Thursday, September 8, 2011
Question of the Week (9/8/11)
Conduct a little online research of the history of the English language. How has it changed since its inception? What are its origins, and how do they differ from modern English as we know it? Post your findings, and share at least one link from an interesting site. Comment on another classmates' post as well, if you are not first to post. Posts are due by the end of school on Monday.
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During the year 400 AD, The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes all invaded England from Germany. Some of them spoke Celtic but others shared a common type of language, which they combined to create what is known as Old English. Old English is only similar to modern English in that there are similar roots. Middle English began shortly after William the Conqueror invaded England in the battle of Hastings around the year 1100. William and his fellow Normans spoke a French-English dialect that mixed with Old English to create Middle English. Around 1500 came the period of Early Modern English. There were no invasions during this period, but instead the British tweaked their language themselves. What is know as the “Renaissance of Classical learning” brought many new words into the language and changed the pronunciation of vowels. The invention of printing also caused a common and standard of language to be published to the people of England. This period lasted until the 1800’s. Late Modern English, which we still speak today, came about because with technology and the Industrial Revolution, there was a need for more words in general and also more complicated words. More languages also combined with English because it was so widespread. The extension of English America also changed the language because we were disconnected from England. American English also inherited words from Spanish and French while in the “New World.” This period of English has continued until today.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
It is interesting to see how the language changes. It seems hard for us to imagine that our language is changing because it happens so slowly. The common trend of how the language changed often came naturally. Whether it was people invading, just needing more words to communicate, or having the language combine naturally with other languages from being widespread, all these things seemed to just happen without people really meaning to change the language. The only time that I saw an example of people trying to change the language was when they changed the sound of vowels.
The English language is well divided into three periods. The three periods are known as Old English, Middle English, and Modern English. English is furthest recorded with the migration of nomadic Germanic tribes. Not many records of the English language existed before the seventh century. After the eleventh century, the Norman conquest of 1066 along with the introduced language of Old Norse (the language of the Viking invaders) had begun to break down the grammar of Old English. A quite distinctive difference between Old English and Modern English is the uses of gender and number for nouns. It is a system that some European languages still keep, but slowly adapted out of the English language. The twelfth century was when the grammar of Middle English started to come into play. It lasted for about three hundred years, all the way up to the fifteenth century. The influence of the French language occurred during this time period, where we adopted some French grammar such as using a silent “e” at the end of some words. The spelling of some words was inconsistent and varied within each sentence. Many words used in Middle English started to appear more like Modern English. Modern English started in the sixteenth century and continues into today. It is what we see, speak, and hear as the English language. Though the English language has encompassed more than just the three main periods listed above, those three periods are what most affected the English language and what changed the English language into the English that we speak today.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq/history.htm
Overall, English has changed in grammar, wording, and vocabulary. Even today, new vocabulary is allowing the English language to evolve and change along with the ever changing world.
In Brendan’s comment, he said that it’s hard for us to see our language change because it happens so slowly. I disagree. To me, language changes fast. There are many words utilized in the twenty first century that were not used in the twentieth century. These words come from historical events or daily words that we shorten or lengthen into slang words. From the perspective of an American English speaker, one may not be able to see dramatic changes within our language. I however, bet that many people didn’t realize how much the English language affected other languages. Since it is one of the world’s superpowers, America has brought the English language with it as one of the main international languages spoken throughout the world. As a fluent Chinese speaker, I realize that people from all across the globe are starting to incorporate some English within their speaking. A few years ago, the people in China knew little to no English. Now as we further progress in time, the Chinese have incorporated some English words into their vocabulary, opting to use the word the English word “basketball” rather than the Chinese “篮球.” Some words like “tank” have even been given Chinese characters to express their meaning. Though many countries have a native language, most of them also have an official language. Some of those countries happen to have English as their official language. English has spread far across the globe.
