History of the English Language

Indo-European Language Family

• Stretches from North India to Western Europe.
• Nearly half the global population speaks an Indo-European language, including English.
• English is part of the Germanic branch, alongside German, Dutch, and Swedish.

Roman Influence and Germanic Tribes

• Romans ruled England for over 400 years but left in the early 5th century.
• Germanic tribes from Denmark and Northern Germany filled this vacuum.
• Celtic speakers concentrated in Wales, Scotland, and Cornwall.
• Germanic peoples in Britain developed a common identity as Anglo-Saxons.

Old English

• Spoken by Anglo-Saxons.
• Largely incomprehensible to modern speakers.
• Many common words today (e.g., 'water', 'child') originate from Old English.
• English evolved significantly due to external influences.

Viking Invasions

• Occurred from the 8th century onwards.
• Norsemen from Norway and Denmark influenced English.
• Vocabulary additions include 'sky', 'bag', 'law', 'hit', and 'they'.

Norman Conquest (1066)

• William the Conqueror's success at the Battle of Hastings.
• Normans spoke Old French, influencing English language.
• Led to the emergence of Middle English (30% of English words are French in origin).
• Synonyms in English reflect French influence (e.g., 'pig'/'pork').

Middle English

• Combination of Old English and Old French.
• Simplified grammar rules.
• Still incomprehensible to modern speakers.
• Example from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

Great Vowel Shift (15th Century)

• Propelled English into Early Modern English.
• Long vowels became shorter diphthongs.
• Consonants became silent (e.g., 'knife' was 'kneef').

Early Modern English

• Spelling remains complex due to historical pronunciation changes.
• Shakespeare's works are examples of Early Modern English.
• Understandable but with different vocabulary and expressions.

British Empire and Expansion (16th Century Onwards)

• English spread globally, transforming the vocabulary.
• Influences from colonies and industrial revolution.
• American English pronunciation is closer to Shakespearean English.

Modern English

• Continues to evolve with new words and shifting grammar.
• American pop culture prominently influences global English.
• Future English may sound as foreign to us as Chaucer’s English does today.