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HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ENGLISH

Hello everyone. Welcome to the course: History of the English Language.
Fisrt of all, we would like to introduce general information about this subject.

Aims and Objectives of the Course

The history of the English Language designs for the second year major English
students at Hanoi Open University with 2 credits. The aims of the course are:

• To introduce general information about history of English language

• To examine the development of English language from old to modern and

present English

• To examine the effect of foreign language on English

• To examine how English change in grammar, spelling, vocabulary …

• To understand the standard English and globe English

• To know the role of English in the world

• To understand varieties of English and consider the development of English

in the future

At the end of the course the students will be able to:

1. Recognize the English why we use to day

2. Summarize the difference between old English and Middle English

3. Identify the early English origin the development of English

4. Describe the major periods in the history of English

5. Describe generally the dialect boundaries in England

6. Understand the impacts of others languages to English language

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7. Identify French influences on English

8. Understand the differences of English in the world

9. Understand the development and the role of American English

10. Enable to summarize the history of English

References

1. David Graddol, Dick Leith & Joan Swann. English – History, Diversity,
Change. Routledge, 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Published, 1996.

2. Gerry Kwonles. A culture History of the English language. Oxford

University Press, 1999.

3. Haruko Momma and Michael Matto. A Companion to the History of the

English language. Blackwell Publishing L.M.T, 2008.

4. Seth Lerer. The History of the English language. The teaching company
Limited Partnership, 1998.

5. Albert C. Bauch & Thomas Cable. A History of the English Language.

Prence Hall, inc, 2002.

Methods of Evaluation

An oral or a written test is carried out at the end of the course. (Both tests can
be applied for full-time students)

CONTENTS

Chapter 1:

Lesson1: A brief history of English with chronology and Old English.

Lesson 2: Middle English.

Chapter 2:

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Lesson 3: Modern English

Lesson 4: List of Dialects of the English Language

Lesson 5: International English

Chapter 3:

Lesson 6: English in England

Lesson 7: The English Language in America

Chapter 4:

Lesson 8: Australian English

Lesson 9: Canadian English

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CHAPTER 1:

LESSON1: A BRIEF HISTORY OF ENGLISH WITH

CHRONOLOGY AND OLD ENGLISH.
LESSON 2: MIDDLE ENGLISH.
Now, let's begin with the first lesson: A brief history of English with
chronology and Old English. Here are the main points of the lesson:

1. Brief history of English language

1.1 Pre- hisorical/ pre Roman

1.2 Old English (450 – 110 AD)

1.3 Middle English (110 – 1500)

1.4 Modern English (1500 – present)

2. Old English

2.1 Roman occupation 55 B.C – 410 AD

2.2 Important events during Roman occupation

2.3 Most important results of The Roman occupation

2.4 Important events in the first Angle-Saxon period

2.5 Viking invasions 787 – 1066

2.6 Important results of the Viking invasions

2.7 Dialects of old English

1. A brief history of English

A brief history of English

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+ Celts (Brythons and Gaels) up to 55 B.C.

+ Roman Conquest 55 B.C. - 407 A.D.

+ Anglo-Saxon Period 407 A.D. - 787 A.D.

+ Viking Invasions 787 A.D. - 1066 A.D.

+ Noman Conquest begins in 1066 A.D.

1.1. Pre-Historical/Pre-Roman

The Celts/Pre-Roman

The island we know as England was invaded by two groups of people: 1.

Celts: known as Bythons (now spelled Britons) and 2. Gaels (who settled on the
island now known as Ireland).

The Celts were Pagans and their religion was known as “animism” a Latin
word for “spirit.”

Druids were their priests and when clans had disputes, they intervened to
settle them.

1.2. Old English (450 – 1100 AD)

The history of English language really started with the arrival of three
Germanic tribes (the Angles, the Saxon, and the Jutes) who invaded Britain during
the 5th century AD. These tribes crossed the North Sea from what today is
Denmark and North Germanic.

The invading Germanic tribes spoke similar language, which in Britain

developed into what we now call Old English. Old English did not sound or look
like English today. Native English speakers now would have great difficulty
understanding Old English. Nevertheless, about half of the most commonly used
words in Modern English have Old English roots. For example, the words “ be “, “

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strong “ and “ water “, derive from Old English. Old English was spoken until
around 1100.

