or, a brief History of the English Language:
The Mixing Starts
The Romans brought Latin to Britain, which was part of the Roman Empire for over 400 years. But early English did not develop mainly from Latin, so it is unlike French, Spanish and Italian, which did come directly from Latin. Early English was the language of tribes who invaded from the East, from what is now Germany. They spoke different dialects of a Germanic language, from which modern German developed. This explains why German and English are often similar, as many of their words developed from the same original language.
In 878 AD, the Vikings invaded Britain from Scandinavia, bringing with them the Norse language, though this was similar to the old English or Anglo-Saxon language already used.
The dramatic arrival of the Norman army from France, led by King William the Conqueror in 1066, and the defeat of the English King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, brought very big changes to English life. The Normans brought with them the Old French language, which then became the language of the Royal Court and of the ruling and business class.
No More Invasions
By about 1200, the Kingdoms of England and France had ceased to be one unit. The use of Old English came back, but with many French words added. This language is called Middle English, the language of the poet Chaucer (about 1340-1400). He has been called the greatest English poet before Shakespeare. It is difficult today for English-speakers to read and understand his writings well.
Can you understand these lines:
Can you understand these lines:
"Whan that Aprille with his shoures swote
The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote..."
In modern English this is:
"When April with his sweet showers has struck to the roots the dryness of March.."
Or, in other words, …when the April showers of rain have gone right down to the roots of plants which have been dried up during March!
But another big revolution was coming - the printing press. Just as radio, television, video, and computers, have changed communication in our time, so did printing after about 1500 AD. Now there was a common language in print, as well as access to the old languages of Latin and Greek.
Shakespeare
Now came the Renaissance in Europe - a time of great learning and cultural advances. By this time, English was not very different from the English we use today. The most famous person to write in English during this period was William Shakespeare (1564-1616). He is probably the most famous playwright of all time!
Shakespeare gave the English language many phrases and sayings, which English speakers still use every day. Often, they do not realize these words came from Shakespeare's plays and poems!
Do you know these?
Do you know these?
'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet'
"To be or not to be......"
The Best seller of all time
At almost the same time as Shakespeare, came the printing of a book that has had an even greater effect on society and culture - the King James translation of the Bible in 1611. For almost the first time, anyone who could read had access to the Bible in his or her own language, and in words which were easily understood.
Today, because language has changed, it is difficult in places to understand the King James Bible, but many people still use it. And, like Shakespeare, many phrases and quotations from it have become part of the English language. People often use them without knowing they come from the Bible.
Have you ever heard:
Have you ever heard:
'turn the other cheek'
'go a second mile'
'Straight and narrow'
'the love of money is the root of all evil'
Modern English
Since the time of Shakespeare, English has continued to change. Settlers from Britain moved across the world - to the USA, Australia, New Zealand, India, Asia and Africa, and in each place, the language changed and developed, and took in words from other local languages. For example, 'kangaroo' and 'boomerang' are native Australian Aborigine words, and the word 'turban' came from India.
With the increase in communication via travel, Internet, and television, all these different types of English have mixed. So in Britain now, many parts of Australian and American English are used. Words from many other languages, such as French, German, Spanish, Arabic, and even Nepali, have been borrowed, as well.
So English continues to change and develop, with hundreds of new words arriving every year. It has truly become the world's international language. It is the language of science, air traffic control, computers, and most of the Internet. In many countries where there are other competing languages and people groups, English has been chosen as a common second language. This has happened in Nigeria and Ghana.
