The history of the English language really started with the arrival of three Germanic
tribes who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD. These tribes, the Angles, the
Saxons and the Jutes, crossed the North Sea from what today is Denmark and
northern Germany. At that time the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language. But
most of the Celtic speakers were pushed west and north by the invaders - mainly into
what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The Angles came from "Englaland" [sic] and
their language was called "Englisc" - from which the words "England" and "English"
are derived.
Old English (450-1100 AD) The invading Germanic tribes spoke similar languages,
which in Britain developed into what we now call Old English. Old English did not
sound or look like English today. Native English speakers now would have great
difficulty understanding Old English. Nevertheless, about half of the most commonly
used words in Modern English have Old English roots. The
words be, strong and water, for example, derive from Old English. Old English was
spoken until around 1100.
Middle English (1100-1500) In 1066 William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy
(part of modern France), invaded and conquered England. The new conquerors
(called the Normans) brought with them a kind of French, which became the language
of the Royal Court, and the ruling and business classes. For a period there was a kind
of linguistic class division, where the lower classes spoke English and the upper
classes spoke French. In the 14th century English became dominant in Britain again,
but with many French words added. This language is called Middle English. It was the
language of the great poet Chaucer (c1340-1400), but it would still be difficult for
native English speakers to understand today.
Early Modern English (1500-1800) Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden and
distinct change in pronunciation (the Great Vowel Shift) started, with vowels being
pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century the British had contact with
many peoples from around the world.
This, and the Renaissance of Classical learning, meant that many new words and
phrases entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was now
a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to
read. Printing also brought standardization to English. Spelling and grammar became
fixed, and the dialect of London, where most publishing houses were, became the
standard. In 1604 the first English dictionary was published.
Late Modern English (1800-Present) The main difference between Early Modern
English and Late Modern English is vocabulary. Late Modern English has many more
words, arising from two principal factors: firstly, the Industrial Revolution and
technology created a need for new words; secondly, the British Empire at its height
covered one quarter of the earth's surface, and the English language adopted foreign
words from many countries.
