come over and fight the Picts and Scots. Vortigern promised the Jutes the isle of Thanet. After the Jutes defeated the Picts and Scots, they liked England better than the island of Thanet or their old home in Germany. They stayed in England in an area called Kent.

22. Why did the Jutes want to stay? England is a beautiful island. It is located in the path of the warm Gulf Stream waters that make a warmer climate than one would expect at that latitude. It provides excellent grazing and farm land. It is a land worth conquering.

23. The Gulf Stream is an ocean current that moves north from the Gulf of Mexico at the equator. It brings warm, moist air to Britain.

24. The Angles and Saxons The Angles and Saxons were Germanic cousins of the Jutes. They invaded Britain and drove the Celts far to the west of Britain. They added insult to injury by calling them “Wealas” (Welsh), which means “foreigners”. Among these “Wealas” was probably King Arthur from the legends of chivalry.

25. Britain Angles Jutes Saxons GERMANY

26. Jutes, Angles, and Saxons These German tribes spoke German although each spoke a different dialect. Dictionary skills: dialect

27. The Celts, renamed Wealas (foreigners), were driven west by the Angles and Saxons and settled in Wales. The heir to the English throne, Prince Charles, is titled the Prince of Wales. Welch is a form of the Celtic language.

28. By the middle of the 6th century, the Jutes, Angles, and Saxons were settled on the land they had taken from the Celts. An error was made by historians when they determined that the Angles’ dialectwas the origin of Angleish; therefore, English was the name used for all three Germanic tribes. (Angleish, English, speech of the Angles)

29. Scholar, statesman, and general, King Alfred the Great, ruled the West Saxons from 871 to 899 A.D. He learned Latin and had the most important Latin books translated into Saxon, collected folk tales and history, and taught his people to read and write, too. His love of reading and language preserved English during the Dark Ages. Because of Alfred the Great’s love of learning, we speak Saxonish not Anglish.

30. Angles and Saxons, etc.**Etc.(et cetera) – and so forth (L) Latin The language known as Old English was spoken 450 A.D. – 1150 A.D. Most surviving Old English documents are in West Saxon dialect. Beowulf is one of these.

31. King Alfred foughtViking raiders who had been attacking English towns off and on for a century. First, they came in small bands to loot, murder, and burn; but later, they brought in armies to seize the land. Alfred dealt them a smashing defeat in 878 A.D..

32. The Vikings The Vikings came from Scandinavia. There were many places on the British island to beach their boats and raid the English countryside.

33. Internet – Interactive game: Be a Viking Raider. Decide your strategy: • How large will your ship be? • Who will you include in the crew? • Plan and execute a raid on Lindisfarne monastery on the coast of Britain in Northumbria.

34. For another century, the Viking invaders kept coming. Finally, in 1014, a Danish Viking namedCanute was crowned King of England. He was wise and humble king.

35. Once, he took all his flattering courtiers down to the sea. He asked, “Am I so powerful that I can stop the tide from coming in?” They answered, “Oh, yes!” So, he commanded the tide to stay out. Of course, they all got their feet wet.

36. The Vikings gradually stopped speaking Danish or Norse and learned English. However, they gave us such words as: they, their, them, are, skirt, sky, skin, scrub, whisk, and names ending in –son.

37. French Vikings, the Normans Scandinavian Viking bands invaded the northern coast of France, settled there, and learned French. They forced the French king to name their leader the Duke of Normandy and to give them the province of Normandy (Northman lands). They were called Normans (Northmen).

38. Meanwhile, England …1066 Edward the Confessor, a descendant of King Canute, died with no heir to claim the throne of England. Two Viking nobles, Harold of England and William, Duke of Normandy, claimed the right to the throne. Harold was in England and had himself crowned.

39. 1066, the Battle of Hastings William, Duke of Normandy, and his French Vikings crossed the English Channel, invaded England, and attacked army of newly crowned King Harold of England. Harold was killed when an arrow entered his visor and pierced his eye. William the Conqueror became King of England.

41. The Normans built towers and castles style quite different from the old Celtic hill forts.

43. Normans(Northmen) The Normans nobles spoke French with a Viking accent. The peasants spoke the English of the German Saxon tribe.

44. For 200 hundred years after 1066, French was the language in the government, church, education, and the arts. English was spoken, but only by the lower classes. Often, modern English has inherited two different words for the same item. The peasant called the beast a cow (Engl.), but the Norman lord called it beef (FR.).

46. English Became Classy In 1204, the Anglo-Normans and the French king fought once more for possession of Normandy. The Anglo-Normans lost the battle and their possessions in Normandy to the French king.

47. English Became Classy The King of France added insult to the loss of Normandy. He said, “The King of England can’t fight or speak French well.” This angered the English king, and he ordered all his subjects to speak English. English moved up the social scale.

48. The Anglo-Normans learned English but kept to more than 10,000 of their French words. The result was neither Old English nor Norman French, but a new combination: Middle English.

50. Geoffrey Chaucer The most famous writer of Middle English during this period (1150 – 1500) is Geoffrey Chaucer. The next slide has an excerpt of a Chaucer poem. Listen to the poem. What does it say? Dictionary skills: excerpt