A Brief History of the English Language: From Old Old English Period (500-1100)

English to Modern Days

The Old English period began in 449 AD with the arrival of three Germanic tribes from
Through the centuries, the English language continues to evolve – let’s take a look at the Continent: the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. They settled in the south and east of
how English was changing from the Old and Middle English periods to our days. Britain, which was then inhabited by the Celts. The Anglo-Saxons had their own
language, called Old English, which was spoken from around the 5th century to the
Today, English is one of the most common languages in the world, spoken by 11th century.
around 1.5 billion people globally. It is an official language of many countries,
including the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Old English was a Germanic language, and as such, it was very different from the
Celtic languages spoken by the Britons. It was also a very different language from the
English is also the lingua franca of international business and academia and is one of English we speak today. It was a highly inflected language, meaning that words could
the six official languages of the United Nations. change their form depending on how they were being used in a sentence.

Despite its widespread use, English is not without its challenges. Because it has Old English grammar also had a complex system, with five main cases (nominative,
borrowed words from so many other languages, it can be difficult to know how to spell accusative, genitive, dative, instrumental), three genders (masculine, feminine, and
or pronounce certain words. And, because there are so many different dialects of neuter), and two numbers (singular and plural).
English, it can be hard to understand someone from a different region.
The Anglo-Saxons also had their own alphabet, which was known as the futhorc.
But, overall, English is a rich and flexible language that has adapted to the needs of a The futhorc consisted of 24 letters, most of which were named after rune symbols.
rapidly changing world. It is truly a global, dominant language – and one that shows no However, they also borrowed the Roman alphabet and eventually started using that
signs of slowing down. Join us as we guide you through the history of the English instead.
language.
The vocabulary was also quite different, with many words being borrowed from other
What Is the English Language, and Where Did It Come From? languages such as Latin, French, and Old Norse. The first account of Anglo-Saxon
England ever written is from 731 AD – a document known as the Venerable
Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, which remains the single most
The English language is a West Germanic language that originated in England. It is the
valuable source from this period.
third most spoken language in the world after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. English
has been influenced by a number of other languages over the centuries, including Old
Norse, Latin, French, and Dutch. Another one of the most famous examples of Old English literature is the epic
poem Beowulf, which was written sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries. By the
end of the Old English period at the close of the 11th century, West Saxon dominated,
The earliest forms of English were spoken by the Anglo-Saxons, who settled in
resulting in most of the surviving documents from this period being written in the West
England in the 5th century. The Anglo-Saxons were a mix of Germanic tribes from
Saxon dialect.
Scandinavia and Germany. They brought with them their own language, which was
called Old English.
The Old English period was a time of great change for Britain. In 1066, the Normans
invaded England and conquered the Anglo-Saxons. The Normans were originally
The Different Periods of the English Language
Viking settlers from Scandinavia who had settled in France in the 10th century. They
spoke a form of French, which was the language of the ruling class in England after the
The English language has gone through distinct periods throughout its history. Norman Conquest.
Different aspects of the language have changed throughout time, such as grammar,
vocabulary, spelling, etc.
The Old English period came to an end in 1066 with the Norman Conquest. However,
Old English continued to be spoken in some parts of England until the 12th century.
The Old English period (5th-11th centuries), Middle English period (11th-15th After that, it was replaced by Middle English.
centuries), and Modern English period (16th century to present) are the three main
divisions in the history of the English language.
 further. For this reason, Middle English is also frequently referred to as Chaucerian
English.
Middle English Period (1100-1500)
French influence can also be seen in the vocabulary, with many French loanwords
The second stage of the English language is known as the Middle English period,
being introduced into English during this time. Middle English was also influenced by
which was spoken from around the 12th century to the late 15th century. As mentioned
the introduction of Christianity, with many religious terms being borrowed from Latin.
above, Middle English emerged after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when the
Normans conquered England.
Modern English Period (1500-present)
As a result of the Norman Conquest, French became the language of the ruling class,
while English was spoken by the lower classes. This led to a number of changes in the The third stage of the English language is known as Modern English, which began in
English language, including a reduction in the number of inflections and grammatical the 16th century and continues to the present day.
rules.
The Early Modern English period*,* or Early New English, emerged after the
Middle English is often divided into two periods: Early Middle English (11th-13th introduction of the printing press in England in 1476, which meant that books could be
centuries) and Late Middle English (14th-15th centuries). mass-produced, and more people learned to read and write. As a result, the
standardization of English continued.
Early Middle English (1100-1300)
The Renaissance (14th-17th centuries) saw a rediscovery of classical learning, which
had a significant impact on English literature. During this time, the English language
The Early Middle English period began in 1066 with the Norman Conquest and was
also borrowed many Greek and Latin words. The first English dictionary, A Table
greatly influenced by French, as the Normans brought with them many French words
Alphabeticall of Hard Words, was published in 1604.
that began to replace their Old English equivalents. This process is known as
Normanisation.
The King James Bible, which was first published in 1611, also had a significant impact
on the development of Early Modern English. The Bible was translated into English
One of the most noticeable changes was in the vocabulary of law and government.
from Latin and Greek, introducing many new words into the language.
Many Old English words related to these concepts were replaced by their French
equivalents. For example, the Old English word for a king was cyning or cyng, which
was replaced by the Norman word we use today, king. The rise of the British Empire (16th-20th centuries) also had a significant impact on the
English language. English became the language of commerce, science, and politics,
and was spread around the world by British colonists. This led to the development of
The Norman Conquest also affected the grammar of Old English. The inflectional
many different varieties of English, known as dialects.
system began to break down, and words started to lose their endings. This
Scandinavian influence made the English vocabulary simpler and more regular.
One of the most famous examples of Early Modern English literature is William
Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, which was first performed in 1597. To this day,
Late Middle English (1300-1500)
William Shakespeare is considered the greatest writer in the English language.

The Late Middle English period began in the 14th century and lasted until the 15th
The final stage of the English language is known as Modern English, which has been
century. During this time, the English language was further influenced by French.
spoken from around the 19th century to the present day. Modern English has its roots
in Early Modern English, but it has undergone several changes since then.
However, the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) between England and France meant
that English was used more and more in official documents. This helped to standardize
The most significant change occurred in the 20th century, with the introduction of mass
the language and make it more uniform.
media and technology. For example, new words have been created to keep up with
changing technology, and old words have fallen out of use. However, the core
One of the most famous examples of Middle English literature is The Canterbury grammar and vocabulary of the language have remained relatively stable.
Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, which was written in the late 14th century. Chaucer was
the first major writer in English, and he e helped to standardize the language even
Today, English is spoken by an estimated 1.5 billion people around the world, making
it one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is the official language of
many countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.
English is also the language of international communication and is used in business,
education, and tourism.