A brief History of the English Language Thanks to Wikipedia.org

http://i.imgur.com/GyNj0.jpg

Scandinavia Rome http://theconventicle.blogspot.com/2007/11/conventicle-q-with-prof-carl-trueman.html

Timeline (pt.1) *Nowhere near to scale  500 BCE ---Early inhabitants: Celts live in the British Isles 43 BCE------- ------ Romans invade: Latin is introduced Around 200 Latin loanwords are inherited: Many of the words from this era are coined by Roman merchants and soldiers. These include win (wine), candel (candle), belt (belt) and weall (wall). Germanic Tribes (Angles and Saxons) begin to arrive -------449 CE Anglo Saxon dialects, originating in Scandinavia, form the basis of the language we now call Old English: Approximately one third of Anglo-Saxon vocabulary survives into modern English, including many of our most basic, everyday words: earth, house, food, sing, night and sleep. http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/changlang/across/languagetimeline.html; http://latinum.mypodcast.com/; BBC.co.uk

http://www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/2007_beowulf_001.html Beowulf: Old English Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum, þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon, hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon. Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum, monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah, egsode eorlas. Syððan ærest wearð feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad, weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah, oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra ofer hronrade hyran scolde, gomban gyldan. þæt wæs god cyning! LO, praise of the prowess of people-kings of spear-armed Danes, in days long sped, we have heard, and what honor the athelings won! Oft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes, from many a tribe, the mead-bench tore, awing the earls. Since erst he lay friendless, a foundling, fate repaid him: for he waxed under welkin, in wealth he throve, till before him the folk, both far and near, who house by the whale-path, heard his mandate, gave him gifts: a good king he! http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~beowulf/main.html http://faculty.virginia.edu/OldEnglish/Beowulf.Readings/Beowulf.Readings.html

Timeline (pt.2) Normans invade! Christian missionaries from Europe begin to arrive, reintroducing Latin. 597 CE Many of the new words derived from Latin refer to religion, such as altar, mass, school, and monk, but others are more domestic and mundane such as fork, spade, spider, tower, and rose. Vikings invade! 789 CE Raiders and settlers bring almost 2000 new words into the English vocabulary. anger, awkward, cake, die, egg, freckle, muggy, reindeer, silver, skirt and smile. Beowulf written sometime between 700s and 1000s 1066 CE Normans invade! Thousands of French words become embedded in the English vocabulary, most of which are words of power: crown, castle, court, parliament, army, mansion, gown, beauty, banquet, art, poet, romance, chess, color, duke, servant, peasant, traitor  and governor. http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/changlang/across/languagetimeline.html

G. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales: Middle English (late 1300s) Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury. Whan that Aprille, with hise shoures soote, The droghte of March hath perced to the roote And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open eye- So priketh hem Nature in hir corages- Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially, from every shires ende Of Engelond, to Caunturbury they wende, hooly blisful martir for the seke That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seeke. Here begins the Book of the Tales of Canterbury When April's gentle rains have pierced the drought Of March right to the root, and bathed each sprout Through every vein with liquid of such power It brings forth the engendering of the flower; When Zephyrus too with his sweet breath has blown through every field and forest, urging on The tender shoots, and there's a youthful sun, His second half course through the Ram now run, And little birds are making melody And sleep all night, eyes open as can be (So Nature pricks them in each little heart), On pilgrimage then folks desire to start. The palmers long to travel foreign strands To distant shrines renowned in sundry lands; And specially, from every shire's end In England, folks to Canterbury wend: To seek the blissful martyr is their will, The one who gave such help when they were ill. http://www.canterburytales.org/ http://www.ronaldecker.com/general.htm

Timeline (pt.3) 100 Years War between England and France: French is the language of the enemy. The status of English rises. Literacy increases. 1337-1450s CE Renaissance in England 1476-1650: A time of great cultural and intellectual development. Canterbury Tales written late 1300s 26 April 1564- 23 April 1616 Shakespeare’s life 1755 CE Scholars believe that the English language is chaotic, and in need of some firm rules. Books teaching 'correct' grammar, pronunciation & spelling are increasingly popular. Samuel Johnson publishes his famous dictionary in 1755 You read Othello Thanks to wars, globalization, new technology and inventions, English continues to change dramatically even today. 2010 CE