The history of the English language starts with Germanic tribes who crossed over from what is now known as Denmark and northern Germany. With their arrival during the 5th century A.D. the Celtic (ex. Thames) speaking people were pushed towards Wales, Cornwall, Scotland and the Brittany coast of France. Over the next few centuries four main English dialects developed. Northumbrian, Mercian, West Saxon and Kentish came from their respective independent kingdoms. After the Viking invasion during the 9th century, Northumbrian domination decreased and Mercia was destroyed. The West Saxon dialect became the main language during the 10th century and it is from this time that the written Old English and runic alphabet came from. The vocabulary of Old English was made up from Anglo-Saxon, Latin (ex. Kettle), and Scandinavian languages (ex. Bask). William the Conqueror brought with him, when he defeated Harold II at the Battle of Hastings, French words (ex. Reply) which were mixed into English. The aristocracy adopted French customs and replaced some English with “borrowed” French words. Middle English (ex. Loveth) arose during the 14th century, after Henry IV ascended the throne, and became the dominant language. The era of Modern English (ex. Auxiliary verbs) began in the 16th century. Modern English grows and changes at an increasing rate. Roots of place names and their derivations best display the influence from historical languages.
ReplyDelete-http://www.krysstal.com/english.html
English has grown and changed with the times, stretching to accommodate the new culture, yet languages are not changed based on culture alone. In history some were changed due to invasions, trading, slaves, or new surroundings. English as we know it today includes slang and gamming/texting words, along with good ol’ fashioned proper English. Dictionaries are quickly becoming thicker due to our culture. Daily words are picked up, made up, or ignored. Not only has the vocabulary enlarged, but the grammar has evolved. There is a vast grammar difference when talking to a person of your age or writing an application. In Old English times the most important words were loot, honor, fame, and loyalty. Today’s society is based upon words of independence, freedom, and wealth. Compared to the Victorian age, where everyone had their place and did not stir, our English has become harsh, bold and improper. I believe the language only reflects the people.
I agree with Brendan that language changes naturally, without people. people can try, and sometimes succeed in changing a language by force, but it is a hard and long process. I disagree with his comment that languages change slowly, therefore agreeing with Ziqi that languages do change at a visible rate. I had an exchange student last year who stayed for the whole school year and helping her learn modern english i found that i would often teach her words i myself had just learned. The same with the German student. as i learn french and talk to french people, i realize that i have to learn everyday french, and slang french which change at an incredible rate. there are so many new words in french that weren't there ten years ago. i agree with Ziqi again on the fact that english is spreading into other languages which are picking it up and incorporating it. This only increases the rate of change.
ReplyDeleteEnglish is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisians dialects brought to Britain by Germanic invaders from various parts of what are now northwest Germany and the Netherland. The invaders, the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes, arrived during the 5th century AD. At that time most of Britain was speaking a Celtic language.
ReplyDeleteNow, English went what could be called three periods that are known as Old English (or Anglo-Saxon), Middle English, and Modern English. Initially, Old English was a diverse group of dialects, reflecting the various origins of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England. Eventually, the dialect of Late West Saxon came to dominate. Old English was spoken until around 1100. Native English speakers now would have great difficulty understanding Old English.
English changed enormously during the Middle Ages that bring us to the second period, Middle English. The modern language is already largely recognizable in written Middle English of 1400 AD. This was caused by two more invasions by the speakers of Scandinavian branch of the Germanic language family and second by the French Normans in the 11th century, who spoke Old Norman and developed a new version of English called Anglo-Norman. When the Normans conquered Britain England they brought with them a kind of French, so when English became dominant in Britain again in the 14th century it had many French words mixed in.
Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden and distinct change in pronunciation (the Great Vowel Shift) started, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. And this is where Modern English began, in the year 1500. English has continuously adopted foreign words, especially from Latin and Greek, since the Renaissance. Because of the adoption of so many foreign words the risk of pronouncing a word incorrectly is high.
There were also many grammatical changes as English became more modern. English once had a declension system similar to that of Latin with the nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive cases. But as English transitioned from old to middle this system was greatly simplified to just the accusative and dative cases. And as the language transitioned from middle to modern these cases were completely done away with.
