1. HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE “The Language of Our Lives”
INTRODUCTION TO UNIT 1
HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
“The Language of Our Lives”

2. A few things to know…
AD – means “anno Domini,” Latin for ‘in the year of our Lord.’
BC – before Christ
Medieval is not really pronounced or spelled “mid-evil.” It is a Latin term that refers to the Middle Ages.

3. When did English begin? English started in the 5th century AD.
3 Germanic tribes invaded England
Angles
Saxons
Jutes
At the time, people in Britain spoke a Celtic language
The Celtic speakers were pushed into Scotland and Ireland during the Germanic invasion

4. Old English: ( AD)
The language of the Germanic tribes developed into what we call Old English
Nearly impossible for modern readers to understand
This is NOT the language Shakespeare used, so don’t ever say, “I can’t understand Shakespeare because it’s in Old English.”
H:\The Lords Prayer in Old English from the 11th century - YouTube2.flv

5. 1066 AD
William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy (from northern France) invaded Britain and won.
For a while, upper classes spoke French; lower classes spoke English.
By the 14th century (1300s), English became the dominant language again, but it was mixed with French words.
This language was called Middle English
Still hard for modern readers to understand; still not “Shakespeare’s language.”

6. Modern English (1500-1800) The Great Vowel Shift took place
Vowel pronunciation became shorter and shorter over time.
Britain came into contact with other cultures/languages.
The Renaissance led to more widespread education.
Printing was invented, so people had more access to a common language.
Spelling & grammar became “fixed.”
1604- The first English dictionary is published.

7. Late Modern English (1800-Present)
What we speak now
Inspired by Industrial Revolution and technology
Changed significantly as a result of English territory covering ¼ of the earth’s surface by this period

8. Ticket Out… Which three Germanic tribes invaded England in 5 AD?
What does AD stand for?
What country was William the Conqueror from?