Origins of the English Language

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Origins of the English Language
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Anglo-Saxon Period Time Line
500 BC Celts of Britain 55 BCE Romans (led by
Julius Caesar) invaded and drove the Celts to
the west and north 409 CE Romans left. Celt rule
again. 449 CE Angles, Saxons, and Jutes
invaded. 800 CE Danes and Vikings invaded. 1066
CE French warriors called Normans defeated the
Anglo-Saxons at the Battle of Hastings.
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The Celtic Heroes

• All the Britons dye their bodies with blue color,
  and this gives them a more terrifying appearance
  in battle. They wear their hair long, and shave
  the whole of their bodies except the head and
  upper lip.

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Celts

• A magical world. The religion was a form of
  animism, from the Latin word spirit. They saw
  spirits everywhere (rivers, trees, stones,
  ponds,etc.) They worshiped nature and their
  priests were called Druids.
• Legends are full of strong women, fantastic
  animals, passionate love affairs, and fabulous
  adventures.
• This mythology influence English and Irish
  writers to this day.
• There was little influence left of the Celtic
  languages after the invasions of many more
  groups.
• Arthur was a Celtic war chief that was defeated
  by the Anglo-Saxons.

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Stonehenge
Some think that Stonehenge was used by the Druids
for religious rites having to do with the lunar
and solar cycles.
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The Romans The Great Administrators

In 55 BCE an invasion was led by Julius Caesar.
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Administrative Genius

• Armies that prevented invasions.
• Built a network of roads and walls.
• Provided a centralized government with rules,
  laws, consequences, etc.
• Brought trade with the rest of Europe.
• Christianity would become a unifying force.
• Old Celtic religions began to vanish.

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By 409, they had evacuated their troops from
Britain, leaving roads, walls, villas, and great
public baths, but no central government. Without
Roman control, Britain was weak, and that made
the island ripe for a series of successful
invasions by non-Christian people from the
Germanic regions of Continental Europe. There
was little influence on the language.
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The Anglo-Saxons and the Jutes

• In the middle of the fifth century, the invaders
  come from Germany and Denmark across the North
  Sea.

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Anglo-Saxon influences

• They drove the native Britons to the north and to
  the west and settled the greater portion of
  Britain.
• They were pagan.
• Their language was dominant. That language is
  Old English.
• The land became known as Anglo-land.
• They were not politically unified until

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King Alfred of Wessex (r 871-899)

• Led the Anglo-Saxons in a unified army against
  invading Vikings. The reemergence of
  Christianity in Britain from the continental
  missionaries and the Irish monasteries also
  helped unite Britain.

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Warrior Gods

• Religion had many commonalities with
  Norse/Scandinavian mythology.
• God of death, poetry, and magic was Woden
  (Wednesday).
• God of thunder and lightning was Thunor
  (Thursday).
• On the whole the Anglo-Saxons were more concerned
  with ethics than with mysticism
• Virtues of bravery, loyalty, generosity, and
  friendship.

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The Bards

• The communal hall provided space for
  storytellers.
• The bards were on the same level as warriors.
• Creating poetry was as important as fighting,
  hunting, farming, or loving.
• Recited poetic stories (oral tradition)
• Later written down by Christian monks.
• The greatest Anglo-Saxon epic is Beowulf.

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The Norman Invasion

• William, duke of Normandy, invades Anglo-Saxon
  England.
• The Battle of Hastings in 1066 establishes
  William as king and unifies England
• Official language of the court was French
• This is where the Latin influence originates

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The Indo-European Languages

• English is derived from the German branch
• Has major influences from Latin and Greek among
  others
• Influences come from trade, immigration, and war