HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

THE ANGLO-SAXON INVASION

523

The English language is a result of the invasions of the island of Britain over many hundreds of years.Later two more groups crossed to Britain. They were the Saxons and the Jutes. These groups found a people called the Celts, who had lived in Britain for many thousands of years.
Through the years, the Saxons, Angles and Jutes mixed their different languages. The result is what is called Anglo-Saxon or Old English. Perhaps the most famous is called “Beowulf”. Than one thousand years ago.

THE VIKINGS IN BRITAIN

May 10, 923

The next great invasion of Britain came from the far North beginning about 1,100 years ago.They were looking to capture trade goods and slaves and take away anything of value. In some areas, the Vikings became so powerful they built temporary bases. These temporary bases sometimes became Permanent.Words like “sky,” “leg,” “skull,” “egg,” “crawl,” “lift” and “take” are from the old languages of the far northern countries.

THE NORMAN CONQUEST

Mar 4, 1066

The Normans were a French-speaking people from Normandy in the north of France. They became the new rulers of Britain.Most English words that describe law and government come from Norman French, words such as “jury,” “parliament,” and “justice.” Many written works from this period have survived. Perhaps the most famous was written by Geoffrey Chaucer, a poet who lived in London and died there in 1400. Chaucer’s most famous work is “The Canterbury Tales,”

ENGLISH WORDS DERIVED FROM LATIN

Dec 10, 1290

In the year 597, the Roman Catholic Church began its attempt to make Christianity the religion of Britain. Latin made it possible for a church member from Rome to speak to a church member from Britain. The Latin word "discus" became several words in English including "disk," "dish," and "desk." The Latin word "quietus" became the English word "quiet." English names of plants such as ginger and trees such as cedar come from Latin. So do some medical words such as cancer.

THE INFLUENCE O (THE PRINTING PRESS) WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Apr 19, 1650

other areas of Europe where he had learned printing.the English education. Slowly, during the fifteen hundreds.English speakers today would be able to communicate with English speakers in the last part of the sixteenth century.His name was William Shakespeare .His plays continue to be printed, acted in theaters, and seen in motion pictures almost four hundred years after his death.