How did English language start? | English History

By Admin • August 05, 2022 • English • 1,366 views

History of English

The history of English goes back at least 4,000 years, making it among the world's oldest languages. Its roots lie in Germanic tribal languages brought to England during the Roman occupation of Britain. Today, about 80% of the global population speaks English as their native tongue. According to the 2011 census, there were 1,693 million people who speak English as a primary language and another 641 million who speak English as a second language.

In the 9th century, when English was developing out of Anglo-Saxon, its first written records appeared in Latin script. By 987, the Normans had conquered southern England and forced the native inhabitants to adopt Norman French as their official language. From 1130 until 1336, the country was united under King John (1167–1216), whose reign marked the end of the Middle Ages. In the 15th century, Henry VII declared himself the first Tudor king of England. Wars between the Yorkists and Lancastrians ensued, resulting in the Wars of the Roses and leading to Richard III becoming king. Henry VIII succeeded his sister, Mary I, in 1553 after she died without child. His marriage to Anne Boleyn led to the dissolution of the monasteries. His wife, Catherine Howard, was accused of adultery and executed. Henry eventually annulled his marriage to Catherine and married Jane Seymour instead.

Henry VIII died in 1509 and was succeeded by his son Edward VI, who ruled briefly before being succeeded by his uncle, Lady Jane Grey. She was usurped by her cousin, Mary I, in January 1553. Mary reorganized the church along Protestant lines. Her half-sister Elizabeth I became queen in March 1603.

The 18th century saw the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the start of British involvement in North America, and the War of Spanish Succession. George Washington took office as president in 1789. The United States Constitution was ratified in 1787. Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt and later Spain. Europe entered a period of great social and political change known as the Industrial Age.

The late 19th century saw Queen Victoria ascend to the throne, followed by the rapid modernization of industry. Queen Victoria abdicated in 1901, and Edward VII ascended to the throne. He was succeeded by George V in 1910. World War I began in 1914; it ended in 1918.

World War II broke out in 1939, but it ended in 1945 with Japan's surrender. Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in 1952. Her coronation occurred in June 1953. The Cold War began in 1947, and the Iron Curtain separated Eastern and Western Europe. John F Kennedy was elected president in 1960, and he was assassinated in 1963. Lyndon B Johnson was inaugurated in 1965. American culture flourished in the sixties, as did pop music, film, and fashion.

The 1970s were dominated by economic problems, recession, and oil crises. A boom in technology and invention occurred throughout the decade. President Jimmy Carter won the election of 1976. Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979. Ronald Reagan became U.S. president in 1980.

Proto-Indo-European Language (PIE)The PIE language was spoken between approximately 10,000 BC and 5,000 BC. All modern European languages descend from this initial language. In its beginning, the PIE language consisted of around 10 words including “*teh”, “*thu”, “aue”, and “*wos”. Words like those could have been pronounced in different ways, resulting in many different variations of the same word. This led to the formation of various dialects and eventually resulted in the Old English language.

Middle English Language (ME)After the Germanic invasions, some words from the Latin language were absorbed by the Germanic peoples. These included abstract terms such as “*tat”, “to”, and ‘cause’, among others. Over time, these changes caused the ME language to become much closer to the French language. Some of the most prominent differences between the two languages are in their use of vowel sounds. A few examples of these differences include: “*e” vs. “i”, “au” vs. ‘ou’, and “*ai” vs. ”ee”.

Modern English Language (ME)After the Norman conquest, both languages started to change drastically. Some of the most notable changes occurred after the 1340’s. After the invasion of France, the English language borrowed words from French and acquired some French grammar structures. Other than that, the majority of the vocabulary came directly from the Anglo Saxon language which was then assimilated into the English language. These changes became increasingly noticeable toward the end of the 14th century, leading to what we know today as the Modern English language.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED)This dictionary was first published in 1857 by James Murray. It contains a collection of over 70,000 words taken from publications throughout history. Its purpose is to provide a record of how English has developed over time. The OED is often used as a reference in linguistics courses to help students understand the historical changes that have happened in the English language.

Word OriginsSome of the oldest words in the English language stem from the Latin language. Many of these words were adopted due to the influence of Christianity. Others are adapted from the Greek language while still others were taken from the Norse language.

The King's EnglishFor centuries, it was believed that only certain people were able to speak a proper version of the English language. Those who could speak proper English were thought to be of higher social status and class than those who couldn't. However, this belief began to fade away in the 19th century. By the early 1900s, it had completely disappeared. Today, the notion of the king's English is not considered accurate at all.

American English LanguageIn recent years, there has been increasing criticism regarding the standard of teaching English in American schools. There were even times where entire states were threatened with losing federal funding if they didn't improve the quality of their education system. As a result, American English has become less standardized than before.

Summary

1. Middle English Language started from the Old French Language, which was derived from Latin. The Latin Language is the first language we learned at school, so what happened? We started learning the French Language, then Spanish, Italian, etc...

The Latin Language was brought over by the Roman Empire, which included Britain as well, where it spread throughout Europe and became the official language of England in 1066.

In 15th century, King Henry V, who came to power in 1399, decided that his kingdom should have their own language, which he called “Middle English”.

The word ‘English’ comes from the Germanic word ‘Englisc’ meaning ‘Angli Saxones’ or ‘Saxons’.

The Oxford Dictionary defines 'Language' as follows: “A system of spoken words, consisting of a set of words (lexicon) plus rules governing how those words may be combined to make utterances.” Therefore, the English Language is not just a collection of words; it's a complex structure that includes grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, and much more.