History of the English Language

History of the English Language Lecture 8

Linguistically Influential Periods of Early English History

• 1. Pre-Roman/Celtic Period  up to 55 B.C.
• 2. Roman Occupation  55 B.C. – 410 A.D.
• 3. Invasion of Angles, Saxons, & Jutes  410–1066 A.D.
• 4. Norman Conquest  1066 A.D.
• 5. Renaissance & Great Vowel Shift  aft. 14th century

(1) Pre-Roman/Celtic Period

• Historical Notes:
• 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 known as “animism,” a Latin word for “spirit.” Celts saw spirits everywhere.
• Druids were their priests; their role was to go between the gods and the people.

• Stonehenge was built during the time of the Celts.

(2) Roman Occupation

• Historical Notes:
• Julius Caesar began invasion/occupation in 55 B.C.
• Occupation completed by Claudius in 1st century A.D.
• Hadrian’s Wall built about 122 A.D. to identify the northernmost reaches of the Roman Empire
• Romans “left” in 410 A.D. because Visigoths attacked Rome
• St. Augustine landed in Kent in 597 and converted King Aethelbert (king of Kent, the oldest Saxon settlement) to Christianity; Christianity began to take hold in England (but does not fully displace Paganism for several hundred years)

Today’s plans:

• 1) Today we will look more at how English language developed.
• 2) You should takes notes of what caused major shifts in language and include a few examples.
• 3) After our notes, you will get to look at the runic alphabet and try creating some words with it!

(2) Roman Occupation

• Some Characteristics of the Language:
• LATIN influence:
• Latin was the official language of the Romans and it heavily influenced the development of the English language
• The Roman practice of recording history led to the earliest English “literature” being documented
• The Latin Alphabet