History of the English Language Roots

History of the English Language

English Language Roots
The history of English language is interestingly complex. English is classified as a Germanic language, meaning that it belongs to the Germanic language family. More specifically, English belongs to the West Germanic language family group, along with German and Dutch. The Germanic language family originally descended from the Indo-European language family which itself descends from Proto-Indo-European, the parent tongue of English as spoken by European nomads over 5,000 years ago.

Who Created the English Language?

The English language started with just a few groups of European settlers before being heavily influenced by other cultures and languages. The Celts were the first people to inhabit the British Isles around 1,000 B.C.E. However, the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes were the first known people to use the English language, settling in Britain between the years 400 and 500 C.E. Although each group of settlers spoke a different dialect, the speech of all three groups was collectively referred to as Englisc because of the Old English name for the Angles, which was Engle. The Old English term originated from the Latin and Common Germanic word for Angles, Angli.

The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes settled in various regions of Britain between 400 and 500 C.E. and are considered to be the first people to have spoken the English language.

A map of Britain showing the locations of the settlements of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes in the year 600
How Was the English Language Created?
The English language was created through a process of including words, phrases, and other features of other languages like Latin and the Romance languages. Words that originated from one language but are used in a different language with little or no changes to their original form are called loanwords. Some examples of loanwords include baguette, ballet, café, and fiancé which originate from French; and alligator, alpaca, burrito, and coyote, which originate from Spanish.

Baguette is an example of a loanword taken from the French language and used in the English language.

A group of French baguettes standing upright in a wire basket with a sign that reads Baguette
How Long Has the English Language Been Around?
When was the English language created? The English language has been around since the Germanic tribes first invaded Britain during the 5th-century C.E.

When Did Old English Become a Language?

Old English was the very first documented version of the English language. It was used from the 7th-century C.E. until the 12th-century C.E.

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English Language Timeline
The English language that is spoken today has progressed through several versions throughout history. The history of the English language began with Old English, the earliest known version of the English language, in the 7th-century C.E., then evolved into Middle English by the 12th-century C.E. Middle English is thought of as the transition period between Old English and Early Modern English. It was during this period that the author Geoffrey Chaucer wrote his famous work The Canterbury Tales.

Middle English was spoken until the 16th-century C.E. when Early Modern English began to be used. Early Modern English is the period during which playwright William Shakespeare wrote and produced all of his works. The language expanded into Late Modern English at the turn of the 19th-century, and this is the version of English spoken today. The evolution of the English language, including dates and examples of words in each version, is illustrated in the following table.

Version Dates of Use Examples of Words
Old English 650–1100 C.E. mycel, fyr, hus, hu, sunu, him, cwen, hwaet
Middle English 1100–1500 C.E. muchel, fuir, hous, how, sone, hym, queen, what
Early Modern English 1500–1800 C.E. much, fire, house, how, son, him, queen, what
Late Modern English 1800–present-day much, fire, house, how, son, him, queen, what
The Canterbury Tales, a classic text written by Geoffrey Chaucer, was originally written in Middle English

A portion of text written in Middle English titled Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales accompanied by an image of a person riding a horse and surrounded by a maroon background

Roman, Germanic, and Christian Influences
The English language results from a mixture of Roman, Germanic, and Christian influences. The Roman influence on the English language began when Julius Caesar led the Roman army into Britain around 55 B.C.E. Britain was not officially part of the Roman Empire until 43 C.E., an occupation that lasted until 410 C.E. During this period of occupation, the language of the Romans (Latin) inevitably penetrated the language of the Britains (English). After the Romans exited Britain, new groups of settlers arrived from the Germanic countries of Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands. These settlers, known as the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, are said to have invented the English language. For this reason, English is classified as a Germanic language.

Christianity was introduced to Britain by the Romans from the start of their occupation of the island. By the time the Romans left Britain, the majority of those who lived on the island were Christians. One of the most notable ways that Christianity contributed to the English language was through the Latin alphabet. Because Latin was the official alphabet used by the Christian Church, it was the most logical choice for the alphabet of the written English language.

Viking and Norman Invasions
During the 9th-century, the era of Old English, the Vikings invaded Britain. The Vikings came from their homelands of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, bringing with them their language and their customs. Some of this language became incorporated into the English language at this time. Especially of note are the names for the days of the week that are used today in modern English: Tuesday derives from the name of the Norse god Tiw, Wednesday derives from the name of the Norse god Woden, and Thursday derives from the name of the Norse god Thor.

Who invented the English language?

It is believed that the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invented English. English was the language that the three tribes spoke after they settled in Britain.

What is the history of English language?

The English language is descended from the Proto-Indo-European language. This language eventually produced the Germanic language family to which English belongs.

When did people start speaking English?

People started speaking English around 650 C.E. The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes settled in Britain between 400 and 500 C.E. and their speech was named 'English'.