Origin of the English Language

Origin of the English Language

The English language is also known as the west Germanic language. The language is part of the Indo-European language family. They have a close relation to German, Dutch, Flemish and more. The English language was established in English. However, it has been a dominating language of United States, UK, Canada, New Zealand and more. The English language is also the official language in India, Philippines, Singapore etc. English is also considered as the most common foreign language used in most countries around the globe. According to various statistics it is proven that the 3^rd of the worlds population uses English.

Origin

The English language is considered to be part of the Indo-European family. The parent tongue, is known as Proto-Indo-European. This form was spoken over 5,000 ago, who used to travel through the south-east European plains. Germanic is a language which was passed down from the ancestral speech. It was divided into 3 regional groups; East (Burgundian. Vandal and Gothic), North (Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish), and west (German, Dutch, and English). Although the Germanic and English were connected, The German always stayed conservative, where as the English had a broad and wide mind set. Most of the language families are interconnected with the old English.

Old English (450-1.100)

The English language really began upon the arrival of 3 Germanic tribes who had invaded Britain during the 5^TH century. These tribes were called, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. They had crossed the North sea which today is known as Denmark and a part of the northern Germany. During those times the British were used to speaking in the Celtic language. However, most of the Celtic speakers were thrown to the west and north invaders, which today is Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Their language, was known as the ‘Old English’. It was soon passed on as a common language in remote areas of Europe. In the context of Old English, in todays day and age you might not understand. They had a very solid foundation and would be altered.

Middle English (1.100 – 1.500)

The middle English was adopted during the Viking invasion. The Viking were a tribe who were known as Nordic people. They were through and made their way through the northern and north western parts of Europe. The Old English began getting mixed with various cultures. They first began getting mixed with Old Norse, which is the language of the Viking tribes. However, this mix up gave the English language over 2,000 new words such as; give, take, egg, knife and so on.

The middle English was also adopted during the time of ‘the French were coming’. When the Norman invasion has established the French language that is when the old English was left to peasant and farmers. The French language was considered royalty. This superiority also altered the French language into everyday words such as, beer, city, fruit and so on. Adapting the French language into the English language provided the language with more sophistication for instance, the vocabulary such as; liberty and justice.

Modern English

Early modern English (1500 – 1800)

During the 14^th and the 15^th century after the ‘Hundred years war’ with France is when the French rule had been demolished. After this success it led to the English becoming more power and widely influenced. This led to the rapid development in the English literature as well as the English culture. It was widely affected by William Shakespeare.

William Shakespeare has a wide influenced on the development of the English language. It has calculated with a unique and rich form. It has developed over 1,700 words.

Towards the end of the Middle English there was a distict change in the pronunciation. The vowels began being pronounced and grew shortment in length. It has also built into the first English dictionary.