2. Historical Development of English

• The English language is a West-Germanic language that originated in England, making it the third most spoken language in the world after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.
• English has been influenced by a number of other languages over the centuries, including Old Norse, Latin, French, and Dutch.
• The earliest forms of English were spoken by the Anglo-Saxons, who settled in England in the 5th century.
• The Anglo-Saxons were a mix of Germanic tribes from Scandinavia and Germany.
• The Old English period began in 449 AD with the arrival of three Germanic tribes from the Continent: the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.
• The Anglo-Saxons settled in the south and east of Britain, which was then inhabited by the Celts.
• The Anglo-Saxons had their own language, called Old English, which was spoken from around the 5th century to the 11th century.
• The Anglo-Saxons also had their own alphabet, which was known as the futhorc and consisted of 24 letters, most of which were named after rune symbols.
• The second stage of the English language is known as the Middle English period, which was spoken from around the 12th century to the late 15th century.
• As a result of the Norman Conquest, in 1066, French became the language of the ruling class, while English was spoken by the lower classes.
• Middle English is often divided into two periods: Early Middle English (11th- 13th centuries) and Late Middle English (14th-15th centuries).
• The Normans brought with them many French words that began to replace their Old English equivalents, a process known as Normanisation.
• The most noticeable changes caused by Normanisation were in the vocabulary of law and government.
• The Norman Conquest also affected the grammar of Old English: the inflectional system began to break down, and words started to lose their endings, this Scandinavian influence made the English vocabulary simpler and more regular.
• The Late-Middle English period began in the 14th century and lasted until the 15th century, the English language was further influenced by French.
• Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) between England and France meant that English was used more and more in official documents, this helped to standardize the language and make it more uniform.
• The Canterbury Tales is one of the most famous examples of Middle English literature, written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 14th century.
• Middle English was influenced by the introduction of Christianity, with many religious terms being borrowed from Latin.
• The third stage of the English language is known as Modern English, which began in the 16th century and continues to the present day.
• The Renaissance (14th-17th centuries) saw a rediscovery of classical learning, which had a significant impact on English literature; the English language also borrowed many Greek and Latin words.
• The first English dictionary, A Table Alphabetical of Hard Words, was published in 1604.
• The King James Bible, which was first published in 1611, also had a significant impact on the development of Early Modern English.
• The most significant change occurred in the 20th century, with the introduction of mass media and technology.