A [brief] history of the English language AP Language and Composition Mr. O’Connor

To begin… What year was English as we know it today invented? Who invented it?

To begin… 1066 A.D. A bunch of Germans… …and some French nobles.

Proto-English Late BC/Early AD: Germanic tribes trade, fight, coexist with Roman Empire Angles Saxons Jutes Latin words begin to enter the language of the tribes Wine Cup Bishop

The settlement of England 400-500 AD: Germanic tribes invade and occupy the area now known as England (Land of the Angles) Tribes intermingle with each other, languages blended 600s AD: Christianity gains popularity among tribes Introduces more Latin words to the language priest paper School The resultant language: Anglo-Saxon/Old English

A sample of Anglo-Saxon English… Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum; Si þin nama gehalgod to becume þin rice gewurþe ðin willa on eorðan swa swa on heofonum. urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg and forgyf us ure gyltas swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge ac alys us of yfele soþlice

…and a modern translation Our Father, Who art in heaven Hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

The invaders become the invaded King William of Normandy (France) crosses the English Channel Battle of Hastings October 14, 1066 William kills King Harold, the leader of the Saxons William and Normand nobles become ruling class, bring their language with them Heavily influence by Latin and Greek Commoners still speak English

Language finds a way Despite being conquered, English adapted rather than be replaced Many French words were assimilated into the language Heavy on Latin and Greek Origins Resulted in Middle English, which is much closer to what we speak today Modern English came about in ~1550 with the rise of the English Empire Anglo-Saxon French hamlet village town city

A study in food Animal Food cow beef calf veal pig pork sheep mouton chicken turkey rabbit

A study in food Anglo-Saxon French cow bouef calf veau pig porc sheep mouton chicken turkey rabbit

A study in food Even today, English reflects the social divide Animals that were not commonly eaten in the region (chicken, turkey, rabbit) have the same word

Etymology (Word Origin) SPEAK Origin: before 900; Middle English speken, Old English specan,variant of sprecan; cognate with German  sprechen (Old High German sprehhan; compare variant spehhan) CONVERSE Origin: 1300-1350; Middle English conversen <Middle French converser < Latin conversārī to associate with.

Write a story Compose a one-paragraph story Left side of the room: use at least ten Germanic words Right side of the room: use at least ten Latinate words Underline the words in each story

Wrap-up What is the effect of favoring Germanic vs. Latinate/Greek words? How can this inform your writing?