The History of English

The subject history of the English Language Plan: 1.Origins of the English Language. 2. The Anglo-Saxon conquest of Britain. 3. Periods in the history of English. 4. Writings in Old English.

Origins of the English language More than 200 years B.C. Stone Age hunters began to move feely in and out of Britain, which at that time formed part of the continental landmass. About 3000 years B.C. many parts of Europe, including the British Isles , were inhabited by a people, who came to be known as the Iberians because some of their descendants are still found in the north of Spain (the Iberian Peninsula). Almost 3000 years ago the Celts arrived in Britain where they found and displaced a mysterious race the heirs of ancient cultures that 1000 years before had raised a great circle of standing stones of Stonehenge. During the period from the 6th to the 3rd century B.C. a people called the Celts spread across Europe from the East to the west. More than one celtic tribe invaded Britain.

The Anglo-Saxon Conquest of Britain In the 5th century, first the jutes and then other Germanic tribes , the Saxons and the Angles began to migrate to Britain. By the end of the 6th and the beginning of the 7th century several kingdoms were formed on the territory of Britain conquered by the Germanic tribes. As a result of the conquest the Anglo- Saxons made up the majority of the population in Britain and their customs, religion and languages became predominant. It is at this time, the 5th century, that the history of the English language begins.

The Germanic Family of Languages English is a member of the Germanic family of languages. Germanic is a branch of the Indo-European language family.

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