English has changed drastically over the years due to many different invasions and it’s interesting to think about if one of those invasions hadn’t happened. If just one time the invasion hadn’t happened we would not be speaking the same language as we do today. From taking Latin for a third year it is cool to see just how many words the English language adopted.
The English language originated when three Germanic tribes invaded Britain during the 5th century AD. At the time of the invasion, the British inhabitants spoke a Celtic language but these natives were pushed north and west by the germanic invaders. One of the invading tribes was the Angles, who came from Englaland and they spoke Englisc, which is where the words England and English come from. The invaders spoke similar languages, and when they were in Britain these languages blended into what is now called Old English. Old English is extremely different from English today, and most people would have trouble understanding it if they heard it. Many words we still use today have Old English roots even though it was only spoken until about 1100. In 1066 William the Conqueror conquered England and brought a type of the French language with them. This became the language of the upper and middle classes, while the lower classes still spoke English. By 1400, English became the dominant language again, but with some French words blended in. This language is called Middle English and still would be very hard for modern English speakers to understand. It was spoken until about 1500. At the end of Middle English, there was a sudden and dramatic change in pronunciation. This was called the Great Vowel Shift and it was when vowels were being pronounced shorter and shorter. Contact with other cultures from around the world and the Renaissance of Classical learning influenced many new words and phrases entering the English language. With the invention of printing, there was now a common language being printed. Late Modern English, from 1800 to the present day, differs mainly from Early Modern English in vocabulary. The industrial revolution and modern technology has caused a need for many new words, and the English Empire adopted many words from other cultures.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
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ReplyDeleteThe english language originated around 400 AD with the arrival of three Germanic tribes who sailed across and invaded england. The tribes were the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. When they invaded england the languages of the three tribes combined to form what is considered Old English. Old English is very different from what we speak today and is almost impossible to understand. However many of our words have roots that stem from Old English. Old English was the dominant language spoken in England until 1066 when William the Conquerer invaded England. William was from Normandy and spoke something similar to modern French. William ruled England and french was used as the language of nobility and people of the upper class. Old English was used by the lower class but they were slowly picking up french words and Old English was changing. By the 14th century English was being spoken more than french. But many french words had been picked up along the way and the language had changed into what is called Middle English. Middle English uses many modern words but the construction and order of the words can be strange and confusing. In the 1500's there was a great change in the way English was spoken. What was different this time was that the change wasn't caused by and invasion or a class divide. Instead it was caused simply by the passage of time. English simply evolved naturally into what is called Modern English. Modern English saw the change in pronunciation of vowels, with vowels being pronounced shorter. Also with the invention of the printing press meant there was a common language that could be regulated and documented. Modern English is what we use today, although we have many more words then they did in the 1800's.
ReplyDeleteLanguage is something that will never be static. As long as people continue to speak, there will be innovation and change in the way we talk. I agree with Bethany that we can observe our own language changing, in even just the past ten years. New words come and go and even kids who are only a few years younger speak differently than my friends and I do. I think that as communication becomes increasingly easier with the internet we will see language's being spread throughout the world at a faster rate than ever before.
http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
The English language started with the invasion of the Angles, Saxons and the Jutes who originally occupied Germany during the 5th century. Their travels included traversing over the North Sea and when entering, they forced the Celtic people out toward Wales and Scotland. Old English as people called it, was effected by both people who spoke Scandinavian (8th and 9th century), and the Normans; people who spoke the language of Norman (11th century). Due to the Anglo-Saxons arrival and coercing the Celtics out, they developed their own language called Englisc (later called Old English). The Norman Conquest was the conclusion to the era of Old English. Next, it was Middle English that was formed. This included the Normans continual impact on Old English which then turned into Middle English over the course of time. Following that, Modern English came around after the 15th century and after the Great Vowel Shift. Also, the first English Dictionary was produced and was made public in 1755 by Samuel Johnson. In 1600 AD, American English started to rise because of North America being colonized. Therefore, due to all of these influences from the groups like the Anglo-Saxons, English started to form into a language that would eventually be used all around the world.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.englishlanguageguide.com/english/facts/history/
Finally, English has changed significantly over the course of time, even a great amount from Middle and Modern English. There are more new words, words are being redefined and edited and other languages are in basically the same process as well. We kind of have to keep reinventing these words and changing the style because so many others are using our language as a second language or using it as an aid to their own. Also, we’re becoming smarter and inventing new products, so some things just come with that.