An example for Old English: A poem written in Old English – Beowulf.

Intercultural communication is the process whereby one’s culture affects

interaction with a person from another

1.3. Middle English(1100 – 1500)

In 1066 William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy (part of modern

France), invaded and conquered England. The new conquerors (called the
Normans) brought with them a kind of French, which became the language of the
Royal Court, and the ruling and business classes.

For a period there was a kind of linguitic class division, where the lower
classes spoke English and the upper classes spoke French. In the 14th century
English became dominant in Britant again, but with many French word added.

This language is called Middle English. It was the language of the great poet
Chaucer (c1340 – 1400), but it would still be difficult for native English speaker to
understand today.

1.4. Modern English

A. Early Modern English (1500 – 1800)

Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden and distinct change in

pronunciation (the great Vowel Shift) started. With vowels being pronounced
shorter and shorter. From the 16th century the British had contact with many people
from around the world.

This, and the Renaissance of Classical learning, meant that many new words
and phrases entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there

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was now a common language in print. Book became cheaper and more people
learned to read.

Three periods of Emglish

+ Old English or Anglo-Saxon to c. 1150.

+ Middle English to c. 1500.

+ Modern English to today

This is the brief history of English language. Now we will continue with the
next main point: Old English.

2. Old English (450 – 1100 AD)

Now, look at the overview of Periods of Early English History Pre-History—

1066 A. D.

+ Pre-Roman/Pre-Historical up to 55 B. C.

+ Roman Occupation: 55 B. C. – 410 A. D.

+ Anglo-Saxon Period: 410 – 787 A. D.

+ Viking Invasions: 787 – 1066 A. D.

+ Norman Conquest begins in 1066

2.1. Roman occupation 55 B.C – 410 AD

The island we know as England was occupied by a race of people called the
Celts. One of the tribes was called they Brythons or Britons (where we get the term
Britain)

The Celts were Pagans and their religion was know as “animism” a Latin
word for “spirit.” Celts saw spirits everywhere

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Druids were their priests; their role was to go between the gods and the
people

2.2. Important events during Roman occupation

Here are the important Events during Roman Occupation

+ Julius Caesar begin invading in 55 B.C.

+ Occupation completed by Claudius in 1st cent. A.D.

+ Hadrian’s Wall built about 122 A.D.

+ Romans “leave” in 410 A.D. because Visigoths attacked Rome

+ St. Augustine (the “other” St. Augustine!) landed in Kent in 597 and
converted King Aethelbert (king of Kent, the oldest Saxon settlement) to
Christianity; became the first Archbishop of Canterbury

Important Cultural and Historical Results of the Roman Occupation

Warren Hollister writes, “Rome’s greatest gift to Britain was peace”.

+ Infrastructure

- Government (fell apart when they left)

- Walls, villas, public baths (some remains still exist)

+ Language and Writing

- Latin was official language

- Practice of recording history led to earliest English “literature” being

documentary

+ Religion

Christianity beginning to take hold, especially after St. Augustine converts

King Aethelbert

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2.3. Most important results of The Roman occupation

Most Important Results of the Roman Occupation

- Latin heavily influenced the English language

- Relative Peace

- Christianity begins to take hold in England (but does not fully displace
Paganism for several hundred years)

2.4. Important events in the first Angle-Saxon period

Important Events in the (First) Anglo-Saxon Period

410- 450 Angles and Saxons invade from Baltic shores of Germany, and the
Jutes invade from the Jutland peninsula in Denmark

The Geats are a tribe from Jutland

Nine Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms eventually became the Anglo-Saxon heptarchy

(England not unified), or “Seven Sovereign Kingdoms

Heptarchy = Seven Kingdoms

1. Kent

2. Essex (East Saxon)

3. Sussex (South Saxon)

4. East Anglia

5. Northumbria

6. Mercia

7. Wessex (West Saxon)

Name are families, relationships, status, and traditions.

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By understanding names, we get s glimpse into those things that are

important to us and to the cultures to which we belong.

A name can identify who we are in family, community and country.

2.5. Viking invasions 787 – 1066

By definition, Vikings were sea-faring (explorers, traders, and warriors)

Scandinavians during the 8th through 11th centuries.

