A History of The English Language

ENGLISH
ENHANCEMENT
COURSE
INTRODUCTION
COURSE DESCRIPTION :
This course is designed to develop
communication skills of students. It deals with
improving listening & speaking skills geared
towards improving service orientation, creativity,
persuasion & critical thinking skills. Likewise, this
will introduce students to strategies in customer
service, advertising, job interview and debate.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the semester, students
are expected to:
1. Acquire knowledge of different
concepts surrounding integrated
marketing communication coupled
with a mastery of grammar and
competence in communication.
2. Enhance organizational
communication skills.
3. Work on and come up

with required outputs
related to a specific area in
this course.
HISTORY OF
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE
493 NAJD
HISTORY OF ENGLISH
LANGUAGE
• The English language belongs to the West Germanic branch

of the Indo-European family of languages. The closest
undoubted living relatives of English are Scots and Frisian.
Frisian is a language spoken by approximately half a
million people in the Dutch province of Friesland, in nearby
areas of Germany, and on a few islands in the North Sea.
HISTORY OF ENGLISH
LANGUAGE
• The history of the English language has
traditionally been divided into three main
periods: Old English (450-1100 AD), Middle
English (1100-circa 1500 AD) and Modern
English (since 1500). Over the centuries, the
English language has been influenced by a
number of other languages.
OLD ENGLISH (450 - 1100 AD):
• Old English (450 - 1100 AD): During the 5th Century AD, three
Germanic tribes (Saxons, Angles, and Jutes) came to the British Isles
from various parts of northwest Germany as well as Denmark. These
tribes were warlike and pushed out most of the original, Celtic-
speaking inhabitants from England into Scotland, Wales, and
Cornwall. One group migrated to the Brittany Coast of France where
their descendants still speak the Celtic Language of Breton today.
• Through the years, the Saxons, Angles and Jutes mixed

their different Germanic dialects. This group of dialects
forms what linguists refer to as Old English or Anglo-
Saxon. The word "English" was in Old English "Englisc",
and that comes from the name of the Angles. The Angles
were named from Engle, their land of origin.
• Before the Saxons the language spoken in what is now England was a
mixture of Latin and various Celtic languages which were spoken before
the Romans came to Britain (54-5BC). The Romans brought Latin to
Britain, which was part of the Roman Empire for over 400 years. Many of
the words passed on from this era are those coined by Roman merchants
and soldiers. These include win (wine), candel (candle), belt (belt), weall
(wall). ("Language Timeline", The British Library Board)
• The influence of Celtic upon Old English was

slight. In fact, very few Celtic words have lived
on in the English language. But many of place
and river names have Celtic origins: Kent, York,
Dover, Cumberland, Thames, Avon, Trent, Severn.
• The arrival of St. Augustine in 597 and the introduction of

Christianity into Saxon England brought more Latin words
into the English language. They were mostly concerned
with the naming of Church dignitaries, ceremonies, etc.
Some, such as church, bishop, baptism, monk, eucharist and
presbyter came indirectly through Latin from the Greek.
• Around 878 AD Danes and Norsemen, also called

Vikings, invaded the country and English got many
Norse words into the language, particularly in the
north of England. The Vikings, being Scandinavian,
spoke a language (Old Norse) which, in origin at
least, was just as Germanic as Old English/
• Words derived from Norse include: sky, egg, cake,

skin, leg, window (wind eye), husband, fellow, skill,
anger, flat, odd, ugly, get, give, take, raise, call, die,
they, their, them. ("The Origin and History of the
English Language", Kryss Katsiavriades)
• Several written works have survived from the Old English

period. The most famous is a heroic epic poem called
"Beowulf". It is the oldest known English poem and it is
notable for its length - 3,183 lines. Experts say "Beowulf"
was written in Britain more than one thousand years ago.
The name of the person who wrote it is unknown.
The Lord's Prayer (Old THE LORD’S PRAYER
English - Anglo-Saxon) (Modern English Versions)
Fæder ure þu þe eart on Our Father, who art in heaven,