I agree with what Bethany said because its constantly being revised and added onto. Also what is happening with our country also influences it and we’re becoming familiar with new words each day. Even if those words are there, people may not use them. Therefore, people are learning, and with learning comes ideas.
The English Language has been around for quite a long time, and over time it has evolved into what we know it as now. For example, when we read Shakespeare most of us find it difficult to understand from what we are used to reading now a days. From research, I have found that English evolved only over a few centuries, which is quite fascinating considering how complicated the language is. Languages change for many reasons, for example; they change in “response to social, economic and political pressures,” but I also read that, “Even without these kinds of influences, a language can change dramatically if enough users alter the way they speak it.” Another influence on language change is the use of technology we have now that they did not have hundreds of years ago. These days most of us use slang when we talk using technology, which has dramatically changed our culture as well. http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/linguistics/change.jsp
ReplyDeleteI also learned that English is “divided into three periods usually called Old English (or Anglo-Saxon), Middle English, and Modern English.” And English was greatly influenced by old Germanic tribes, Great Britain, French and Latin.
I think Brendan brought up a great point about how weird it is to think about that our language, as we know it today will be completely different in hundreds of years. It’s a scary thought to think about, and makes me wish I could see how the future will play out. I’m sure the technology will greatly advance as well over time, which will also influence the English language.
** Meant to include this as well http://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq/history.htm
ReplyDeleteThe history of the english language can be divided into 3 parts: old english, middle english, and modern english (2). Old english began with the invasion of Britain by the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes, in the 5th century AD. Before the invasion the inhabitants spoke celtic. The celtic speakers were forced west and north by the invaders into what is now Wales, Scottland and Ireland. The Angles who took over Britain spoke Englisc which the english words we have today are derived from (1). the middle english period was from the 12th to 15th century. During this time the language was influenced by french and latin . Modern english is from the 16th century to today. During this period there were many important developments such as, the stabilizing of spelling (2).
ReplyDelete1: http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
2: http://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq/history.htm
both of these sites are great! The first simplifies the history and gives you a straight background with a map showing where everything happened! The second describes the language used in the different time periods and shows how things such as, the sound of vowels, changed through out history.
In response to Claudia: Shakespeare is a great example of how different language was not so long ago. The sites I came up with only showed really old english sentences that were part a different language all together. I think comparing us to shakespearean times really shows how the structure of our sentences has reformed and become a sort of relaxed- version of english. I think know a days we fudge the language while we speak, rather than use the correct grammar written and recorded in english language books.
After the withdrawal of the Roman Empire's troops and colonists in the early 400's from England, the Britons began to resettle the western parts, but were shortly thereafter invaded by the Anglo Saxons. The Saxons displaced or absorbed most of the Britons and heavily colonized the area. Later in the 800's, Northern men (vikings) came and joined in with the Anglo-saxons. Parts of Old Norse were absorbed into the Anglo-Saxon language, which by that point was a blend of different Germanic dialects. When Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon were joined, complex conjugations and declensions faded out out the language. Later, in 1066, William the Conqueror invaded England and brought with him a dialect of French, which he took as the language of the new Aristocracy. The common language, though, was English with some French influence and a large number of French words. Since then, English has been taking and absorbing words from many different languages, making it the complex and rich language we know today.