Oddly enough, the Anglo-Saxon (and Jute) heritage was not much different
from the Vikings’: they, too, were Scandinavian invaders. In fact, some Vikings
were also called “Northmen” which is related to yet another culture (this one
French) which made conquest of England—the Normans, and William the
Conqueror in 1066.

However, when the Viking raids began around 787, the Anglo-Saxons were
different culturally from the Viking invaders

+ One another cocept: they were ALL Vikings. Except for the Celts* and the
Romans, all of the cultures who successfully invaded England in the first
millennium were from Northern Europe at one time or another. The Angles,
Saxons, Frisians, and Jutes were from the Baltic region, and the Normans (1066)
were primarily from Normandy and had originally been from Norway (the Celts
were indigenous at the time of the Roman conquest, and are therefore considered
England’s “natives".

2.6. Important results of the Viking invasions

When the Vikings invaded England, they left the important results:
+ Politics and Culture

- Continued political instability and conflict (i.e., tribal war): there was no
central government or church.

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- The Anglo-Saxon code (more on this when we read Beowulf)

+ Linguistics (The English Language at its Earliest)

- The English language was “born” during the first millennium and is known
as Old English (OE). Anglo-Saxon is the term for the culture.

Old English is mainly Germanic in grammar (syntax and morphology) and

lexicon (words). The core of our modern English is vastly influenced by this early
linguistics, but even Germanic languages derived from a theoretical Proto-Indo-
European language, the grandparent of classical languages such as Greek, Sanskrit,
Latin, and German ( Remember: Vikings were Germanic people)

2.7. Dialects of old English

Lots of dialects of Old-English, as one might imagine. This was because

there were several separate Kingdoms, many founded by essentially five or six
different cultures: Angles, Saxons, Frisians, Jutes, Danes, and Swedes

*Alfred the Great (ruled from approx. 871-899 A.D.) was one of the first
Anglo-Saxon kings to push Vikings back; in fact, he was one of the first kings to
begin consolidating power, unifying several of the separate Anglo-Saxon kingdoms

Summary

At the end of this lesson. You have to understand the brief history of English
with Chronology and Old English following these main points of this lesson:

1. Brief history of English language

1.1 Pre- hisorical/ pre Roman

1.2 Old English (450 – 110 AD)

1.3 Middle English (110 – 1500)

1.4 Modern English (1500 – present)

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2. Old English

2.1 Roman occupation 55 B.C – 410 AD

2.2 Important events during Roman occupation

2.3 Most important results of The Roman occupation

2.4 Important events in the first Angle-Saxon period

2.5 Viking invasions 787 – 1066

2.6 Important results of the Viking invasions

2.7 Dialects of old English

Lesson 2: Middle English

Hello everyone! Today, we will start with lesson 2 of this course, Middle
English. In this lesson, we will understand the second period of developing English
with the following main pionts:

1. 1066 – 1075: Norman conquest of England

Early Middle English

2. 1204 – ca.1300: English reappearance

3. 1337 – 1362: The Hundred Years’ war

Resurgence of English

4. ca. 1380 – 1474: Birth of English Literature

Late Middle English

5. Middle English Creole Hypothesis

1. Norman conquest of England

Early Middle English (1066 – 1075)

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In 1066, William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy (part of modern

France), invaded and conquered England, claiming his right to the English throne.

This battle was fought over a dispute (argument) of power between King
Harold of England and William of Normandy.

1.1. William the Conqueror (c1028 – 1087)

William the Conqueror (c1028 – 1087)

William I (Old Norman: Williame I)

In 1032 became William of Normandy (at the age of 8)

In 1066 was crowned as the King of England in Westminster Abbey

He died on 9 September, 1087, having ruled England for 21 years. William

crushed uprisings of Anglo-Saxon earls and peasants (farmers) with a brutal hand;
in Mercia and Northumberland, uses (literal) scorched earth policy, decimating
population and laying waste the countryside.

1.2. The Battle of Hastings

Consequences:

Anglo-Saxon earls and freemen deprived of property; many enslaved.

Around 8000 men died

Harold was killed

The Normans won and William was crowned the King of England

The Normans rightfully controlled England

William distributes property and titles to Normans (and some English) who
supported him. Many of the English hereditary titles of nobility date from
this period.