heofonum; Si þin nama hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
gehalgod to becume þin rice thy will be done;
gewurþe ðin willa on eorðan on earth as it is in heaven.
swa swa on heofonum. urne Give us this day our daily bread.
gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us And forgive us our trespasses,
todæg and forgyf us ure gyltas as we forgive those who trespass against
us.
swa swa we forgyfað urum And lead us not into temptation; but
gyltendum and ne gelæd þu us deliver us from evil.
on costnunge ac alys us of yfele For thine is the kingdom, the power and
soþlice the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
PART OF BEOWULF, A
POEM WRITTEN IN OLD
ENGLISH
MIDDLE ENGLISH (1100-CIRCA 1500
AD):
• Middle English (1100-circa 1500 AD): After William the Conqueror, the
Duke of Normandy, invaded and conquered England in 1066 AD with his
armies and became king, he brought his nobles, who spoke French, to be
the new government. The Old French took over as the language of the
court, administration, and culture. Latin was mostly used for written
language, especially that of the Church. Meanwhile, the English language,
as the language of the now lower class, was considered a vulgar tongue.
MIDDLE ENGLISH (1100-CIRCA
1500 AD):
• By about 1200, England and France had split. English changed a lot, because it
was mostly being spoken instead of written for about 300 years. The use of Old
English came back, but with many French words added. This language is called
Middle English. Most of the words embedded in the English vocabulary are
words of power, such as crown, castle, court, parliament, army, mansion,
gown, beauty, banquet, art, poet, romance, duke, servant, peasant, traitor and
governor. ("Language Timeline", The British Library Board)
MIDDLE ENGLISH (1100-CIRCA 1500
AD):
• Because the English underclass cooked for the Norman

upper class, the words for most domestic animals are
English (ox, cow, calf, sheep, swine, deer) while the
words for the meats derived from them are French (beef,
veal, mutton, pork, bacon, venison). ("The Origin and
History of the English Language", Kryss Katsiavriades
MIDDLE ENGLISH (1100-CIRCA
1500 AD):
• The most famous example of Middle English is

Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales", a collection of
stories about a group of thirty people who travel as
pilgrims to Canterbury, England. The portraits that he
paints in his Tales give us an idea of what life was like
in fourteenth century England.
AN EXAMPLE OF MIDDLE
ENGLISH BY CHAUCER
MODERN ENGLISH (1500 TO THE
PRESENT):
• Modern English (1500 to the present): Modern English developed after
William Caxton established his printing press at Westminster Abbey in 1476.
Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press in Germany around 1450, but
Caxton set up England's first press. The Bible and some valuable manuscripts
were printed. The invention of the printing press made books available to
more people. The books became cheaper and more people learned to read.
Printing also brought standardization to English.
MODERN ENGLISH (1500 TO THE
PRESENT):
• By the time of Shakespeare's writings (1592-1616), the

language had become clearly recognizable as Modern
English. There were three big developments in the world at
the beginning of Modern English period: the Renaissance,
the Industrial Revolution, and the British Colonialism.
HAMLET'S FAMOUS "TO BE, OR
NOT TO BE" LINES, BY
SHAKESPEARE.
ENGLISH RENAISSANCE
• It was during the English Renaissance that most of the words

from Greek and Latin entered English. This period in English
cultural history (early 16th century to the early 17th century) is
sometimes referred to as "the age of Shakespeare" or "the
Elizabethan era", taking the name of the English Renaissance's
most famous author and most important monarch, respectively.
THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
England began the Industrial Revolution (18th century) and this had also an effect on
the development of the language as new words had to be invented or existing ones
modified to cope with the rapid changes in technology.
New technical words were added to the vocabulary as inventors designed various
products and machinery. These words were named after the inventor or given the
name of their choice (trains, engine, pulleys, combustion, electricity, telephone,
telegraph, camera etc).
AMERICAN ENGLISH AND
OTHER VARIETIES
• English colonization of North America and the subsequent
creation of American English. Some pronunciations and usages
"froze" when they reached the American shore. In certain
respects, some varieties of American English are closer to the
English of Shakespeare than modern Standard English ('English
English' or as it is often incorrectly termed 'British English') is.
OTHER VARIETIES
• Some "Americanisms" are actually originally English: English expressions
that were preserved in the colonies while lost at home (e.g., fall as a
synonym for autumn, trash for rubbish, and loan as a verb instead of lend).
• The American dialect also served as the route of introduction for many
native American words into the English language. Most often, these were
place names like Mississippi and Iowa.
OTHER VARIETIES
• Spanish has also been great influence on American

English. Mustang, canyon, ranch, stampede, and vigilante
are all examples of Spanish words that made their way
into English through the settlement of the American West.
A lesser number of words have entered American English
from French and West African languages.
OTHER VARIETIES
• Likewise dialects of English have developed in

many of the former colonies of the British Empire.
There are distinct forms of the English language
spoken in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa,
India and many other parts of the world.

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ENGLISH

3. Work on and come up

• The English language belongs to the West Germanic branch

• Through the years, the Saxons, Angles and Jutes mixed

• The influence of Celtic upon Old English was

• The arrival of St. Augustine in 597 and the introduction of

• Around 878 AD Danes and Norsemen, also called

• Words derived from Norse include: sky, egg, cake,

• Several written works have survived from the Old English

Fæder ure þu þe eart on Our Father, who art in heaven,

• Because the English underclass cooked for the Norman

• The most famous example of Middle English is

• By the time of Shakespeare's writings (1592-1616), the

• It was during the English Renaissance that most of the words

• Spanish has also been great influence on American

• Likewise dialects of English have developed in

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