ReplyDeletehttp://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/evolenglish.html
I agree with what Ziqi said before about the progression and change of language across the globe. I think that English is not going to change a whole lot in the next decade or so, but the same can't be said for other languages. French is one of those languages that has had to continually make up new words and absorb words from other languages to keep up with the times. The word "ordinateur" is one such word that was made up from Latin and was intended to be fully incorporated in the French language. The word is so clumsy, that (in France) whenever I heard someone refer to a computer, they would always just say "computér". In this way, English is affecting and shaping the development of other modern languages today, and I believe, will continue to do so in the 21st century.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ordinateur
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ReplyDeleteThe English language can trace its roots back two thousand years to the Roman empire, and the Latin language. As a Latin student I know how similar Latin vocabulary is to ours. Its often possible to distinguish the meaning of a word in Latin based on what you know of English, because there are so many similarities. However, the first use of what we think of as the English language is after the Roman Empire's fall, in Britain. The Romans had brought Latin to Britain for a short time, but after the Romans had been driven out the Celtic tongues prevailed. Then, after several Germanic tribes invaded Britain, their Nordic-like language became predominant. A combination of Viking Norse and Germanic tongues produced the Old English dialect, and the introduction of Christianity added the first Latin and Greek words. Later, what is known as middle English was mostly spoken by the common people, while the nobility mostly spoke variations of French. The great vowel shift, in which the English used by the common people spread into the government and nobility, advented the arrive of modern English in the late 15th century.
ReplyDeleteFrom: http://www.englishlanguageguide.com/english/facts/history/.
The English language has changed dramatically through its history, and it is fascinating that, from Old English to Modern English, its all considered English. Pick up a middle English novel like the Canterbury Tales, and the words and the way the words are used can confound you. But when I read Latin, a completely different language, its possible to determine the meaning of a passage based on my knowledge of English vocabulary. In just the past decade, the English language has seen a host of new words and new uses for old words with the development of new technologies. No one has used the word text in the present tense, texting, or words like internet and Google, until now, and it is likely that the English language will continue to evolve. In another thousand years, who knows? If the English language is not dead, than it might have changed so much it would be unintelligible today.
In her post, I found it interesting that Bethany uses the words “harsh, bold and improper” when describing the use of English today. I agree with this to a certain extent. Bold and improper in that certain words are used much more explicitly today than before, especially in media. But I think that harsh is a little excessive because language, English or not, can always be harsh. Our English may be more harsh today because we have new words and new meanings for old words, but if these words had been available to those who lived in the old and middle English periods, I'm sure people would have made use of them.
The English language did not just appear into the way of life it was brought into existence. It is said that English can be divided into 3 parts: old English, Middle English and modern English. Old English was brought into existence by the invasion of Britain by the Angles, Saxons, and the Jutes in the 5th century A.D. In this time it was not English, but a Celtic language that the Britain’s spoke. The Angles were from a place called Englaland where they spoke a language similar to English, where the word English was created. Old English started to fade and Middle English was being used during the 12th to 15th century. This was a time where France was a big influence on England. The English language changed to have a mixture of both the French and English language, therefore changing some of the structural aspects of English like spelling and grammar. Modern English has extended from the 16th century onwards to today. During this time period there were many inventions such as the printer, making a common language, different ways of learning like classical forming our language to what it is today.
ReplyDelete1) http://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq/history.htm
2) http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
English has changed with the times even from Modern English to today, the difference is that English will not be changed from invasions anymore it will be changed from our surroundings for instance we use slang and texting as different ways to communicate. Our daily dictionary is expanding from what used to be a lightweight book to a couple of pounds. Overall the English Language will always be changing, it will keep on evolving to meet the standards of our expanding society.
I agree with Oren when he says the expansion of the English language is coming from the many different languages like French. English is going to continually evolve creating a well-influenced language that could possibly be completely different in years to come.