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1.3. The Norman impact upon England after the battle

English becomes the language of the lower classes (peasants and slaves).
Norman French becomes the language of the court and propertied classes. After a
while, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles is no longer kept up.
Authors write literature in French, not English.

For all practical purposes English is no longer a written language.

Bilingualism gradually becomes more common, especially among those who

deal with both upper and lower classes.

Growth of London as a commercial center draws many from the countryside

who can fill this socially intermediate role

England is under the influence of French (Anglo-Norman).

The English has become “Normanized”.

2. 1204 – ca.1300: English reappearance

+ King John succeeded as King of England and ruler of the English

possessions in France. During his reign, he had proved to be one of the worst
rulers that England ever had.

+ Philip Augustus, the French king, now aided young Arthur in attacking the
French possessions of his uncle John.

+ By June 1204, Philip Augustus had conquered Normandy, starting the

French invasion of England

+ Consequences:

The English kings lost the duchy of Normandy to French kings.

England loses most of its possessions in France. England is now the only
home of the Norman English.

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The loss of Normandy seemed to the English people of that day a great
disaster; but we can see now that it was a good thing for England, as well as
for France.

English reappearance

In 1205, first book in English appears since the conquest.

In 1258, first royal proclamation issued in English since the conquest.

Increasing feeling on the part of even noblemen that they are ENGLISH, not
French.

Nobility begin to educate their children in English. French is taught to

children as a foreign language rather than used as a medium of instruction

3. 1337 – 1362: The Hundred Years’ war: Resurgence of English

3.1. Background

In 1337, the war between England and France started.

England & France forged their identities

116 years of intermittent war

Began as a feudal war – developed two powerful & territorially integrated

states

England won every important

3.2. Causes

Edward III of England– claims French throne through line of descent via his
mother, Isabella of France.

England already owns some land in France

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French say that the throne can not descend through a female. Thus Edward
III can not be king of France

3.3. Consequences

Consequences:

Economies in France where the battles were fought, were devastated.

England’s economy suffered due to the stunning costs of the war.

England lost all of its continental possessions, except Calais

French farmland was devastated

Population declined

Growth of nationalism

The effect of branding French as the language of the enemy and the status of
English rose.

In 1362, English becomes official language of the law courts.

More and more authors are writing in English

4. ca. 1380 – 1474: Birth of English Literature: Late Middle English

ca. 1380 – 1474

Birth of English Literature

Late Middle English

Chaucer and the Birth of English Literature

In the 14th century, English became dominant in Britain again, but with
many French words added. This language is called Middle English

Middle English was the language of the great poet Chaucer (c1340 – 1400

4.1. Geoffrey Chaucer (c1343 – 1400)

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Geoffrey Chaucer (c1343 – 1400)

+ The father of English Poetry

+ The First Great Writer in English

+ In 1359, was captured by the French

+ 1372, Visited Italia, came into contact with the works of Dante Boccaccio
and Petrarch, realised the importance of creating literature in the common
English

+ In the early 1380s, began the Canterbury Tales

+ Oct.25, 1400, he died and buried in Westminster Abbey (as Poet’s Corner)

4.2. The Canterbury tales

The Canterbury tales

Beginning of the "General Prologue" to Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" 858

lines (first 4 lines)

When that Aprill with his shoures soote

When fair April with his showers sweet,

The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,

Has pierced the drought of March to the root's feet

And bathed every veyne in swich licour

And bathed each vein in liquid of such power,

Of which vertu engendred is the flour,

Its strength creates the newly springing flower;

4.3. The Canterbury tales

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The overall sense of his work:

Is very much of a re-formed English, a complete, flexible and confident

language, more than adequate (enough) to produce great literature.

Chaucer introduced many new words into the language, up to 2,000 by some
counts - these were almost certainly words in everyday use in 14th century London,
but first attested (certified) in Chaucer's written works

4.4. More examples of Middle English

+ In 1384, John Wycliffe (Wyclif) produced his translation of “The Bible” in

vernacular (common) English.

+ Although perhaps not of the same literary calibre as Chaucer, Wycliffe’s

“Bible” was nevertheless a landmark in the English language.