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ReplyDeleteThe English language can be distinctly divided into three different periods known as Old English, Middle English, and Modern English. Old English began with Germanic tribes from Denmark and what we now know as the coasts of Germany and the Netherlands, invading the upper coasts of England around the 5th and 6th centuries A.D. Isolation caused differences in the language from that of their homeland’s, so that by 600 A.D., it had developed into the first stage of the English language, Old English. The Norman Invasion and Conquest of 1066 introduced new cultural dynamics to the British Isles. Aristocracy generally shunned the English language, but it’s exponential growth eventually led to its infiltration of the monarchy, pushing out the French language, this was Middle English. Famous works from this age include Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the Pearl Poet’s Pearl, Patience, Cleanness, and his Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Eventually, with the introduction of the printing press, English found its way as becoming a national language. By the time the colonization of America began the structure of the modern English language was in place. Since then English has done anything but stay the same, even though most of the same grammar rules apply, new slang terms and influences from other languages like Spanish and French continue to help our language evolve. To think that English came up from nothing to one of the most widespread languages is amazing. I think the reason it has been so successful is because of its ability for rapid change, its lack of rigidity, and influences from all over the world.
ReplyDeleteA link I found is: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words04/history/
It has a great timeline and a short essay which both are too the point without too many extra details.
I think Liam brings up a good point in saying that much of the English language came about by various invasions. If just one of those hadn’t of happened, English could have turned out completely different from what it is today. Oren also phrased the way the English language adapts nicely, he used the phrase “absorbing words from other languages”. This demonstrates exactly how the English language grows, it keeps what it already knows but continues to soak up new things, a lot like a very, very big sponge.
I agree with what Brendan said about how language changes naturally. Nobody really sits down and decides that a language needs to change or how it needs to change it just happens. I think it is really cool that the language we speak today is a combination of so many different languages all scrambled up. I also think it really interesting how all the different changes came about.
ReplyDeleteToday, English is one of the most important languages for the world. It s the language of science, global trade, and a large percentage of the internet. The strength of the countries which use it continue to spread its influence and the diversity of the individuals who speak it continue to expand its lexicon. However, this widespread language didn’t used to exist. Where did this spider-web of influence, this language of commerce, and this key to opportunity originate? The earliest traces of English date back to the 450 AD invasion of Britain by the Jutes, Saxons, and Angles, three Germanic tribes link by there origin in Denmark and there common language of Englisc. When these invading Germanic tribes mixed with the inhabitants of Britain, so their language mixed with Celtic, the language spoken on the island at that time. This period of time in the history of the English language is referred to as old English. Half of all words in modern English date from this time though the spellings and inflections are so different we could not understand them today. The period of Old English lasted until approximately 1100 AD. In 1066 however, a new period began, that of middle English. In 1066 the William the conqueror and the Normans invaded Britain and brought with them a dialect of French that became the chief language in Britain’s upper class. This language mixed with the old English of the lower class, creating a new dialect close to the one we speak today but still difficult to understand because of changes in spelling and enunciation. The period of Middle English lasted until the 16th century when there was a great and sentient shift in pronunciation of vowels and a reformation called the renaissance of classical learning which both brought English into its third period, called early modern English. Later in this period, people had greater access to language with the invention of the printing press, which resulted in a standardization of language, grammar, and spelling. As the world became more complex, that languages of the world grew to accommodate the complexity, and English is no exception. By the 19th century, English had grown in vocabulary due to the industrial revolution and had moved into its final and current stage of late modern English. All my research was conducted on these three sites:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq/history.htm
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words04/history/
http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
I agree with Brendan that it is very interesting how our language has evolved to become the complex language of over 250,000 common words in use today and estimates of millions more words in the scientific and obsolete realm. It is also interesting as Brendan points out, that very rarely is language purposefully changed or created. More often language changes by chance, social and global factors, and the mixing of other pre-existing languages. Language is our key to communication and expression, knowledge and survival, it is essential that we preserve it and that we continue to let it evolve to fit the changing world.
The history of the English language really started with the arrival of three Germanic tribes who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD. These tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, crossed the North Sea from what today is Denmark and northern Germany. At that time the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language. But most of the Celtic speakers were pushed west and north by the invaders - mainly into what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The Angles came from Englaland and their language was called Englisc - from which the words England and English are derived.
ReplyDelete…
From around 1600, the English colonization of North America resulted in the creation of a distinct American variety of English. Some English pronunciations and words "froze" when they reached America. In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English is. Some expressions that the British call "Americanisms" are in fact original British expressions that were preserved in the colonies while lost for a time in Britain (for example trash for rubbish, loan as a verb instead of lend, and fall for autumn; another example, frame-up, was re-imported into Britain through Hollywood gangster movies). Spanish also had an influence on American English (and subsequently British English), with words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante being examples of Spanish words that entered English through the settlement of the American West. French words (through Louisiana) and West African words (through the slave trade) also influenced American English (and so, to an extent, British English).
Today, American English is particularly influential, due to the USA's dominance of cinema, television, popular music, trade and technology (including the Internet). But there are many other varieties of English around the world, including for example Australian English, New Zealand English, Canadian English, South African English, Indian English and Caribbean English.
http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
As this article excerpt suggests there are many different variants on the English language, as with many other languages, but being a spoken in one of the world’s most prominent countries American English has really forced itself onto other languages. When I was in Germany last year at the beginning one could hear a few English words mixed into a conversation, and by the time I left one could pick any random sentence and the probability of it containing a word from English was frighteningly high. Thus I must disagree with Brendan that language changes slowly, language develops at an incredible rate. Ziqi is right when he says that nowadays English, and language in general, has changed from ten or twenty years ago. Language changes so fast that different generations can hardly understand each other when conversing in their respective colloquial or slang speeches. One might say that this would cause communicative problems, but since English has begun to dominate most other languages and has been accepted as the “universal” language, in several years communication will have become much easier, though at the sacrifice of cultural diversity.
The English language originated when Britain was invaded by three Germanic tribes: the Saxons, Angles, and Jutes. These tribes came from Denmark and brought with them the language of Englisc, which the people of Britain adapted into Old English. Although Old English would be almost impossible for us to understand today, there are still English roots from our language to theirs. There next was a phase in which many French words were added into the English language, and this was called Middle English. Finally, a change in punctuation called the "Great Vowel Shift" brings us to what we call Modern English. Our vocabulary grew and that today we speak Late Modern English, with many varied branches as well.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is fascinating how languages can change over time, molding to fit new people and places. Today, speaking english is so second nature to most of us that we would never think about how much it will have change in a few hundred years. Language can also change drastically quite quickly. I agree with Jonathan when he says we hardly even realize how language has changed over the past 10-20 years. Due to slang, our language has many different branches and vocabulary, but is still a universal language and helps connect many different kinds of people.
http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
Stephenson, Rita
ReplyDeleteshow details 6:50 AM (2 hours ago)
The English language has changed a lot since its inception. Its original roots are in the Germanic language that was brought over to the British Isles around 450 AD. Before Britain was invaded by the Germanic tribes there were mostly Celtic speaking people inhabiting them. These people were pushed mostly into Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.
Around 1100 the Duke of Normandy invaded England, bringing the French language with him. For a long time the upper classes of England spoke French, and the lower classes spoke Old English. When this period ended the English language had gained a great deal of French words, thus changed accounting for the similarities in English and French. From 1500 to 1800 Britain became familiar with more countries that it had previously known before. This caused the English language to add yet more new words to its language. What added and changed the English language more was the Industrial revolution which was when a lot of new technologies were created. This meant that new words had to be made up for these new technologies.
The oldest English differed from modern English enough so that we would not be able to understand what people were say. What caused this huge difference has a lot to do with the expansion of the world. As England's out side contact widened its language changed more and more. At first English was only the language brought over from the Germanic tribes, but now it is a combinations of many languages which has caused it to change greatly.