+ Over 1,000 English words were first recorded in it, most of them Latin-
based, often via French

Late Middle English

By the late 14th and 15th Century, the language had changed drastically.

Old English would probably have been almost as incomprehensible (difficult

to understand) to Chaucer as it is to us today, even though the language of Chaucer
is still quite difficult for us to read naturally.

4.5. Introduction of printing

William Caxton whose writing and printing is noticeably easier for the
modern reader to understand.

Caxton is credited with standardising the English language through printing.

The works of Chaucer and William Caxton had lead Modern English to come
into existence.

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5. Middle English Creole Hypothesis

Middle English Creole Hypothesis

In this part, we will study the following main points:

1. Differences between Middle and Old English.

2. Causes of grammatical changes.

3. French influences.

5.1. Differences between Old and Middle English

Differences between Old and Middle English

- The system of declension of nouns was radically and anologised.

- The verb system also lost many old patterns of conjugation.

- Syntax was also simplified.

- These grammatical simlifications resemble those observed in pidgins, creoles and

other contact languages.

However, many say that English is probably not a creole because it retains a high
number (283) of irregular verbs.

5.2. Causes of grammatical changes

- A fixed stress location

=> Reduction of unstressed vowel to schwa (common to many Germanic

languages)

'The process of cases collapse was underway in Old English. => The
simplification of noun declension from Old English to Middle English have had
causes unrelated to creolisation

5.3. French influences

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French influences

* English had an unusual amount of French and Norman loanwords.

Most of the borrowing happened after 1400, two centuries after the nobility
ceased to be French speaking.

* Most of Romance languages have only 2 grammatical genders: masculine and

feminine.

Since these 2 gender systems are incompatible English responded by dropping

genders altogether.

The loss of agreement between modifier is perhaps attributable to the reduction to

schwa

- The plural form in English originates from a masculine nominative –

accusative plural ( Old English - as) and is cognate with the Old Saxon plural - os
and the Old Norse plural - ar.

* There is one change that may a direct result of French influence: the loss of
Thou. Due to politeness among English speakers, Thou fell into disuse.

* The combination of a largely French speaking aristocracy and a largely English

speaking peasantry gave rise to many pairs of words with a Latinate word in the
higher register and a Germanic word in the lower register

5.4. Examples

. chicken . sheep

. calf . swine/pig

. cow

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* The name of the animals appear on one’s plate, as the aristocracy saw them, are
of Latin origin.

. poultry . mutton

. veal . pork

. beef

5.5. other doublets

Latin Germanic

bellicose warlike

Benediction blessing

Close shut

Commence begin

decapitate behead

desire wish

gentle mild

labour work

novel new

verity truth

examples of loanword from French:

During the reign of the Normans, many words related to the ruling classes
and the business of government entered English from French

+ city + royal

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+ regal + jury

Some examples of loanword from French:

vision face

radio situation

mission parents

poison photo

train table

date admire

5.6. In conclusion

Overcoming lots of changes and developments, English, nowadays has been

an international language which improve not only its meaning but also its
intonation. But speaking strictly, we can’t deny the importance and the role of
Middle English creole hypothesis. It functions as an essential base to develop
Standard and Modern English.

SUMMARY

At the end of this lesson, you have to understand the brief history of the middle
English, the factors of influences on middle English following these main points of
this lesson:

1. 1066 – 1075 : Norman conquest of England

:Early Middle English

1.1 William the Conqueror (c1028 – 1087)

1.2 The Battle of Hastings

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1.3 The Norman impact upon England after the battle

2. 1204 – ca. 1300 : English reappearance

3. 1337 – 1362 : The Hundred Years’ war

:Resurgence of English

3.1 Background

3.2 Causes

3.3 Consequences

4. ca. 1380 – 1474 : Birth of English Literature

:Late Middle English

4.1 Geoffrey Chaucer (c1343 – 1400)

4.2 The Canterbury tales

4. 3 More examples of Middle English

4.4 Introduction of printing

5. Middle English Creole Hypothesis

5.1 Differences between Old and Middle English

5.2 Causes of grammatical changes

5.3 French influences

5.4 Examples

5.5 other doublets

5.6 In conclusion

- Summary of the lesson

Thank you for your listening. Have a nice day and Goodbye!

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