I think that the point that Bethany makes is very interesting. That our modern English circulates around different types of words than people who lived a long time ago. This is a good point because it is true. We are definitely more focused on more superfluous things than people used to be. I also agree with Bethany in saying that the language reflects who is speaking it, but also maybe the people reflect the language they have been taught to speak. I think this also has to do with the culture connected to the language. When someone is born into a language and a culture that language and culture become theirs.
http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
I agree with Henry when he said that "as long as people continue to speak , there will be innovation in the way we talk"(1). Language evolves even if we don't know it or mean to. Language can be affected by so much for example new people with new accents moving to an area affect the people around them and are also affected themselves. I can relate to what Henry says about how kids just a few years younger than I am speak differently than my friends and I do. I also like the point Henry brings up about the internet spreading changes in language much faster.
ReplyDeleteIn the 5th century the Angles Jutes and Saxons traveld across from germany to england. The three tribes kicked out the native Celts. The word English come from englace as in Angles being the prominent tribe in England. Though modern english speakers wold have great difficulty understanding old English around 50% of the words we use have roots in old English. In 1066 William the conquerer introduced french to england. this became a class division where the upper-class spoke French and the lower spoke English. Middle english was born in the 14th century when french was fazed out but many of the words remained. During the 16th century words started to have a vowel shift towards what we call english today. The way vowels changed is that they got constantly shorter. When the printing press was invented it helped to standerise english, this was because people now had a reference to look at. Then in 1604 the first english dictionary was published. this once again helped to standerise the language. Late moden english was different because of introduction to lots of new words thanks to the industrial revolution. And at this point the british empire controlled half of the world which provided more new words. After a while english started to form its own dialect in America. Many of the things that Americans say differently than English people are things that have been lost to england and were preserved in the colonies from old english.
ReplyDeleteEnglish has continued to grow over the centuries and now covers a large section of the globe in many different forms like Canadian english and Australian english.
i Think that we should look at english not as changing but evolving with the times. Though i dont think all of the changes have been helpful they have all been for obvious reasons. Such as the French addition to english being from the french invading.
http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
ReplyDeleteThe English language started in the 5th century AD when a Germanic tribe, full of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, invaded Britain. They brought over Old English, which is made up of Celtic and Englisc languages and it became the main language spoken in Britain until 1100 AD. In 1066 AD, William the Conqueror (the Duke of Normandy) invaded and conquered England. The Normans brought over their upper class language of French and it became the prominant language until the 1500's. That language is now known as Middle English. Modern English, which is the language we speak today, is broken up into two periods. Early Modern English, which was spoken from 1500-1800 AD, was the language most people spoke during the Reniassance/Shakespearian times. Late Modern English has been the English language that everyone speaks today and was the language since 1800. The vocabulary in Late Modern English is more enhanced than the vocabulary in Early Modern English.
I agree with Parker when he says in response that the English language is one of the most important languages today. It has improved so much over the years and has been brought to many different countries around the world. Also, the amount of resources he has really shows how much he researched about the history of English.
The origins of the English language are told to have begun around 1000 BC from the Celts. From the information that I am receiving from, http://www.danshort.com/ie/timeline.htm, it continued to gain and form along with Latin, Bede, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Breton, Manx, Anglo-Saxon/Danish, Old Norse, Norman French, Chaucer, and Shakespeare. Then around the 15th century, after the Age of the Renaissance, the more enriched English language was cultivated by more modern Latin, Greek, French, Italian plus some Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Hindi, and Malay. At this point the English language began to disperse out into more classified groups such as; American English, Canadian English, Australian English, British English, Irish English, Scottish English, and Indian English. Finally, after the classification of the more modernized English languages, the Spanish, American Indian, and the Internet languages impacted the American English language bringing us to our language is today.
ReplyDeleteThis data came from http://www.danshort.com/ie/timeline.htm.
I like how Brendan gave a brief and broad response, but I feel like more details of more occasions could have been added into his response, not just the major instances. I also liked how Brendan included his thoughts towards the research that he did and how he shared the way he thought modern English language was changed and "revised" over time.